So Costco has the Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 digital air fryer oven on sale.

https://www.costco.com/ninja-f...oduct.100735741.html

I know there are air fryer baskets but other designs are combo ovens that can toast, bake, broil, air fry, and dehydrate....the Ninja looks like a big toaster oven rather than one of those basket type "air fryer only" designs, so I guess my question is directed to people who have the oven design, regardless of manufacturer.

One thing that I'm wondering about....for those folks who use the air fryer function, how hard is it to clean the inside of the unit? Does stuff bake on and become impossible to remove?

We use ours almost daily. Our is less than a year old. And yes, there is some permanent discoloration over time - of the inside of the unit and on the removeable tray and grills. That happens with microwaves and toaster ovens so I don't know how big a deal it is. We do religiously wipe out the unit after ever use and wash the inserts as rigorously as possible - but it still happens. From the outside, it still sparkles as wonderful as the day it was put on the counter.

What Kluurs said. ^^^

Same here (combination unit). The basket gets a little grungy ... soak it (I use Bar Keeper's Friend, which is a mild acidic as part of the soak) and scrub it and it's fine. The bottom tray gets grungy, too ... that can be removed and cleaned with oven cleaner.

I love the air fryer. I use it several times a week.

Wanna to try something a little crazy? Drop a little steak into the air fryer.

It’s magic!

Go on....?

How do you do steak in the air fryer? I've done chicken and it's turned out pretty good.

Season steak. Lay it on the grid (I have the toaster oven looking kind). 400 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. (130 degrees ~ med rare). More time or less depending on how thick the steak is.

I thought it would make a mess of the oven but it didn't.

I'm definitely going to give it a try.

I’m so jealous. There is absolutely no room in my kitchen for an air fryer.

quote:

Originally posted by AdagioM:
I’m so jealous. There is absolutely no room in my kitchen for an air fryer.

Ditch the toaster oven. Same footprint, more functions.

quote:

Originally posted by AdagioM:
I’m so jealous. There is absolutely no room in my kitchen for an air fryer.

Same here...I don't even have a microwave..I worry it will overtake the 100 amp service I have...

But I have to say, I have learned to live without....and I like it. Just sayin'..Less is more...

We have a Cuisinart convection toaster oven that we bought at Costco many years ago. It is just now starting to act up - like the electronic control panel has started making a subtle buzzing noise even when not being used, so I've taken to unplugging it except when I am actually using it.

I do love my toaster oven and it gets a lot of use for both toasting and reheating/baking. The Foodi looks like it might make a good replacement but I am concerned about the size of it...my current oven is large but this is a few inches larger and I can't take advantage of the flip up feature because I don't have enough clearance under the cabinets. I'm also wondering if it will really be any different than a convection toaster oven -- isn't the convection bake basically like an air fryer?

Any thoughts? I'm thinking of getting it just to see, as the sale ends soon and Costco makes it easy to return things if I end up hating it.

I hear you re kitchen doodads. I'm not a fan of having a lot of specialized equipment, but I was willing to make the exception for the air fryer. In my case, it's so much nicer to use that when heating up things like casseroles, cooking fish, etc., rather than firing up the ginormous oven for just the two of us.

Re: fish--it's really great for cooking fish. It won't sear, but you can get a nice brown, no spatter (which happens to me when I sear fish), clean up is easy and much less "fishy" smell.

I really like mine.

From what I just looked up, it seems that a convection oven and air fryer are pretty much the same thing.

We don't like clutter on the counter. The microwave is on a separate shelf and the only other things on the counter are the knife block and a couple of low wide bowls for fruits and veggies. The Kitchen Aid Mixer, food processor, and Instant Pot are all in cabinets and get schlepped out when needed.
We have plenty of space for a countertop oven thingy but even with the flip-up feature, the Ninja is still a big box on the counter. I'm just not sure I'd use it enough to justify the clutter.

edit: hmmm....Nina's observations have me reconsidering....


I think if you have and use a countertop oven, the Ninja is a reasonable alternative. We had a garden variety toaster oven years ago but when it died we just replaced it with a toaster because that's pretty much all we were using the oven for. But these new units have more features and are more robust.

I was actually looking for a convection/microwave combo to replace our microwave when it goes. It would be the same footprint as our microwave, on a shelf and off the counter. But those things are bloody expensive, almost as much as my built-in oven.

As for the Ninja vs others, a few things to consider...

The Ninja seems to be able to accommodate a 12" pizza. This is a must have for me.

Some reviews I read said that it's not very tall inside and they wanted to cook casseroles, and it really was too small. I imagine this is a tradeoff for the flip up feature.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:

quote:

Originally posted by AdagioM:
I’m so jealous. There is absolutely no room in my kitchen for an air fryer.

Ditch the toaster oven. Same footprint, more functions.

Bingo.