Ninja Foodi Smart XL Indoor Grill & Air Fryer with Built-In Thermometer
Model: FG551Q
Condition: New
Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill with Smart Cook System. The Smart XL grill sears, sizzles, and crisps. Indoor countertop Grill and Air Fryer
Perfectly cook food on the inside to your desired doneness and char-grill every side with 500F Cyclonic Grilling Technology and the Smart Cook System. 500F cyclonic air and the 500F grill grate combine to give you delicious char-grilled marks and flavors
Smart Cook System—4 smart protein settings, 9 customizable doneness levels, and the Foodi Smart Thermometer enable you to achieve the perfect doneness from rare to well done at the touch of a button. No more guesswork and no more under or overcooking
XL Capacity—grill up to 50% more food than the original Ninja Foodi Grill for delicious family-sized meals. Grill grate fits up to 6 steaks, up to 24 hot dogs, mains and sides at the same time, and more
6-in-1 indoor grill—Grill your favorite foods to char-grilled perfection, or go beyond grilling with 5 additional cooking functions: Air Crisp, Bake, Roast, Broil, and Dehydrate
Air fry crisp with up to 75% less fat than deep frying (tested against hand-cut, deep-fried French fries), using the included 4-qt crisper basket
Unique Smoke Control System—the combination of our chef-recommended grilling practices, a temperature-controlled grill grate, splatter shield, and cool-air zone reduces smoke, keeping it out of the kitchen
Forgot to defrost dinner? Transform foods from frozen to perfectly char-grilled in under 25 minutes
Dual Sensor Foodi Smart Thermometer—continuously monitors temperature in two places for even more accurate results. Multi-task with peace of mind as food cooks to perfection
Easy-to-clean, PTFE/PFOA-free, ceramic-coated removable grill grate, crisper basket, and cooking pot are dishwasher safe
i thought the shot of the lady putting a temp probe into raw meat was meh being cheeky but a similar shot is on ninjas page too and its a continuous reader to let you know when its done
@mcanavino I’ve got this model. My complaint is that the buttons are a huge PITA. Most settings take at least 5 attempts to get it to recognize each button press. Sometimes, it’ll recognize one, but not until after you’ve pressed one more time, and there’s no going back. Only solution is to unplug and start over. The cooking algorithms are fantastic, though. Once you are able to set the program, you’ll get perfectly-cooked chicken, fish, steak, meatloaf, whatever.
I also have the “regular” (not XL, not smart) Foodi Grill/air fryer/dehydrator that has excellent buttons, just no auto-shutoff for doneness.
@mcanavino That being said, I just ordered myself a backup. The included recipe for garlic grilled salmon is as good or better than anything you can get in a restaurant.
I love our Ninja air fryer, but it’s one of the older ones that have a deep basket. This is very pointless, because layers of stuff do not cook like they’re in oil. Which means that this redesign of more surface area, reducing it’s depth, makes a ton of logical sense. In theory, it should work better than the older models. Not sure if it is worth it to replace however.
@Fzero The tall ones usually come with some shelves that you put in a drawer somewhere the instant you set the thing up and then never see again, so theoretically the tallness isn’t a waste.
I caved and bought one because I’m afraid they’ll sell out early-ish. The Amazon reviews got me, lol!
I have a Cosori air fryer that I really like, but this seems like it would be more versatile with burgers and chicken. Plus I like the added real estate.
I have a kid going into his first college apartment with 3 other boys…if I like this better, I’ll give my son the Cosori. And if I don’t, then I’m sure the boys wouldn’t mind getting this since I doubt they’ll use the actual oven to cook anyway.
I got one of these during the pandemic because we knew eating at restaurants was going to be while so we figured we should expand our culinary resume. I gotta say, this is one of the best kitchen gizmos I’ve gotten in a long time.
We originally got it for the airfry capability, but ended up using it more for indoor grilling. It is a wonderful alternative to grilling, especially in the winter and the cleanup is pretty easy. Chicken, burgers and veggies all turn out great. The air fryer has been cool too – we’ve made southwest eggrolls, homemade chicken nuggets, buffalo cauliflower and more.
This is definite buy in my book if you don’t own an indoor grill or airfryer already. Or if you want to increase the options for the device you already have. It is on the large side but keep in mind that lets you cook more on the surface, in fewer batches, which ultimately speeds cooking. We have a decent size armoire/cabinet thing in our kitchen so not an issue for us, but something to be mindful of if counterspace and/or storage is limited.
I have a $80 Costco bought air fryer and use it for almost everything. Sometimes I wish I had 2 (One for brussels sprouts, one for salmon, that kind of thing). This should do the trick and give me even more functionalities.
