Despite being an avid collector of small kitchen appliances, I resisted buying an air fryer for a long time. I didn’t really understand what people used them for, and because the best air fryers can be pricey, I had a hard time justifying the purchase.
However, with coaxing from several friends, all of whom absolutely adore their air fryers, I finally warmed up to the idea of adding one to my collection. After lots of research and bargain hunting, I decided on the Ninja Air Fryer, which was highly rated by reviewers, moderate in size and reasonably priced. Two days later (thanks, Amazon Prime!), I was unpacking the sleek gray appliance and situating it on my kitchen counter.
This particular model is pretty basic as air fryers go, but it still offers a wide temperature range of 105–400°F and automatically shuts off when the cook time ends. Like any other air fryer, it cooks foods by circulating hot air around them inside the chamber, creating the crispy, crunchy exterior that you would typically get by submerging them in hot oil (aka frying), only it doesn’t require any oil. In addition to air frying, the Ninja has three other programmable cooking functions — roast, reheat and dehydrate — and overall, I found the controls super easy and intuitive to use.
One of the first meals I made in my Ninja Air Fryer was a maple-glazed salmon and I was amazed at how quickly it came together. All in all, the fish took a grand total of 10 minutes to cook, including the air fryer’s preheat time, and the end result was a delightfully crisp outside and a perfectly cooked interior.
When it was time to clean up, all I had to do was wipe down the air fryer’s 4-quart non-stick basket and toss the “crisper plate” into the dishwasher. It was at this moment I truly fell for my air fryer and wondered why I had waited so long to buy it.
From there, I began my air-frying journey, seeking out all manner of recipes to create in the convenient countertop convection oven. One recommendation I got again and again was to make chicken wings, so I decided to whip up a batch. They took just 22 minutes to cook, tossing once to ensure they crisped up evenly, and the recipe was as easy as it gets. The only downside is that you can only put a single layer of chicken into the air fryer basket at a time, so you’re limited to around eight wings per batch — which isn’t nearly enough. But the result was perfectly cooked and moist buffalo wings with a flavorful, crispy exterior.
Other air fryer recipes I love include French fries (so much better than oven-baked ones), breaded chicken breasts and even bagels. So far, I’ve only used the air fry setting, but I have plans to test out the appliance’s dehydrating function soon.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to invest in the Ninja Air Fryer, as it’s truly more convenient to use than a full-size oven, and its results are unbeatable when it comes to fried food. If you’re on the fence over whether to invest in an air fryer yourself, take my word when I say it will get plenty of use in your kitchen.
