I am still resisting. I also cook from scratch and in a move a few years ago decluttered my life of all but essential gadgets (food processor and Kitchenaid mixer). I have since acquired a slow cooker and in winter I agree it has its upsides, but is a chore to store. The zealots have yet to convince me the cupboard hassle is worth it, and like you I am NOT looking at it on the kitchen bench!
I hate them with a passion. I was given an expensive one as an unwanted gift - it stayed in the box taking up so much room. I didn’t even use it once before eventually selling on 12 months later. I hate even the look of them - give me a Falcon any day 😂
My son bought me one for Christmas (I have to teach him a thing or two about gifting). He probably did it with the thought of endless chips.
I only find it useful for frozen chips, samosas etc. Basically anything you’d buy from Iceland that has been sprayed with fat. Which I rarely do. Home made chips or roasties are awful from it. I haven’t tried any other scratch meals from it but after reading this, I will make a concerted effort and report back. It has to earn its real estate usage on my bench.
I’m a convert. Hardly use my real oven anymore. I bought one that’s more like a mini oven - the size of a microwave. It has a couple of shelf slots, a normal bake and a pizza setting. I can bake cakes, heat frozen “diet” chips. Reheat and crisp up a pizza. Sometimes healthy things emerge from it, too.
I 100% agree with you, and have resisted forever… until I received a voucher and noticed a Ninja 11 in one gadget, I could use it for. Mainly as this not only “airfrys” but slow cooks and the wonder of all wonders pressure cooks. A 2 kilo roast chicken in less than 30 mins, moist from the pressure cook, but crispy due to the crisping.
It is large and clunky, but have found a cupboard for it. And it is being used, as I too cook from scratch. So it is being loved, but not for “just and air fry”.
We have an Insta Pot multi thing, bought mainly as we needed to upgrade our pressure cooker (Insta pot has a stainless steel pot). It lives in a cupboard (miraculously as we don’t have a lot of storage space) and we use it mainly for the pressure cooker.
I got a hand me down a few weeks ago. My mum’s cousin was moving. It’s a small one, but I discovered that it makes the best salmon. That’s what I mostly use it for now.
I defy anyone not to be converted to the NInja 15 in 1. I cook an entire Sunday roast in it. And it works out WAY cheaper than having the oven and hob on for hours. It takes up a lot less space than eight pans that you then have to wash. It's SO easy to clean, too. I might marry it.
Thanks for the mention sweetheart, They do look out of place in our kitchen, however I use mine a lot. We have just bought a new oven and I now know what works better in the oven than in our ninja which is not only an air frier but a multi functional oven, pressure cooker, steamer, slow cooker and dehydrator.
Nope.. not for me.. my food processor and mixmaster thingie take up enough space .. and we installed a second combi oven when we renovated which can reheat quickly small amounts.. Frankly the old pressure cooker is a better work horse if time reduction is an issue.. but I can see a place for this thing in the kitchens of the future.. apparently many don’t have ovens anymore?!
Totally agree with you, Maggie. Roast potatoes come out rather dehydrated if you want enough colour on them. Same for roasted cauliflower- very dried out. That’s all I’ve cooked, apart from warming a croissant. People like salmon done in it, but I like to see how my salmon is cooking in a pan and adding capers and butter/lemon juice at the end. Mine is a small Aldi air fryer (would only take a mini chicken with no juices) so I haven’t wasted too much money on it. I might pass it on to a friend who lives in a shipping container with no oven!!
I have the nimbly named Ninja Speedi and use it constantly. This evening for pork tenderloin stuffed with sage and apple. Yum. Timings are confusing but this does everything except pressure cook and do the shopping. V keen on the while idea. Oh and also for roast nuts with olive oil and salt. Deevine, while they lasted
I also cook from scratch and do not use my airfryer as often as most . We use it for heating croissants, reheating last night’s pizza, chips , hash browns and for the first time, chicken wings, which were delicious . It is handy for these things and we don't really eat these often so now I’m kind of wondering why we have one at all.
Mine doesn’t tick. And you can stop it at anytime - it’s a Phillips one. I do however have a cupboard where it lives until i need to do anything listed above.