I have a Ninja Foodie, so am taking a pass on this. Ninja makes quality products, so this should last. A friend bought one for the grill and uses it more as an air fryer and loves it. It’s big but stays out on her counter because she uses it just about every day. If you don’t have an air fryer already - this might be the one for you
If it doesn’t have George Foreman’s name on it, forget it! He “knocks out… de fat!!” Besides, I just got a brand new $100 Insignia air fryer from Best Buy for $14 (after rebate on recalled item). Free 18-hour shipping, too.
Dammit, we already have an air fryer that we bought from Meh to begin with. And this takes up too much room. And I still want one. And I can’t justify it. Grumble grumble mumble mumble growl grouch pout.
@werehatrack I know the feeling, lol!
I do not NEED this…but I want it, lol! I pulled the trigger by rationalizing that my son could use it if I don’t like it…but I know I will. (the reviews plus the Amazon price difference made the scales tip in favor of it being worth the risk…)
I absolutely adore my Ninja Foodi Grill (original size five-in-one probe-less model)! The larger grill surface of the XL models comes with the trade-off that it is not deep enough to roast whole chickens in, which is one of my favourite uses for the Foodi. I understand you can spatchcock the birds to make them fit in this model, but the convenience of just placing a whole chicken (or tall pork roast or similar) can’t be understated. I would say that I use the roast function at least half the time, and the grill and air fryer functions about evenly the rest of the time. I have yet to use the dehydrator functionality.
All told, highly recommended unit, no matter what model.
Specs
Ninja Foodi Smart XL Indoor Grill & Air Fryer with Built-In Thermometer
Model: FG551Q
Condition: New
what’s included?
Price Comparison
$271.95 at Amazon
Warranty
1-Year Limited Warranty
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Aug 15 - Thursday, Aug 18
Damn Grill! You looking good tonight.
It’s got beef.
@fuzzmanmatt Or stray dog. It is so hard to tell.
I want one machine that’s a microwave, an air fryer, and a pressure cooker. I know Ninja will come out with it one of these days.
Just want to know that it is POOP free, at least before the meal.
I can’t justify giving up the counter space, but wow do I want a steak now.
I’d gladly take one in my next IRK
@SnakeJG With the often painfully slow shipping of IRKs, you might want to opt for grocery store steak.
@ircon96 @SnakeJG Particularly in this weather.
@ircon96 @SnakeJG
And don’t forget to factor in the PAINFULLY SLOW time in-between mehrathons also!!
i thought the shot of the lady putting a temp probe into raw meat was meh being cheeky but a similar shot is on ninjas page too and its a continuous reader to let you know when its done
If it’s so smart, how’d it end up on Meh?
@mcanavino
Probably a model they are replacing for the holiday shopping season, which apparently began last week.
@werehatrack I thought I saw you at Costco!
@mcanavino I guess we could ask everyone here the same question.
@mcanavino I’ve got this model. My complaint is that the buttons are a huge PITA. Most settings take at least 5 attempts to get it to recognize each button press. Sometimes, it’ll recognize one, but not until after you’ve pressed one more time, and there’s no going back. Only solution is to unplug and start over. The cooking algorithms are fantastic, though. Once you are able to set the program, you’ll get perfectly-cooked chicken, fish, steak, meatloaf, whatever.
I also have the “regular” (not XL, not smart) Foodi Grill/air fryer/dehydrator that has excellent buttons, just no auto-shutoff for doneness.
@mcanavino That being said, I just ordered myself a backup. The included recipe for garlic grilled salmon is as good or better than anything you can get in a restaurant.
I love our Ninja air fryer, but it’s one of the older ones that have a deep basket. This is very pointless, because layers of stuff do not cook like they’re in oil. Which means that this redesign of more surface area, reducing it’s depth, makes a ton of logical sense. In theory, it should work better than the older models. Not sure if it is worth it to replace however.
@Fzero The tall ones usually come with some shelves that you put in a drawer somewhere the instant you set the thing up and then never see again, so theoretically the tallness isn’t a waste.
That’s hot.
@ircon96
@Kyeh Thanks for picking up my slack!
@ircon96 Just adding an affirmation from the original “hot girl!”
I have the current generation of this device – well, the dumb version – and I love it. The grill, griddle, and air fryer functions all work well.
FWIW, the 6 steaks claim is a little hard to swallow, pun intended.
@whogots Maybe six 6-oz ones?
@werehatrack The filets would have to be pretty mignon.
