Ninja Air Fryer 4.7L Pro AF141
VerifiedMPNs: AF141 and AF141WH2 reviews
- Several times a week
I’ve been late to the air fryer revolution and previously quite skeptical. This has changed my mind. The Ninja Pro 4.7L feels like quality. The drawer fits well. The handle is solid. The digital controls and programmes have been thought about and it just all clicks. Like every appliance or cooking method, nothing’s ever perfect, and there’s always a clean up. This appliance is instinctively easy to use and makes a great job of cooking smaller items, better and seemingly more economically than my fan-bake oven or gas cooktop.
The trick, however, is to appreciate that all fats and oils must go somewhere, whatever cooking method you use. In an air fryer, the fat from your bacon that was once right there in a frying pan is now neatly in the bottom pan. That’s cool! So much better than scrubbing out a frying pan. But equally, the base of an air fryer must be regularly cleaned out. I let it cool then use a silicon spatula to scoop out the cold fat residue, and scrub it with a soft brush and water with some dishwashing liquid. I do not put it in the dishwasher and worry for people who do, despite the manufacturer’s claims. It surely must erode the teflon coating over time.
In the Ninja AF141, the buttons are handy, the programmes easy to understand and it’s a breeze to use. A little difficult in that separating the insert tray from the base after cooking either requires a finger into the centre hole (impossible unless it’s cooled down), or tipping it upside down and shaking. Not the best, especially when hot.
These are hardly complaints in the scheme of things. This is a great small appliance. Things cook quicker with lower fuss and mess. Using inherent fats and oils rather than adding them to a pan feels instinctively healthier and the quality of food that comes out of it has, for me, been surprisingly good.
Purchased in .
Started out good, got disappointing fast – After my benchtop airfryer oven stopped working, I decided on a drawer airfryer as they are much smaller and suit my needs. I have other Ninja products I love and The Ninja airfryer drawers are dishwasher safe, so they seemed perfect. Since I was wary of "non-stick", I followed the instructions carefully and also put the drawer and plate through a dishwasher cycle before using it.
The first dozen times it worked amazingly. A little hot so I had to be careful with settings. Everything came out perfectly cooked. I could even make bread rolls and muffins in it. Dehydrating strawberries was amazing and better than my large dehydrator.
I regularly cleaned it in the dishwasher and it always came out super clean.
Then after almost 2 months it went weird.
Suddenly breadrolls were burnt on top and raw on the bottom. Muffins never cooked inside. Potatoes and chicken stopped cooking evenly. Lamb just burnt. Dehydrating strawberries just turned them to mush. I had kept notes of my settings and was using what I had many times already. It didn't matter what I changed my settings to, or how low/high they were, it wasn't cooking properly. anymore.
Then the weird taste started. Like a strange, subtle chemical taste. More noticeable in chicken, fish and baked goods. It made me feel ill afterwards. Anytime I look at it, I feel sick and am reminded of the taste. I can't use it anymore and will be replacing it with a glass or oven style again.
Edit- When checking if it's clean in the hope of returning it, I noticed the inside coating of the machine itself (not the drawer) is rusting and chipping, which may be responsible for the chemical taste now appearing in the food.
Edit 2 - I found a loose screw stuck inside the vent area at the back. Not sure where it came from but it matches the screws holding the vent on (both are present). It may have been sticking the fan still making it harder to cycle air etc.
Purchased in at Myer for $129.
- Product is used: Several times a week
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