Ninja – a name that is all too familiar to kitchen enthusiasts. With a reputation for outstanding quality and performance, the company’s products are always sought after by consumers. In particular, the Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 Multi-Cooker is making waves in the market thanks to its diverse “transformation” capabilities.
This multi-function pot has proven its appeal, rated 4.7/5 stars by millions of consumers on Amazon. Compact but extremely powerful, the Ninja Foodi Mini can meet all your family’s cooking needs, from frying, baking, stewing, and steaming to making soup.
To help you have the most objective view of this product, our team has experienced the Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 Multi-Cooker over the past two months.
Through many practical tests, such as frying potatoes, baking chicken wings, stewing beef, steaming vegetables, and cooking soup, we have summarized the advantages and disadvantages of the product to bring you the most detailed and realistic review. Let’s follow along to discover whether the Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 Multi-Cooker is worth owning!
Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 Multi-Cooker Review
Specifications
- Brand: Ninja
- Capacity: 4.7 liters
- Material: Stainless steel
- Color: Black, Silver
- Product dimensions: 35D x 38W x 32H centimeters
- Wattage: 1460 watts
- Item weight: 9.1 Kilograms
- Special feature 6 Cooking Functions: Pressure Cook, Air Fryer, Slow Cook, Space Saving, Portable, Dishwasher Safe Parts6 Cooking Functions, Pressure Cook, Air Fryer, Slow Cook, Space Saving,…
- Dishwasher safe? The internal basket is yes
Price
The Ninja Foodi Mini Air Fryer is now available in supermarkets and online stores for £179/$195. If you buy it during the year’s extensive sales, the price can be reduced further. With its outstanding features, convenience, and durability, this is still a product worth buying.
Product design
Our first impression of the Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 is its compact design with a stainless steel exterior. This makes the device look luxurious and easier to clean. The fryer’s compact size makes it easy to place anywhere in the kitchen without taking up too much space.
The control panel is on the front, right below the digital display.
The time and temperature control buttons are placed symmetrically on both sides, making it easy for users to observe and adjust. The display shows the time clearly, which is convenient for monitoring the cooking process. However, the lack of preset settings can make new users feel complicated.
This one can meet all of your cooking needs, with a variety of cooking modes such as pressure, steaming, slow cooking, frying/stir-frying, air frying, and baking/frying. You can customize the time and temperature flexibly to suit each dish better. However, one thing we don’t like about the Ninja Foodi Mini is the lack of automatic cooking programs, which makes the cooking process more difficult, especially for beginners.
Performance and features
During our two-month testing, we tried every cooking mode of the Ninja Foodi, from frozen potatoes and chicken wings to baking, stewing, slow cooking, steaming vegetables and cooking rice.
Air Frying
One of the most impressive and outstanding features of the Ninja Foodi is its ability to air fry chicken. The fried chicken has a crispy skin, and the meat is soft and tender.
However, after testing it with french fries, the Ninja Foodi still did not satisfy us. After trying different heat settings, the french fries had a crispy skin, soft and fluffy inside, but still not as delicious as deep frying.
Grill/Roast
We conducted two tests of baking potatoes using the baking/frying function with two different ingredients: frozen purchased potatoes and fresh potatoes.
With frozen potatoes, the outer skin was beautifully golden and crispy, while the inside was still soft and moist, just as delicious as when bought in the store.
For fresh potatoes, we cut them into pieces similar in size to frozen potatoes. After frying, the potatoes had a crispy skin, soft and spongy inside, and a natural sweetness when eaten. Compared to the air frying function, baking/frying gives a much more delicious fried potato dish.
Saute, stir-fry and slow cook
Unlike other air fryers, the Ninja Foodi Mini has additional saute and slow-cooking functions. You don’t need to stand before the stove; stir-fry onions until golden brown or saute beef. Put all the ingredients in the pot, select slow cooking mode, and everything is done automatically.
The innovative keep warm feature is also a big plus, keeping the dish hot and delicious. After the slow cooking timer ends, the 30-minute keep warm function will be activated to prevent the food from spoiling. We tried leaving it for another 2 hours; the stew was still hot and delicious as if it had just been cooked.
Pressure cooking
The Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 air fryer surprised me most with its super-fast cooking speed. A roasted chicken that used to take us an hour in the oven now only takes 15-20 minutes to complete.
