Jen In The Kitchen: I Bought A Ninja Foodi

Have you heard about the Instant Pot craze? An instant pot operates much like the pressure cookers of the 70’s & 80’s. It’s basically a crock pot on crack. With an instant pot, you are able to quickly slow cook your favorite crock pot dishes (or so I hear). I’m not much into crock pot food. I have a hard time planning that far in advance and I don’t always like the result. I know you can cook a ton of things in a crock pot, but I don’t like food that has been cooked to death.

But when I heard about the Ninja Foodi, I was intrigued. It operates as a pressure cooker, crock pot, steamer, and air fryer. The last one is what really convinced me to try it out. Paul and I don’t eat a lot of fried foods and we certainly don’t fry foods at home. But with an air fryer, you can enjoy fried food without all the extra calories since it doesn’t require the food to be submersed in hot oil.

I have to admit, when my Foodi first arrived, it was a little intimidating.

First of all, it is fairly large. So the first thing I needed to figure out was where in the world I would store it since I don’t like stuff on my kitchen counters. But the real reason it sat untouched for 4 days, is because I hate reading directions. It is the reason why I don’t bake a lot. I’m not good at following directions and prefer to improvise. But I figured a large cooking appliance probably required a little reading, so I did.

My first attempt was an air fryer recipe (seemed easier & safer than cooking with high pressure – HA!). I follow a cooking blog called Skinnytaste and she has a recipe for Crispy Pork Chops. It was quick (12 mins for the pork), easy, and delicious!

I served the pork with her mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. The whole meal was a hit with my entire family.

4 cleaned plates = success!

Here is the oven version if you don’t have an air fryer. I imagine the oven version is just as tasty but less crispy. But what is crazy is that the nutritional information is the same on both versions. Given the choice, I’m going with the air fried version every time. It tasted fried!

So where did I store my Foodi? I rearranged my pantry a bit and it fits perfectly. The shelf housing the main part is about 15″ high and I have plenty of clearance. The shorter shelf above will keep the pressure lid and a rack that comes with the unit.

All in all, I’m super pleased! I’ll keep you posted as I experiment with this new toy. So many possibilities!

Dream Big. Eat Well.