Air fryers are signified to do multidimensional work in a healthy and quick way. It is about 12 years that they are being used by people around the globe and many brands have contributed their part to follow this trend. But the best Air Fryer is Ninja AF161 due to the endless freedom of cooking at 70 percent extra quick speed.
It will transform the way you feed your family and friends. It is made with the best and most balanced combination of efficiency, versatility, and functionality that it has earned to be on the top spot and have thousands of fans.
Air fryers should be able to successfully achieve the exact same crunch as the traditional deep fryer gives, but it differs in the point of adding calories as it works by using little to no oil and that is why Ninja stood first due to its similar working but in a better and more nutritive way.
Ninja Max XL is basically the new iteration of the Ninja AF101 and has upgraded features with 7 sleek cooking functions with an ability to broil and bake traits.
It automatically paused the cooking time if there is a need to take out the air frying basket while running the cooking process. The smart Led screen with all the settings and programs is well designed and super functional.
If you are on the hunt for an air fryer that crisps the food to bring the restaurant style taste and can do other types of cooking too then it is meant for your kitchen.
It can perform the cooking tasks to yield chewy, moist, savory cookies, and roasted food items that are not burnt and have a perfectly golden and delicious texture without getting too crispy or soggy.
We have tested it out from start to end and have gathered a deep review on its every feature and fact to let you get more bang for your buck. Let’s know the characteristics and benefits it offers:
Ninja AF161 Review:
I have tried many Air Fryers but Ninja has shown the perfect results every time.
I came to know that it has 7 notable functions and no matter which one was tried, the results were phenomenal.
When I was cooking in it, I loved how it managed to make a line between producing powerful and stable heat to create delicious meals and handling a nice range of recipes.
It was really impressive that it offered a wide range of temperatures so I effortlessly achieved super crispy meals.
The first dish on my bucket list that I tried in it was frozen French fries, I used the temperature of 350°F for about 20 minutes by following the cooking chart that was mentioned in the user guide.
It was really quick and delighted me by supplying finger licking and crispy taste which was worth enjoying.
Then, I added some plain chicken wings around 10 which were simply seasoned with salt and black pepper, they turned out crispy in just 18 minutes at 400°F and tasted delicious when I tossed them in the sauce.
Next, I prepared some mini pizzas to test out the baking feature, and believe me they tasted like they were bought from a restaurant.
To check its efficiency and consistency, I prepared fresh French fries that I hand cut. I sprayed a pump of olive oil in the basket, then tossed them in it and waited for 20 minutes to get amazed.
The roasted vegetables were on point and made me feel like eating something healthy and toothsome, they were prepared in just 10 minutes.
The cookies were my favorite and turned out golden brown the way I like and have a very soft and chewy texture.
They took around 15 minutes at 300°F to get super delicious and completely cooked.
7 in 1 Programming: A Multifunctional Countertop Oven:
Ninja is a miracle with 7 various cooking programs that are displayed on its compact and unique Led Screen ranging from Air Fry, Air Broil, Bake, Dehydrate, Max Crisp, Reheat, and Roast.
- Air Fry:
Its foremost feature is air frying which has helped gain its popularity. The air frying program is operatable with one touch and turns any food into a crispier version within minutes without the use of oil and preheating.
- Max Crisp:
It is upgraded with the Max Crisp Technology that delivers superheated air at 450 F for hotter, crispier, and guilt free food preferences. It is even 30 % faster than the other Ninja models like Ninja AF100.
- Air Roast:
The air fry can grill and roast the meat to perfection. It is the best replacement for roasting pans to lessen the burden in the kitchen as the Air Roast button is there to bring the recipe to success in a straightforward way.
- Bake:
Baking is something, not a piece of cake and many ovens and machines fail to provide an even spread of heat. But Ninja has proved it wrong by working as the best machine for baking cookies, cakes, donuts, and pies.
- Air Broil:
For a delectable steak, the air broiling feature is a perfect match. It broils the meat that has a mouth melting taste and chewy texture.
- Dehydrate:
It Dehydrates the fruit and vegetables by using super fast and hot heat that gradually removes the moisture to leave a crispy slice behind.
- Reheat:
It works as an oven to reheat the leftovers to the same juicy, flavourful, and rich taste. There is nothing on your shoulders other than loading the uncooked food and pressing the button, the rest is performed on its own for hassle free assistance.
Intuitive LED:
The LED display that sits beautifully on the front of Ninja Max depicts the technological era.
It fits on the top in a packed manner but offers customer friendly interface.
There are a total of 11 buttons out of which 7 are for the smart cooking functionalities.
It is built by keeping in mind the facts and problems the users face like blur or uneven labelling, hard buttons, and dim light.
It has a luminous digital display that shows the temperature which can be easily decreased or increased (up to 450°F) according to the recipe’s demand.
