Air fryers aren’t going anywhere. In fact, they keep getting better (and bigger)
Our Ninja CRISPi PRO XL Air Fryer review
Hi, my name is Frances and I’m a hater. Specifically, an air fryer hater. For years now, I have snorted in derision as people tell me about how they can cook a whole chicken in an air fryer in 35 minutes. Bake a basque cheesecake in an air fryer in 20 minutes. Fix their relationship with their father with an airfryer in 7 minutes. What chokehold does this tiny, countertop oven have on the zeitgeist? Well, as Baz Luhrmann once said, the real plot twists in your life are the things that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. I’m paraphrasing, of course, but an air fryer did drop onto my desk at 4pm on some idle Tuesday and when I tell you it’s made me re-evaluate everything I thought about cooking, I hope you’ll believe me.
What makes the Ninja CRISPi PRO XL Air Fryer special?
Put simply, I haven’t turned my oven on since I got my Ninja CRISPi PRO 7-in-1 Glass Air Fryer. I’ve still got the Bake, Prove, Roast and Dehydrate functions to explore, and the 5.7L capacity dish can apparently fit a whole chicken in, so I’ll definitely be trialling an air fryer roast chicken caesar salad soon.
What recipes can you make with the Ninja CRISPi PRO XL Air Fryer?
Day 1 in possession of my new convection companion. I call her Miss Crispi. And what does Miss Crispi do best? You guessed it, so I head to the freezer and find a bag of hash browns. I don’t read the instructions, as I have rampant, undiagnosed and unmanaged ADHD, but I will add here that there is an incredibly useful and thorough recipe booklet that comes with the product, plus loads of extra information on how to cook basically any ingredients.
Anyway, I put the hash browns in on the ‘Max Crisp’ setting for about 10 minutes. While they’re whooshing at high-speed towards Crunch Town, I make a quick tuna mayo, as one of my favourite things in the world is crispy tuna rice, but we are swapping rice for spud here, to delicious effect. I mix drained tinned tuna with a little Kewpie mayo, finely-chopped spring onion, Sriracha, miso paste and a dash of vinegar. The whole thing takes ten minutes start to finish, and it is an absolutely phenomenal lunch. It would also be great served as a pre-dinner snack with a very cold glass of something sparkling.
A few days later and feeling brave, I decided to make something even bigger, and crispier. Schnitzel! I spent some time in Australia at the beginning of this year, and ‘schnitty’ was on every menu. I used the timings for chicken breast in the instruction booklet, and it turned out perfectly crisp and juicy. I also used oil spray to get an even brown, re-spraying the other side when flipping the chicken over. I will say though, having made it on two occasions, it really is worth doing a double dip in the egg and panko breadcrumbs for the crispi-est crust. I served it with oven fries, also CRISPi-fied, and an apple, fennel and tarragon salad. And yes, it was delicious.
Can you cook fish in the Ninja CRISPi PRO 7-in-1 Glass Air Fryer?
On the third day, I was tired of breaded and/or potato-based crunch. Perhaps a simple fish supper will cure my ennui. I made a little tin-foil tent, lovingly filling it with salmon fillets, soy sauce, honey, chilli flakes and lime juice, and I put it on the Air Fry setting, adjusting the temperature to 190. For just 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, I peeled back the foil to brown the top for another 2 minutes. The result was astonishingly quick and juicy, and also neatly contained any whiffy fish-cooking-smell to the air fryer itself.
The verdict: is the Ninja CRISPi PRO XL Air Fryer worth it?
The easiest yes. Not only is it easy to use, but it’s unbelievably easy to clean, as the glass containers and crisper trays are both dishwasher-safe. And it’s PFAS-free, which means the coating is free from the common toxic, synthetic chemicals used in cookware.
The CRISPi’s particularly great for cooking anything that has a strong smell or leaves a lot of residue – such as salmon or bacon – as it really contains the food. And, on top of all that, it actually looks quite nice; a lot of air fryers look like a spaceship has landed in your kitchen, but it’s small, and really is worth any counter space that you might lose. Promise!
★★★★★
