The Ninja Foodi Grill is my secret to giving meats and veggies a crispy exterior and tender centre.
What is the Ninja Foodi Grill?
In addition to making it possible to grill inside without setting off your smoke detectors, this portly (imagine if you could squeeze the sides of an average microwave slightly inward as if you were moulding Playdough, and that’ll give you a rough approximation of its size and shape) little kitchen hero can also be used for air-frying, roasting, baking, and dehydrating. You can set the temperature anywhere from 105-500°F, and it comes with a few interchangeable accessories that allow it to be transformed into various cooking tools.
Why I love it
As someone who lives in an apartment with no outdoor space, I’ve often gazed longingly at photos of grilled dishes that start popping up in my feeds as the weather warms up. I’ve never struggled to embrace winter’s cozy culinary vibes —big pots of soup bubbling away on the stove for hours and soul-warming roasts— but my summer cooking rituals never felt quite complete without the charred flavours that define the season.
Enter the Ninja Foodi Grill, which came into my life at the beginning of June and has been an (albeit slightly large) fixture on my kitchen countertop since then — but one that I’m more than willing to make room for.
For me, it’s 2020’s answer to the Instant Pot. Like the Instant Pot, there’s a bit of a learning curve as you get to know the Foodi’s different functions and how best to cook with it. I’m often quick to toss away the recipe booklets that come with new kitchen appliances because the recipes inside them are usually uninspiring; but the Foodi Grill’s recipe book has an extensive chart of recommended grilling and air frying temperatures for different foods, which I still find myself referencing a few months into using it.
The more I use the Foodi Grill, the more I’m convinced it just makes everything taste good. Whether I’m grilling marinated chicken, air-frying potatoes sliced into wedges, or even baking frozen food, everything always emerges crispy and flavourful.
The indoor grilling feature was initially the selling point for me, but I’ve also been loving the Foodi Grill’s ability to function as a small oven. It allows me to bake and roast without needing to preheat my actual oven (and subsequently my whole kitchen) in the process.
Although the Foodi has warmed its way into my heart as my summer cooking saviour, its quick cooking time and versatile uses ensure my obsession won’t be limited to a single season.