It allows a one touch ease to set the settings and excluded the knobs that might stuck or come out.
All of these are labeled boldly so that anyone can read them skillfully.
When a particular program like air fry, air roast, air broil, max crisp, bake, dehydrate and reheat is selected to prepare a dish is selected the light on it starts to turn on which is an indication and comfortable view to know what is being conducted.
It has a small but visible power on and off button to either initiate or finish the work.
The Start and Stop button are placed at the bottom in a light grey background to effortlessly operate the machine.
The time and temperature settings lie side by side with the digital display and have signs up and down to accurately adjust the conditions the recipe offers.
With a smart and sleek display, the system is created with the help of smart technology so that the whole process pauses when the cooking basket is pulled out and it again begins the cycle from the point it was removed.
It does not make any noise and does silent cooking to avoid unpleasant noise pollution in the kitchen.
Material:
The material of this Air Fryer is lit which gives it the greatest strength to stay strong for years.
Plastic material is used to build its exterior including the handle, the basket, and the front display.
The plastic is so strong and features high quality without any BPA and PFOA.
These are some harmful chemicals usually found in plastic items made with low quality material,
but Ninja has not compromised on it and built it differently to even bear the 450°F temperature without getting super hot, as it has no harmful toxic substances in the food it prepares does not lose the nutritional value as some other products do.
The handle is very unique and has a user friendly grip to grab the filled cooking basket and bring it out safely.
As there is a paused program, and while using it the handles play a very special role in the safe handling and push it to be heat free.
The interior of the basket is manufactured out of ceramic which gives it a nonstick finish.
It helps to prevent the food from sticking on the bottom as no oil is used for running the cooking.
From inside to outside there is a material of class to make each buck spend worthy.
Size and Capacity:
A Ninja air fryer is one of the best quality frying tools that have a vast frying capacity and can accommodate all types of food items in its cooking chamber.
As this air fryer has a massive capacity of 5.5 quarts, it can air fry, dehydrate, roast, grill, and bake chicken, lamb meat, cheese balls, cake, cookies, and many more things.
It can prepare food for up to 6 people at a time and doesn’t need multiple cooking batches for a small family.
It can fry at least 3 pounds of French fries or crispy chicken wings in one cooking cycle.
So, all the food is cooked at a time without the problem of eating one food hot and the other cold.
Moreover, this air fryer maintains the hot air throughout the chamber evenly and the food is not needed to be stacked on each other.
The frying stand keeps the food above the bottom of the oil container and in this way, the food remains crispy without sticking to the bottom.
The semi spherical shape of the frying chamber is ideal to accommodate a round mold for baking cake or cookies in it.
The spherical shape makes your cake look more attractive and meets the standards of baking cake items with an appetizing smell.
Its dimensions are not big compared to its cooking capacity and can be placed on any kitchen shelf size.
It is designed in this shape to make the hot air circulate smoothly from the walls to the food stacked inside.
The roasting and grilling stand is replaceable and one can cook more food by removing it from the frying basket.
If two different food items are meant to be fried at the same time and temperature, one can do so by making a temporary compartment and placing two food products side by side.
Such a large capacity fryer with small dimensions is made just to ease the cooking process and reduce the effort of multiple cooking cycles with the smart cooking feature.
Safety:
We all are familiar with the working principle of air fryers. So, the hot air circulating inside the frying chamber is needed to be retained inside and exhausted with specially designed exhaust to overcome the odor of raw food.
It is necessary to get an air fryer that has high safety features with less cooking time and good quality material.
Thus, the safety of the fryer and the operator should not be compromised and this is the unique quality of the Ninja air fryer and dehydrator.
Ninja has made its fryer safe by making the cooking chamber closed and covered.
In traditional fryers or frying pans, the hot oil splatters when raw food is added such as chicken wings, Frozen french fries, or other meat products, and results in the burning of the cook’s hand or face.
Sometimes, the hot pot gets slipped from the hands and results in skin burning and also the loss of expensive pot and oil.
This problem is overcome by the covered design of the Ninja air fryer.
It uses very little to no oil for frying fish, shrimp, potatoes, lamb shoulder meat, French fries, snacks, and vegetables.
There is no fear of hand or skin burning due to splatting oil and the food cooked in a low quantity of oil is safer and healthy for consumption.
To ensure the lifting of the frying basket when the food is hot and cooked, a heat resistant premium quality plastic handle is attached to the fryer.
This handle aids in the easy drawing of the basket from the main body and also helps in avoiding hand burning.
The traditional baskets have a handle that gets hot due to low quality plastic or metal coating on the handle.
The Ninja is made safe for the operator to cook without any fear and replaces the frying in the mid of cooking without burning the body or clothes.
Moreover, the frying basket gets locked when food starts cooking with a sound, and ensure the fryer is perfectly aligned with the cooking body.
