Ninja Cookers

[JanetRose]

Want to start cooking more at home....looks like the Ninja brand is a good one but soooo many choices!

We are just a family of two and want nothing too fancy....any suggestions?

thank you!!

 

[Her Dotness]

Depends on your personal skill level and cooking style, IMO.

I've never bought that, nor an Instant Pot. I prefer to chop, stir, watch simmer or fry--play with the food in all the many ways you can when making dishes from raw ingredients. I don't even have a Crock Pot anymore because it took away much of my enjoyment of sniffing, tasting repeatedly, adding this 'n' that.

You might enjoy a does-it-all appliance like a Ninja, though, particularly if you're pressed for time and want a stew or fried food to cook in a few minutes. All they are is a fancy pressure cooker (or air fryer if you go for that). I know too many people who bought air fryers and found out they don't produce that fried flavor they expected.

How hands-on you are with cooking is important to consider before buying something like that, IMO. If you prefer a machine doing the cooking for you, you might find a Ninja worth its cost. Not me.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ Same here, have never owned them and have no interest. If you enjoy cooking, the various gadgets they currently sell will probably be of less interest to you. Every year of so there is some new device that is popular for a time then probably ends up collecting dust on a back shelf or in your basement. Air frying seems all the rage now and is basically a countertop version of a convection oven. Pressure cookers cook the food in less time but much like a crock pot, they aren't suitable for everything you might want to make. Clever marketing makes it sounds like you can't live without it, but many end up being disappointed with the results.

Many recipes require you to saute vegetables or add various ingredients at different times since some things take longer to cook then others. I don't believe you can do that with a pressure cooker since it is sealed while cooking. Many years ago bread machines were all the rage and if you do make bread, you will soon find out they do a terrible job of kneading with those tiny twirling blades and often are underpowered. If you are old enough to remember when microwave ovens were first introduced, they were marketed as a replacement for your traditional oven. I think most people over the years have found that not to be true and while a microwave is good for some things, it really isn't a replacement for the traditional oven.

I can recall my mom having some brand of crock pot when were were growing up and she eventually got rid of it since everything came out tasting like beef stew. While not a bad thing, it just wasn't something we wanted that often.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I have to agree with the two PP's, although I do use a crockpot. Instant Pot--they brag about how quick it is but: (a) it's not true that you can dump in, turn it on, and walk away. You need to at least stir at the beginning. Pasta comes out gummy; (b) the times are misleading. It may say "cooks pasta in 5 minutes" or whatever, BUT--you have to bring it up to pressure, and afterwards, bring it back down. There may well be a time savings for something like a roast, but for pasta, I'd just as soon cook it.

I never got an air fryer because we have a convection oven. And 5 people live here, so we generally need larger portion sizes.

Even with the crockpot, I only like it for certain things (like pot roast or, well, beef stew). The meat can get mushy, and I really don't care for the results with bone-in +/or skin-on foods. A crockpot can be handy if you want to prep the night before or in the morning, then let something sit and cook while you're at work.

If you want to start cooking more at home, I recommend the cookbooks, "Desperation Dinners" and "Cheap, Fast, Good!" They are designed to get a meal on the table in 20-30 minutes, with "normal" ingredients. A lot of the recipes are fairly simple, like tacos or pasta, but there are also more unusual ones.

You can also check Pinterest for things like freezer meals (prep several on the weekend, and you're halfway to dinner all week), casseroles, and so forth.

 

[mrodgers]

Crock pot is for Chuck roast. If that's all you use it for, it's worth it.

Pressure cooker is for soup/chili. Makes fantastic soup/chili. Pretty much it's my stuffed pepper soup cooker.

Air fryer is for french fries. Ditch the crappy frozen fries and double cook cut fries from potatoes. They are fantastic.

Air fryer makes quick meals and works as an oven for a single person just fine. I've baked lasagna, brownies, pork burnt ends. I have frozen dough balls I put in a bowl and wrap with plastic wrap to leave and rise while I'm at work and have a fresh bun in a few minutes for a hamburger, sandwich, or whatever.

Most of what you're going to find for the air fryer is not healthy at all. Some folks make stuff wrong and post it on FB for everyone to gush over even though it clearly looks disgusting. Other stuff you find are merely money bloggers that most of them aren't even posting picture of something done in the air fryer or they steal recipes and pictures off the internet and blog as if it's their own.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I have a PowerFryer XL, but when I am ready to replace/upgrade, I am planning to get the Ninja Foodi

 

[mrsstats79]

I have the PowerFryer XL too. I would never buy it again. The grate inside lost the coating even with hand washing. Contacting them has done nothing.

 

[Her Dotness]

Crock pot is for Chuck roast. If that's all you use it for, it's worth it.