I caved and bought one because I’m afraid they’ll sell out early-ish. The Amazon reviews got me, lol!
I have a Cosori air fryer that I really like, but this seems like it would be more versatile with burgers and chicken. Plus I like the added real estate.
I have a kid going into his first college apartment with 3 other boys…if I like this better, I’ll give my son the Cosori. And if I don’t, then I’m sure the boys wouldn’t mind getting this since I doubt they’ll use the actual oven to cook anyway.
Can it cook steak fries or will the logic board implode?
I’d like to have one of these, but it’s too expensive for me.
@JDCornwell Sounds like a girl I dated once.
I got one of these during the pandemic because we knew eating at restaurants was going to be while so we figured we should expand our culinary resume. I gotta say, this is one of the best kitchen gizmos I’ve gotten in a long time.
We originally got it for the airfry capability, but ended up using it more for indoor grilling. It is a wonderful alternative to grilling, especially in the winter and the cleanup is pretty easy. Chicken, burgers and veggies all turn out great. The air fryer has been cool too – we’ve made southwest eggrolls, homemade chicken nuggets, buffalo cauliflower and more.
This is definite buy in my book if you don’t own an indoor grill or airfryer already. Or if you want to increase the options for the device you already have. It is on the large side but keep in mind that lets you cook more on the surface, in fewer batches, which ultimately speeds cooking. We have a decent size armoire/cabinet thing in our kitchen so not an issue for us, but something to be mindful of if counterspace and/or storage is limited.
1.1" deep? Does this thing have a tesseract for an interior?
Someone smarter than me:
Is this one of those “good” air fryers that circulates air and yada yada yada does things, uh… good?
Or is this the same technology as those super cheap air fryers that are basically just toaster ovens?
@steelopus It’s definitely convection with a single, large heating coil on the top. It’s good.
@steelopus I think the smaller size works better than the XL for air frying (and making jerky).
I have a $80 Costco bought air fryer and use it for almost everything. Sometimes I wish I had 2 (One for brussels sprouts, one for salmon, that kind of thing). This should do the trick and give me even more functionalities.
/giphy reckless-brunettes-sails
When will you sell something that DOES make margaritas? Been waiting patiently….
@GnueKitty April. Last April I got that Omega MeGo blender that works like a champ and makes margaritas.
@GnueKitty You could have bought the extra heavy duty blender they had recently. It does a damn fine job of making margaritas.
i click on the product specs and only shows comments.
@iexistasiam click on the ‘more comments’ button and the specs roll down…
@Hopkins3030 thank you!
I foolishly bought one for $10 more on SideDeal three days ago. Womp Womp!
I had the older version and gave it away after a move. Time for a new one!
/giphy vengeful-best-way
I have a Ninja Foodie, so am taking a pass on this. Ninja makes quality products, so this should last. A friend bought one for the grill and uses it more as an air fryer and loves it. It’s big but stays out on her counter because she uses it just about every day. If you don’t have an air fryer already - this might be the one for you
If it doesn’t have George Foreman’s name on it, forget it! He “knocks out… de fat!!” Besides, I just got a brand new $100 Insignia air fryer from Best Buy for $14 (after rebate on recalled item). Free 18-hour shipping, too.
Dammit, we already have an air fryer that we bought from Meh to begin with. And this takes up too much room. And I still want one. And I can’t justify it. Grumble grumble mumble mumble growl grouch pout.
@werehatrack I know the feeling, lol!
I do not NEED this…but I want it, lol! I pulled the trigger by rationalizing that my son could use it if I don’t like it…but I know I will. (the reviews plus the Amazon price difference made the scales tip in favor of it being worth the risk…)
I absolutely adore my Ninja Foodi Grill (original size five-in-one probe-less model)! The larger grill surface of the XL models comes with the trade-off that it is not deep enough to roast whole chickens in, which is one of my favourite uses for the Foodi. I understand you can spatchcock the birds to make them fit in this model, but the convenience of just placing a whole chicken (or tall pork roast or similar) can’t be understated. I would say that I use the roast function at least half the time, and the grill and air fryer functions about evenly the rest of the time. I have yet to use the dehydrator functionality.
All told, highly recommended unit, no matter what model.
Ok FINE. You win. I’m in.
And now I have only 3 Irkoupons remaining.
@steelopus I missed the whole thing. What are IRKs, anyway?
@steelopus @Zaratexas mythical creatures. You’ll never get one before the autobots anyways. in all seriousness it’s just gambling grab bag antics.
Um. Am I missing something… my Foodi Grill arrived today… but it has no crisper basket nor does it have a cooking pot. Anyone else?