Similarly, stews and braised dishes that housewives used to spend hours cooking now only take a few dozen minutes. The finished dishes have a rich flavor and are soft and not mushy. The chicken still retains its moisture inside, and its crust is crispy on the outside. My group is completely impressed with this feature of the company.
However, adjusting the pressure is also a small challenge. We must spend a lot of time finding the right cooking time and pressure release for each dish. If the pressure is released too early, the food will be undercooked; if released too late, it will be overcooked.
Pay attention to the pot lid. Switching between the pressure and air fryer lids is simple, with arrows to guide you. However, removing and storing the lids is quite inconvenient.
Steam function
The Ninja Foodi’s steaming function works quite well, although it is not a standout feature. Using the steamer and pouring water into the bottom of the pot to create steam is quite simple.
However, compared to the traditional steaming method, using the Ninja Foodi air fryer does not make a difference. Sometimes it is quite inconvenient because of the bulkiness of the product.
Grill and roast function
Another function of Ninja Foodi that we highly appreciate is baking and roasting. We have tested it with many cakes, such as chocolate muffins, sponge cakes, fudge, and even pizza. The result is surprising when the flavor is not inferior to a traditional oven but even more delicious. We refer directly to the recipe from social networks.
The only disadvantage of this air fryer is its capacity. The pot’s capacity is not too large, making it only suitable for family cooking. For example, you can only bake about six muffins at a time, which can be inconvenient if you want to make many cakes at the same time.
We also tried baking pork belly, grilled ribs, or honey chicken wings with Ninja Foodi’s roasting function. After baking, the meat is golden brown and not dry inside. The skin and fat on the outside are crispy and golden, and the inside is juicy, not dry like in a traditional oven.
Pros and cons of Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 air fryer
After 2 months of use with many different recipes, we have noticed some advantages and disadvantages of the product:
Advantage
- Compact, space-saving design, suitable for many kitchen spaces, especially small kitchens such as apartments and offices.
- The pot integrates 6 functions in a single device: oil-free frying, pressure cooking, steaming, stewing, baking, and roasting. Thanks to that, you do not need to buy many different cooking devices, helping to save costs.
- The pot has a control panel with clear, easy-to-understand buttons and an LED screen that displays time and temperature, making it easy for users to operate.
- High capacity helps the Ninja Foodi oil-free fryer cook faster than traditional cooking devices, especially when pressure cooking and oil-free frying.
- With the oil-free frying function, the Ninja Foodi helps reduce up to 75% of the amount of fat in the dish, providing healthy and heart-healthy meals.
- The pot, frying tray, grill, and lid can be easily removed, making cleaning after cooking simpler.
Disadvantages
- Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 is designed with a small capacity, usually suitable for 1-2 people or small families. If cooking for a large family or during holidays, the pot may not meet the needs.
- Due to its many integrated functions and superior quality, Ninja Foodi has a higher price than conventional air fryers or pressure cookers.
- Made of stainless steel, Ninja Foodi is heavier than other air fryers, making it difficult to carry around.
Should I buy the Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 Multi-Cooker?
The answer is yes if you are a cooking enthusiast who likes to explore new dishes but does not have much time. The product will help you conquer new dishes and recipes faster.
You can combine many different cooking methods, such as pressure cooking, oil-free frying, baking, steaming, and stewing, in one product. For example, you can pan-fry meat before switching to stewing mode to create dishes with rich flavors or deep-fry food without too much oil.
Compared to many different kitchen appliances, Ninja Foodi helps you save space and costs more.
However, the product’s price is higher than other oil-free fryers. Therefore, this is a great kitchen appliance if you have money and a large kitchen space.
Who should buy this Ninja Foodi air fryer?
After a testing period, we found that the Ninja Foodi air fryer is entirely suitable for busy people, people who care about their health, small families, and people who love to cook. With six cooking functions in a compact device, this product helps save space, time, and money. Ninja Foodi Mini not only supports fast cooking and reduces fat for healthy meals but is also easy to use, even for new cooks.
Hopefully, with the above reviews of Ninja Foodi Mini 6-in-1 Multi-Cooker, you will have a more objective view of the product. From there, make more accurate choices when shopping.
