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Are you a ninja in the kitchen? Or a better question, do you want to be?
I certainly did, which is why I tested two brand new Ninja appliances to upgrade my kitchen and enhance my cooking game at the press of a button.
The new Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer ($200) is a high-powered multi-tool that has 12 different settings to steam, bake, air fry and even proof bread to name just a few. It can also multitask, which should impress any home cook, with room on the bottom to make your veggies, rice or pasta and cook your protein to perfection on top.
The Ninja TWISTi High-Speed Blender DUO ($140) is another must-have, especially in the current heatwave when all you want is a cold smoothie or refreshing frozen treat. The blender is more than just a blender, as it has settings specific to smoothie bowls for a thicker consistency as well as others that extract nutrients of fruits and vegetables.
First, go order some groceries on Amazon Fresh or elsewhere online for the fastest delivery and then read on for our take on the two newest appliances in the beloved Ninja family.
This device seriously turns up the heat!
Although not literally, as this multifunctional rapid cooker and air fryer phenomenon didn’t get too hot to the touch, even when dehydrating fruit for eight hours or grilling up juicy burgers on a high heat setting.
That was just the first feature I fell in love with. The next was the ease of use, once you understand the mechanics. There is really only one switch, flipping from its air fryer capabilities to the rapid cooker settings, and once you know what you want to cook, the rest is self explanatory. The only other addition is the crisping tray inside, which can be propped up or flattened down depending on what’s cooking.
For my tests, I wanted to try as many settings as possible, making sure the fryer yielded crunchy french fries, the steam and bake settings were up to snuff to bake a fluffy soufflé and tried my hand at dehydrating just for fun. See below for photos, but even as an amateur chef, I don’t think I could have made a more professional-looking (and tasting) soufflé if I tried, moreover in less than 25 minutes.
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The one down-side to this machine is simply the sheer size of it. Since it really does replace the need for other appliances like a steamer, a frying pan, a dehydrator, and honestly an entire oven range, I do think it is worth the money, if you can find the counter-space, of course.
Features to note:
- 12 functions, including Speedi Meals, steam and crisp, steam and bake, steam, proof, air fry, bake/roast, air broil, dehydrate, sear and saute, slow cook and sous vide
- Heats up quickly and can cook meals in under 15 minutes
- Doesn’t get too hot to the touch, safe and easy to use
- Can be combined with oven-safe cookware, pots and pans
- 6-quart capacity and able to cook multiple dishes at once
- Crisper tray included
- LED display to show remaining cook time via countdown clock
Don’t get it twisted, we’re also obsessed with the Ninja blender, too.
The new Ninja TWISTi is a super smooth product to use, pun very much intended. As someone who was very used to smoke coming from my $20 blender every time I tried to crush ice or fruit, this was a dream. The TWISTi knows exactly what is needed from a blender — the ability to create perfect consistencies when blending up a juice vs. a smoothie bowl and a sauce vs. a delicious oil.
That’s where both the settings and the unique cap comes in to play. The blender itself has two different options — drinkable and spoonable. From there, choose an option like extract, smoothie or frozen or go for spread or bowl. Then, the blender knows exactly what to do, with a built-in preset and timer, making for a practically hands-free experience.
To put this to the test, I made both a bowl and a drinkable juice to test their “total texture control” claim on the front of the blender. I was impressed by how well the blades easily cut through a completely frozen block of acai and hunks of ginger, while also knowing not to totally pulverize the chia seeds.
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One more thing to mention: when using the larger 34-ounce high-speed pitcher, the cap at the top twists — maybe a nod to the name TWISTi? — and pushes everything down to the blades to ensure an even blend, leaving no chunks or lumps to be found.
Features to note:
- Can make both drinkable and spoonable treats, with options for extract, smoothie, frozen, bowl and spread
- The 34-ounce pitcher attaches to a 1600 peak-watt power base for a super fast blend
- The 34-ounce pitcher also comes with a Built-In Twist Tamper to evenly blend top and bottom of mixture
- Extract mode is great for juices, and can be used with the nutrient extract cup for better ingredient breakdown in fruits, veggies and herbs
- Small enough base to fit on most countertops, plus comes with a suction cup to prevent spills
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