Other than grilling your favorite meat, this Ninja 5-in-1 Grill can also roast, bake, dehydrate and crisp up your chicken wings with the air fry function.
In terms of capacity, it can roast a whole chicken, or if you want, you can use its 10×10-inch grill grate for cooking small portions of meat.
Reading: Ninja foodi 5-in-1 indoor grill reviews
By the way, this is the classic Ninja Grill which doesn’t have a built-in smart thermometer. If you want that extra functionality, you might want to check the Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill or Ninja Foodi Pro Smart XL Grill.
Now, let’s find out if the Ninja AG301 is worth all the hype.
Table of Contents
How does the Ninja Foodi 5 in 1 Grill perform?
For a smokeless indoor grill, the Ninja Foodi delivers a fantastic performance. It can mimic the taste of an outdoor grill without dealing with the smoke. Essentially, it can also produce a beautiful caramelization and a char-grilled result.
Here’s more:
It only takes 8 minutes to preheat, and compared to an outdoor grill, it’s twice as fast. Also, it can fit 4 steaks at once with its 10 x 10 inches (20.54 x 20.54 cm) grill grate.
Now, contrary to the traditional grill, the heat comes from the hood’s heating element and not from the bottom. Combined with the cyclonic grilling technology, it uniformly distributes heat for even cooking.
Also, its ceramic coating is non-stick, so you don’t have to worry about your fish falling apart.
Here’s the best part:
As I have mentioned before, the Ninja 5 in 1 is a smokeless grill—which happens to be its crucial feature. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use it indoors.
Just note that it’s not zero smoke. Rather, it produces less smoke than most indoor grills and, of course, charcoal outdoor grills.
This is thanks to these features—temperature-controlled grill grate, splatter shield on the hood, and cool-air zone. By the way, if you use olive oil, it will smoke up more than other types of oil.
Pro tip: The grill guide that it comes with is not that reliable. So, it’s best to monitor your food from time to time.
The only downside for this section is the grill design. Mainly, your grilled food will have curved marks instead of the traditional stripes. Nonetheless, it’s only an aesthetic choice, so it won’t really affect the overall flavor.
What can you cook with the Ninja AG301?
Here are some recipes you can make with the Ninja AG301 Smokeless Grill.
Of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Almost any type of grill recipe is doable with this appliance. Even better, you can cook frozen to charred even without having to thaw your food for hours.
Just note that it doesn’t work like a panini press. So, essentially, to get grill marks on both sides, you’d have to flip it—particularly for a grilled cheese sandwich.
Oh, and did I mention that you can make a pizza with the Ninja Foodi 5 in 1 Grill? Yeah, I was also surprised! Also, my Salmon Asparagus could be a great recipe to try with this grill.
Read more: 321 Ribs Method for Smoked Ribs (Easy To Follow Recipe)
Here’s something better:
As the title suggests, it’s more than just grilling. You can also bake, dehydrate, roast, and, best of all, air fry. I’ll talk more about these in the extra features section.
For now, let’s talk about its usability.
Is the Ninja AG301 easy to use?
To begin with, the controls are pretty intuitive. It features a digital control panel, so it’s punctual with modern aesthetics.
The main grill controls are on the left-hand side with 4 heat modes.
The low (400ºF) is great for bacon, sausages, and calzones. Then there’s the medium heat (450ºF) for frozen meats and marinated stuff. The high (500ºF) is excellent for steaks, chicken, and burgers. Lastly, there’s the max heat (510ºF) for fruits and veggies, seafood, and pizza.
Naturally, these temperatures differ with the program you’re using. You can also refer to the grilling cheat sheet that it comes with. But then again, it’s better to keep an eye on your food to prevent overcooking (or undercooking).
Here’s more:
You can adjust the temperature and cooking times for all of these cooking modes accordingly. This makes the Ninja Foodi 5 in 1 Grill perfect for experimentation for new recipes or to achieve consistent results.
