For the past few years, I've gone back and forth over whether an air fryer would be a good addition to our kitchen. Most of the reviews I had seen were a bit mixed on whether an air fryer could really achieve the same taste and texture as deep fat frying.
Thanks to the covid lockdown we have been eating many more meals at home than we usually would and I finally gave in and ordered the
Ninja Foodi 2-Basket Air Fryer. I chose this specific fryer for a few reasons. Firstly I already have some experience with the Ninja brand and I've been really happy with the quality so far. Secondly the dual basket fryer seemed to be the best bang for my buck. With a family of five, I like being able to make bigger batches at a time and most air fryers seemed too small to do that. The Ninja has a combined capacity of 8qts so it can fit a lot more at a time. Having separate compartments makes is easy to cook two different things at the same time or just use one compartment for faster cooking when a smaller batch is needed. Best of all it does more than just air fry, it can also roast, broil, bake, dehydrate and reheat.
Below I'll share a few of the items I have tried in my air fryer so far
- Air fryer ripe plantains
- Air fryer hot dogs
- Air fryer frozen fries
The first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box is that it's pretty big and takes up a good amount of counter space.
I quickly flipped through the instructions and menu book in the box to get an idea of cook times. Then I decided to go ahead and take it for a test run.
I had a bunch of ripe plantains that I would usually deep fry. I cut them up into small pieces, tossed them in a few tablespoons of oil and split them between the two baskets. I wasn't sure of the exact cook temperature and time for plantains but followed the guidelines for fries which suggested 400F for about 25 minutes.
The instructions recommend pausing it a few times during cooking to shake the basket for more even cooking. The problem with ripe plantains though is that you can't really shake them apart. They become quite soft and sticky as they cook. I used a silicone spatula to flip them as best as I could. On their website Ninja also sells a rack accessory that might help the hot air circulate better and would be good for dehydrating.
It took about 30 minutes to cook because I kept opening it up to check on it. Also because the plantains were very ripe and stuck to each other quite a bit. It occurred to me that while crispier foods like fries could cook fine in a full basket the soft plantains needed more space
I decided the next day to try cutting the plantains up a little differently and put less in the basket at a time. I had much faster and better results.
Ultimately the second round of plantains cooked up very nicely and it was such an improved user experienced compared to the mess of deep fat frying. In terms of taste, I would say the air fried plantains tasted very similar to deep fried but also tasted a bit like roasted plantains. There is a definite difference in texture but its still a win win situation. The air fryer significantly cuts down on the oil used, is a much healthier option and a lot less messy as well. My little ones love fried plantains and were just as happy with the air fried version.
The air fryer has now become my go to appliance, it cooks basically anything and has replaced my oven for certain recipes. I used to cook hot dog franks in the oven but, why heat up the whole oven for just a small tray of hot dogs when I can easily use the air fryer instead. These cooked up in 10 minutes at 390F
Like most kids, my little ones love fries and I alternate between using frozen fries and fresh cut potatoes depending on how much time I have to prep. I usually cook these on a cookie sheet in the oven but it can take a while to get crispy. I also have deep fried them but thats just so messy and oily. I decided to try them in the air fryer and was pleasantly surprised. They were the easiest to cook in the air fryer because they don't stick to each other. The basket can be filled up with fries and they will still cook properly as long as you pause the fryer every so often to shake the basket.
My 4 year old definitely commented that the fries "tasted too much like potatoes" which was his way of saying they tasted like the crispy oven roasted potatoes I usually make. So once again its clear that when it comes to taste and texture the air fryer is similar to roasting.
The air fryer is very easy to clean, each basket contains a crisper plate that can be removed for cleaning. Both parts are dishwasher safe. The main unit gets wiped down with a damp cloth
Overall I'm glad I finally took the plunge to try our air frying. I think the term "air fry" is a bit of a gimmick but I still really like this air fryer. Air fryers are marketed on the premise that they can fry your food exactly the same way as a fryer can with minimal to no oil. In reality the air fryer cooks the food by circulating really hot air in a manner that is quite similar to a convection oven. It follows logically that food cooked by hot air won't be exactly the same as food cooked in hot oil. However it is a good halfway point between fried and oven cooked food and the baskets allow the food to cook much faster and more evenly than an oven. With regards to this specific model, I wish the multi layer rack was included in the box or at least available for purchase, it is currently out of stock on their site. The other thing that surprised me was how loud it can be. When its turned on it sounds like the vent fan above the stove. Finally I wish there was a way to check on the cooking food without having to pause the fryer each time.
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