That would hardly be worth its cost and finding someplace to store it when not in use for us. We have beef bourgignon or pot roast maybe twice in a year.

Otherwise, we buy 4-5 lb. high-quality roasts, oven-roast them and freeze the leftovers.

Even when single, I batch-cooked on weekends so I had quick meals when needed.

Pressure cooker is for soup/chili. Makes fantastic soup/chili. Pretty much it's my stuffed pepper soup cooker.

Air fryer is for french fries. Ditch the crappy frozen fries and double cook cut fries from potatoes. They are fantastic.

IMO, all of these are better done the old-school ways, simmered or deep-fried, the latter easily done in a saucepan on the stove, paying attention to the appearance of the oil and fries as they cook.

Clearly, mrrodgers is mileage-varies compared with me and others who prefer playing with their food in lengthy detail. It's all about determining what works and is enjoyable for you.

And then ignoring the marketers' insistence you can't adequately feed yourself without owning the latest gadgets. (I'm thinking of you, the pineapple corer and slicer that got used maybe twice.)

 

[mrodgers]

Clearly, mrrodgers is mileage-varies compared with me and others who prefer playing with their food in lengthy detail. It's all about determining what works and is enjoyable for you.

I agree. I have this daily annoyance called go to work though, so I don't have the ability to slowly simmer a soup all day.

I'm not getting rich at that job, so I don't live in a nice place and have extremely inefficient AC, so using an oven would mean 90° in the house until around 2 am when it finally caught up and got it cooled down. Happens often when it gets too hot out and I come home to a block of ice in the yard and 90+ inside.

And you're not getting as high a quality roasts as I am as my own children help to born them, name them, pet them, feed them, then help load them up to take to the butcher.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

It depends on what products you are looking at and what you want them for. Ninja (and other brands) have a lot of different options. What are you looking at? The woodfire oven? The Tabletop? Air fryer? Blender? Waffle maker? Juicer? Pressure cooker?

I have an Instant Pot. I hate the thing. I can make great rice in it, but I can do the same thing on the stove. I hate the meat texture I get out of it, no matter what the meat or what recipe I use. It's going in the garage sale pile, I think. Both my girls love theirs and use them regularly.

I have a Crockpot; a big one with the removable crock. I would like to get a smaller one, as using the one I have now means making a big batch of stuff, if I want it to cook properly. I'd still keep the big one (it's going strong after...jeez, 15 years) because it's perfect when we make chili....enough for dinner, lunch the next day, and 2+ meals to freeze. But I want a smaller one to cook smaller portions of roast or stew in, because I don't like freezing the cooked stewed veggies....the texture just gets worse. I'll make the space to have a second crockpot, maybe when I get rid of the instant pot.

I have a Ninja tabletop oven; it has air fry, toaster, baking/roasting, pizza, etc settings. I use it a lot..almost every day. So much easier to throw a frozen pizza in the tabletop oven; it heats in 5 minutes, cooks a Totinos in 11 minutes, and cools down in about 10-15 minutes....and doesn't heat the whole house! I don't like it as a toaster very much; but I do use it to warm buns for burgers/hot dogs, or for pitas for sandwiches. I air fry frozen veggies (you know those Birdseye or Green Giant ones that are roasted?) and frozen fries. I roast chicken parts and pork chops; and have made reversed seared ribeyes too. I also use it for baking. I bought smaller cupcake pans (6 per pan) that fit the oven; also have made baked donuts and Soberdough breads (in mini bread tins). This is one gadget I am not sure how I lived without!

I bought DD#2 a Ninja air fryer about 3 years ago, and she still loves it. She uses it most often for fries and nuggets, lol.

I have two fondue pots, that we use about every 3 or 4 months. The ones that have a metal pot to heat water in, and a removable crock to cook in. I bought 2 extra crocks, so we can do a cheese fondue, a meat oil and a veggie broth, and a chocolate fondue without having to wash the crocks between. Sometimes we do all 4, sometimes just dessert or cheese. It's a lot of work, but fun.

I've had a breadmaker, twice, and it worked for what I needed it for...fresh bread made while I was working. Got rid of it, and do it all by hand again, since I have the time. I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer and I love the thing; but I also have an amazing hand mixer (still going after 10 years) that could do the job if needed. I have an ice cream maker that we've used maybe 5 times; I'll hang onto it, because it's great to use on occasion, but I wouldn't buy it again...maybe get a Ninja Creami, haha.

My coffeemaker is a Ninja also; my kids got it for me last year for Christmas, and got that one because it was a good deal. Same with the one I bought DD#2 this year; got a good deal, but if another brand had similar reviews and a better price, they would have got that one.