On a different note:
Placing the cooking pot, grill grate, and the crisper basket is straightforward too.
Simply align the bump on the main unit with the indent of the cooking pot. Then, based on the cooking pot’s indention, line up the grill grate or crisper basket. It should fit into place effortlessly.
Furthermore, the cooking pot doubles as the drip tray, which is pretty clever. Since the drippings won’t touch the heating element, there will be less smoke. By the way, if you’re going to cook a lot of food, make sure to wash/rinse the cooking pot in between 2 uses.
Speaking of cleaning, let’s talk about its maintenance.
Is the Ninja 5-in-1 Indoor Grill easy to clean?
Compared to an outdoor grill, this Ninja Foodi is definitely easier to clean. However, compared to standard kitchen cleanup, it’s still a bit cumbersome.
Here’s the deal:
The removable parts are all dishwasher safe, yet I don’t suggest it. The reason being, the ceramic coating can get chipped pretty quickly—even if you don’t use the sanitize function.
With that said, you should also use plastic or silicone tongs when cooking with the Ninja Foodi 5 in 1 Grill. Just like a non-stick pan, this is to prevent any scratches.
Anyway, here’s my tip on how to clean the Ninja AG301:
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Once you’re done cooking, pull the lid up and wait for it to cool down. When it’s warm enough to touch, that’s the time to clean.
First, remove the splatter shield, cooking pot, and crisp basket or grill grate. Then, rinse it with running water. With a soapy Scotch-Brite, scrub it with the soft spongy side.
For the splatter shield, you can use the opposite side of the Scotch-Brite; Or even better, use the brush that the Ninja Foodi Grill comes with.
If there’s any hard-to-remove food residue or grease, soak it in warm soapy water for a couple of hours or overnight. It’ll be easier to clean the day after, especially the splatter shield.
As for the main unit, you can simply wipe it with a damp cloth.
Does the Ninja 5-in-1 Indoor Grill offer any extra features?
The other crucial features are baking, roasting, dehydrating, and, best of all, air frying. After all, it’s a 5-in-1 kitchen appliance.
I’ll be honest, the bake function is subpar at most. For starters, baking comes in many shapes and sizes. So, there’s only a limited baking recipe that can be done with this Ninja Foodi.
The roast cooking function is okay, but it’s easier to use the oven. Furthermore, most houses in North America include an oven range, so these two functions are almost superfluous.
Here’s the deal:
If you already have a food dehydrator, this won’t be an upgrade. It only has one layer, so you can only make few dried foods at a time. The quality, however, is excellent!
Here’s the good news:
The air crisp function is fantastic. That’s why the series’ other name is the Ninja Foodi Grill and Air Fryer and sometimes Ninja Air Grill. Generally, you can make fried food with less oil—it’ll also be cheaper than deep frying.
Overall, given that it’s an amazing grill, air fryer, and a one-layered dehydrator, it’s ideal for minimalists or if you simply don’t have enough countertop space. Think about it, instead of having multiple appliances that take up a ton of space, you can get the 5-in-1 Ninja Foodi Grill instead.
Accessories
The Ninja Foodi AG301 comes with a cooking pot that works as a drip tray too. It also includes a crisper basket for air frying and the grill grate for its primary purpose—grilling.
Some models may also include a roast rack and a baking pot.
Here’s the deal:
The smart version includes a thermometer which is incredibly beneficial for cooking. By having so, your Ninja Foodi will cook until the desired internal temperature of your meat is achieved. Then, it will turn off automatically to prevent it from overcooking.
So, if that’s what you want, check out the Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill or Ninja IG651 instead. Spoiler alert, it includes more valuable accessories.
*Product Images and Video Courtesy of Shark Ninja
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Technical Specifications
For more information, please see more information about Ninja foodi 5-in-1 indoor grill reviews
Source: https://www.juicingjournal.com/ninja-foodi-5-in-1-grill-review/