Design:
The Ninja air fryer has quite an enchanting and spacious size that can cook a minimum of 3 pounds of food in its 5.5 quarts capacity.
You can stack the food such as chicken wings, lamb meat, or steaks without the worry of getting an uncooked side of food because the basket is designed to evenly flow hot air throughout the food.
The even heat flow allows one to fry or roast food in a large quantity in a single cooking cycle.
The main body of the fryer is designed long and spherical to easily fit on a small kitchen shelf.
The smart screen is inserted on the top front for trouble free dialing of the cooking conditions.
The preset buttons of the smart dialer encircle the display screen and it is made at a very precise and correct angle to make the fryer look perfect.
The material used in the manufacturing of this air fryer is a premium quality customized plastic with a high gloss finish.
The grey color of the fryer with a shiny look makes it match any kitchen and provides a modern look to the kitchenware.
The frying basket is constructed with a heat resistant handle that aids in the easy drawing of the basket for adding or removing the food.
You get a round shaped frying chamber that is planned to accommodate large food for frying, grilling, dehydrating, and also for baking a round cake or other food products.
The round cake provides an appetizing look with the ease of icing or decoration.
The shape of the basket circulates the hot air smoothly in the frying chamber and an exhaust cleans the air to keep the kitchen free of food odor.
The bottom of the basket is porous that is aimed to equally distribute hot air at the bottom and top for uniform cooking of food.
It is designed tall to make it fit in any of the kitchen cabinets when not in use and the sparkling exterior of the fryer says all on its own.
Ease of Cleaning and Accessories:
The cleaning of utensils is one of the hardest things if the food gets stuck in the pot.
You need extra effort and time to get the pot cleaned with a lot of scratches damaging your cooking tool.
But fortunately, if you end up getting a cooking tool like a Ninja air fryer, that has a non sticky coating on the surface, then you are lucky.
Its surface is made non sticky by heating at superbly high temperatures.
It is a certified non sticky tool that is safe for dishwashing as instructed by the manufacturer.
After examining cooking and frying in the Ninja air fryer, it is found to be the easiest and safest model for cooking because it is cleaned with very little effort.
There is no chance of getting chicken fibers, vegetables, burned flour, or sticking food products to adhere to its surface.
But if the food gets stuck to it, it is easily wiped with a wet cloth and dishwashing soap.
The highly strong coating of non sticky material is not safe for unnecessary and abrasive scratching of the frying basket.
You get a frying stand that is made of porous plastic for the easy circulation of hot air at the bottom of the basket.
This helps in the frying of food items evenly and aids in keeping the bottom of the basket clean as it holds the dripped oil on its surface.
And a stand that is used for grilling and roasting food is made of stainless steel, and also coated with a nonstick material.
It keeps the food above the bottom of the fryer and avoids food sticking to the base of the basket.
The frying stand and the grilling stand both are safe to wash in the dishwasher or under tap water with dishwashing soap.
So, the accessories of the Ninja air fryer are easy to wash and clean. But you should follow these steps for washing the accessories;
- Let the accessories be cooled down to room temperature after opening them.
- wash the cool stand and frying basket with clean water and then apply soap.
- Applying water to the hot stand reduces its durability and strength.
- Clean the dripping water from the strand with a cloth and let it dry for 20 minutes.
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Pros
- It has a very higher cooking temperature range.
- It is relatively compact, lightweight, and has a slimmer footprint.
- It has a generous food capacity.
- It is built using a modern design.
- It automatically paused the cooking time.
- It has 7 programmable and super functional cooking functions.
- It is manufactured with BPA free material.
- It has a warranty of 1 year/ 12 months.
- The parts are dishwasher safe.
- Its cooking charts provide a lot of suggested cook times.
Cons
- It does not come with preheat settings.
- It lacks a shake reminder.
- It is not much efficient for energy.
- The nonstick basket may not last long.
- It would be better if it has a square shaped basket.
The Advantages:
A splendid model with a handful of benefits that are good to go. The unreal advantages it supplies are:
- The temperature range it provides is very vast to cover the requirements for all cooking recipes. It can elevate the temperature to 450 F for a super hot air flow.
- It has an XL capacity of 5.5 quarts that can prep meals in a generous quantity with quality but the size it is packed is very compact and consolidated. Even in smaller counter spaces, it can sit adequately, and no demand for more area. It amazes everyone at the first glance and depicts the modernity and style in its profile.
- The unreal technology is installed in it which works when the cooking basket is removed and the time automatically pauses.
- A good and innovative replacement for 7 appliances to get blessed with quality dishes every time.
- Unlike the usual plastic, it has BPA free material which makes it a healthy option for everyday meal cooking.
- The accessories including the cooking basket and rack are sturdy and easy and safe to clean in a dishwasher.