My food processor is a Ninja...because I got it for a great price. It does the job I need it do just fine.

Also, all my pots/pans and knives are Ninja as well; got them on a really good sale at Sam's Club. Love them! My bakeware is Food Network, and it's fine for what I paid for them (got them super cheap at Kohls one day), but when they are done, I'll buy better. (I also have two sets of Henckels knives, but the good set needs serious sharpening, and the others were the cheap ones from Target, and have dulled enough that I need to get them sharpened as well.)

 

[Her Dotness]

And you're not getting as high a quality roasts as I am as my own children help to born them, name them, pet them, feed them, then help load them up to take to the butcher.

I don't doubt that one bit, you lucky dog you.

I often recall my childhood when my parents would ask relatives who had a small cattle-feeding operation to save us a half or quarter of beef every so often.

It was delicious and would make what I buy these days look sorry indeed.

 

[firefly_ris]

Crock pot is for Chuck roast. If that's all you use it for, it's worth it.

Pressure cooker is for soup/chili. Makes fantastic soup/chili. Pretty much it's my stuffed pepper soup cooker.

Air fryer is for french fries. Ditch the crappy frozen fries and double cook cut fries from potatoes. They are fantastic.

Air fryer makes quick meals and works as an oven for a single person just fine. I've baked lasagna, brownies, pork burnt ends. I have frozen dough balls I put in a bowl and wrap with plastic wrap to leave and rise while I'm at work and have a fresh bun in a few minutes for a hamburger, sandwich, or whatever.

Most of what you're going to find for the air fryer is not healthy at all. Some folks make stuff wrong and post it on FB for everyone to gush over even though it clearly looks disgusting. Other stuff you find are merely money bloggers that most of them aren't even posting picture of something done in the air fryer or they steal recipes and pictures off the internet and blog as if it's their own.

I enjoy pulled pork in the crockpot as well.

We are waiting on a 1/4 cow from friends of ours within the next month or two. We got 1/4 pig from them in the spring that lasted us pretty well. Only thing I haven't been able to source is chicken from someone. The stuff per pound at the store now is outrageous and sucks half the time on top of it. It was 6.99 a pound a few weeks ago at Tops (the local grocery chain). Insane. I did find some boneless breast at Aldi the other day for 2.50/pound so I bought and froze a bunch of it, but wish I had a neighborhood connection for chicken.

I've never really loved any chuck roast I've made in the past (I do make a good beef stew in the crock pot using a recipe from the Baltimore Sun 40 years ago) so if you have any tips on that I'd like to hear. Maybe it was just the meat itself but I dunno. I can never get it to come out as tender as I would want.


As for OP, what sorts of things are you looking to cook? We do not have a standalone air fryer but our toaster oven has an "air fry" feature, which is just convection anyway -- but I've made decent fries in it and stuff. It probably takes longer than a regular air fryer would but I just don't have space for a jillion different gadgets. I also have a pressure cooker but I don't use it too often. I have used it to speed cook some frozen chicken when I was in a hurry. I can't say I have any particular gadget I really rant and rave over. But I find I can just do most things with the oven or the toaster oven, and occasionally the crockpot.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I agree with Mrodgers--cooking on the stove is fine, if you're around (or even in and out) throughout the day. I prefer it for chili and spaghetti sauce. The crockpot is a Godsend if you're going to be out of the house--no worries about burned spots, spilling over, or (my personal favorite) streaks of sauce all over the stove and backsplash..

Firefly_ris--when I make chuck roast, I throw in a cup or so of V-8 and a packet of onion soup mix for flavoring. Maybe a tablespoon or so of Italian seasoning. My older son is autistic, and doesn't like anything resembling gravy--he hates dairy, and doesn't seem to believe me when I say my gravy doesn't have any. Or maybe it's a texture thing. But, he's fine with the sauce when it's the V-8.

Back when we lived rural, getting whole pigs (and partial cows) was more of a thing than where we currently live. We never got part of a cow, but did buy a pig or two. One year, my DH helped car for and butcher a friend's pigs, and the friend gave us one as payment.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I have the Ninja Foodi 9-in-1, I love it and use it a lot. It can air fry, bake, toast, roast, grill, and other things.

I also have an Instant Pot that I use at least once a week. It is really good for certain things, but I feel like some people try and use it for everything, and some things just don't work as well in it.

 

[mrodgers]

I don't doubt that one bit, you lucky dog you.

I often recall my childhood when my parents would ask relatives who had a small cattle-feeding operation to save us a half or quarter of beef every so often.

It was delicious and would make what I buy these days look sorry indeed.

Tis why I'd like to find some property. He's getting up there and won't be around forever. I'd like to carry it on feeding my children and their families.