So it's an oven. I had no idea. Thanks for this excellent Virgo stellium explanation, Maggie. I will bypass. Also hideous as you say. Thanks xx
I am still resisting. I also cook from scratch and in a move a few years ago decluttered my life of all but essential gadgets (food processor and Kitchenaid mixer). I have since acquired a slow cooker and in winter I agree it has its upsides, but is a chore to store. The zealots have yet to convince me the cupboard hassle is worth it, and like you I am NOT looking at it on the kitchen bench!
I hate them with a passion. I was given an expensive one as an unwanted gift - it stayed in the box taking up so much room. I didn’t even use it once before eventually selling on 12 months later. I hate even the look of them - give me a Falcon any day 😂
My son bought me one for Christmas (I have to teach him a thing or two about gifting). He probably did it with the thought of endless chips.
I only find it useful for frozen chips, samosas etc. Basically anything you’d buy from Iceland that has been sprayed with fat. Which I rarely do. Home made chips or roasties are awful from it. I haven’t tried any other scratch meals from it but after reading this, I will make a concerted effort and report back. It has to earn its real estate usage on my bench.
I would love to try one out, but, tiny kitchen, and I’d have to get rid of something else to make room.
I’m a convert. Hardly use my real oven anymore. I bought one that’s more like a mini oven - the size of a microwave. It has a couple of shelf slots, a normal bake and a pizza setting. I can bake cakes, heat frozen “diet” chips. Reheat and crisp up a pizza. Sometimes healthy things emerge from it, too.
I 100% agree with you, and have resisted forever… until I received a voucher and noticed a Ninja 11 in one gadget, I could use it for. Mainly as this not only “airfrys” but slow cooks and the wonder of all wonders pressure cooks. A 2 kilo roast chicken in less than 30 mins, moist from the pressure cook, but crispy due to the crisping.
It is large and clunky, but have found a cupboard for it. And it is being used, as I too cook from scratch. So it is being loved, but not for “just and air fry”.
We have an Insta Pot multi thing, bought mainly as we needed to upgrade our pressure cooker (Insta pot has a stainless steel pot). It lives in a cupboard (miraculously as we don’t have a lot of storage space) and we use it mainly for the pressure cooker.
I got a hand me down a few weeks ago. My mum’s cousin was moving. It’s a small one, but I discovered that it makes the best salmon. That’s what I mostly use it for now.
I defy anyone not to be converted to the NInja 15 in 1. I cook an entire Sunday roast in it. And it works out WAY cheaper than having the oven and hob on for hours. It takes up a lot less space than eight pans that you then have to wash. It's SO easy to clean, too. I might marry it.
Thanks for the mention sweetheart, They do look out of place in our kitchen, however I use mine a lot. We have just bought a new oven and I now know what works better in the oven than in our ninja which is not only an air frier but a multi functional oven, pressure cooker, steamer, slow cooker and dehydrator.
In a world of high energy prices it works for us.
Nope.. not for me.. my food processor and mixmaster thingie take up enough space .. and we installed a second combi oven when we renovated which can reheat quickly small amounts.. Frankly the old pressure cooker is a better work horse if time reduction is an issue.. but I can see a place for this thing in the kitchens of the future.. apparently many don’t have ovens anymore?!
Totally agree with you, Maggie. Roast potatoes come out rather dehydrated if you want enough colour on them. Same for roasted cauliflower- very dried out. That’s all I’ve cooked, apart from warming a croissant. People like salmon done in it, but I like to see how my salmon is cooking in a pan and adding capers and butter/lemon juice at the end. Mine is a small Aldi air fryer (would only take a mini chicken with no juices) so I haven’t wasted too much money on it. I might pass it on to a friend who lives in a shipping container with no oven!!
I dont think I will buy one at all as Melissa said - an air fryer would take up valuable room on the kitchen benchtop!
I have the nimbly named Ninja Speedi and use it constantly. This evening for pork tenderloin stuffed with sage and apple. Yum. Timings are confusing but this does everything except pressure cook and do the shopping. V keen on the while idea. Oh and also for roast nuts with olive oil and salt. Deevine, while they lasted
I also cook from scratch and do not use my airfryer as often as most . We use it for heating croissants, reheating last night’s pizza, chips , hash browns and for the first time, chicken wings, which were delicious . It is handy for these things and we don't really eat these often so now I’m kind of wondering why we have one at all.
Mine doesn’t tick. And you can stop it at anytime - it’s a Phillips one. I do however have a cupboard where it lives until i need to do anything listed above.