- Ninja has offered a limited warranty of 12 months.
The Disadvantages:
Every picture has good and bad sides, as is the case with Ninja Air Fryer. Despite delivering some of the great opportunities it has some disadvantages too which are:
- It does not come with a preheat setting that is needed for some processes.
- There is no shake reminder included in its Led display which is better for enhanced golden textured food.
- Its inner pot is capsulated in a nonstick material which may not serve for a longer duration if an abrasive and harsh washing is performed.
- Though it has a spacious cooking basket a square shape would be better to increase the surface area.
Specifications:
| Brand | Ninja |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | DxWxH 11 x 14 x 14.75 Inches |
| Capacity | 5.5 Quarts |
| Weight | 11 Pounds |
| Color | Grey |
| Model | Ninja AF161 |
| Body Material | Plastic |
| Basket Material | Ceramic, Nonstick Coating |
| Basket Shape | Round |
| Warranty | 12 Months |
| Finish Type | High Gloss Finish |
| Operation Mode | Automatic |
| Dishwasher Safe | Yes |
| BPA Free | Yes |
| Special Features | Programmable |
| Wattage | 1750 Watts |
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you do with the Ninja air fryer?
A ninja air fryer is a frying tool that uses hot air for frying food items. Air fryers don’t use oil as traditional frying pots do. You don’t need to add extra calories to the food items while frying with the Ninja air fryer. This frying tool has a lot of their functions that it can perform and many of the features are preset on the smart screen of this equipment.
Let’s discuss the functions it can perform;
- Grilling:
The ninja air fryer has a feature that can grill your food. There is a preset button for the grill and the food you want to grill gets ready within a little time. By using this frying tool, you can grill chicken steaks, thighs, breasts, pork chops, and onion. It will automatically set the time and temperature of the fryer with a single touch. It works by circulating the hot air throughout the cooking chamber and cooking your food within 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F.
- Dehydration:
The heating element heats the air circulating and the temperature of the inner compartment is regulated by the smart screen. You can dehydrate your food such as watermelon, cucumber, peach, orange, lettuce, and strawberries. Dehydration of these food items increases their shelf life and can be consumed in off seasons. The 200°F temperature for 3 to 4 hours results in the evaporation of all the moisture available in the food products.
- Baking:
By setting the air fryer on baking, you can bake cake, cookies, pastries, and biscuits in it. The cooking basket of this equipment is made round to aid in baking a round cake. The time required for baking a cake or cookie in the air fryer is 20 to 25 minutes when the temperature is set at 325°F. So, by using the Ninja cooking tool you can easily set the cooking condition for baking, air frying, grilling, roasting, dehydrating, and broiling. The cooking conditions of some of these cooking options are discussed in the above discussion.
Can you use a Ninja air fryer without a basket?
An air fryer is a cooking device that cooks food items in the presence of hot air that circulates in the frying basket. The basket needs to be aligned perfectly with the main body of the fryer to keep the air packed inside. Food is cooked by the smooth and even flow of air and the moisture in the chamber makes the food juicy as well as crispy. But to use an air fryer without a basket, there are some problems related to this that should be discussed;
- Hot air depletion:
If the food items such as chicken wings, French fries, pork shoulder meat, nuggets, and steak are placed in the air fryer without the frying basket, then the hot air gets exhausted readily. The temperature of the cooking chamber is not increased and takes a lot of time to cook the food. A plate that fits the main body can be used but such a plate is not easily available in the market. Uncooked food on consumption can cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract and also results in many diseases of human.
- Cooking duration:
The cooking duration of the food being cooked in an open air fryer is increased two to three times. As the frying basket keeps the hot air flow smooth inside the cooking chamber and makes the food cooked in a set time at the required temperature. But in the absence of a basket, all the hot air gets lost, and the time of cooking at very low temperatures increases.
- Partially cooked meat and vegetables:
If the food items such as carrots, spinach, mushroom, steak, chicken piece, and lamb meat are partially cooked and require a little cooking then the food can be cooked in an air fryer without the frying basket. But to cook such food, the time of the fryer should be increased than normal as the temperature of the fryer is not increased to that much as required. So, keeping in mind all these problems, we can conclude that the time of cooking increases if the basket is not used with the fryer. Also, the food remains partially uncooked if a properly aligned plate is not used.
Conclusion:
We are delighted to conclude that Ninja has proved amazing once again with its revolutionary model Ninja AF161 Max XL, which arrived with a dandy profile to boost the kitchen’s look. It is reviewed and loved by many household cooks that have found it new and creative.
From the 7 unique features, wide temperature range, top grade material, eye catching color the auto pause system every factor is just on point and helps to give uniform results each time. It has made its users to be free from the worries of cleaning and adapting the whole system as it is much easier to clean and operate. Anyone can get on the track to enjoy a healthy lifestyle with it.
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