Tom Conroy
It’s been a few years since the pressure cooker/air fryer phenomenon really took off, but I’ve had a recent on/off the bandwagon experience. For a long time, my wife and I had a combination appliance that did both, but we found that we were using it less and less, and it was just taking up space, so we donated it. But, we still wanted to have a quick and efficient way to fry foods guilt-free. That’s when the Ninja® Air Fryer Pro 4-1 came into our lives, and we’ve been using it almost every day.
BUY NOW @ SHARKNINJA – $129.99 $89.99
I got the recommendation for this particular air fryer from my parents when I saw them over the holidays. I liked the fact that they were able to keep it on their counter without it taking up much space. In our house, it has a perfect spot in a cabinet just below the counter.
As I said before, my wife and I enjoy the occasional indulgence like chicken tenders or hashbrown patties, but we don’t want to fry them or wait 30 minutes for them to get crispy in the oven. In less than 10 minutes, the Ninja Air Fryer cooked our chicken tenders to crispy perfection for an easy weeknight meal: buffalo chicken tacos.
After we’re done eating, cleanup couldn’t be easier. I remember our old pressure cooker had components that were impossible to take apart and clean, so there were always errant food bits stuck in all the nooks and crannies. The Ninja Air Fryer has just a nonstick basket and crisper plate that come right apart and are super easy to clean.
We’ve only had our air fryer for a couple of weeks, but it’s been hard not to use it every day. And we’ve only used the Air Fry feature thus far. I’m sure my wife, a former culinary school student, will find plenty of applications for the Roast, Reheat, and Dehydrate features.