Those who love gadgets, innovations, and digital displays will love Ninja products in their various types, as well as anyone who is lazy to wash three pots in one evening meal, and anyone who gets excited about solutions that make you say "how did they not think of it before". In general, it seems to me that we are talking about the demographic segment that also loves iPhones. If so, you are already familiar with the brand and follow its new releases, and think, like me, that Ninja is one of the brands that have succeeded with excellent branding and a lot of marketing wisdom, crossing the line between a product - and a desired product that also symbolizes status and belonging. Good move.
As an enthusiast, I have tried quite a few products of the brand, and always want to try more. Not only because it makes my life easier, but because there are developments that restore your faith in humanity. So I might be a bit less objective, because I also liked the previous version of this pot, and every improvement made it even better than before. Basically, all they needed to do to succeed with me was to be careful not to introduce a new product far worse than the previous one. I am happy to announce that this did not happen, and the bottom line of this text will come right now, for the benefit of those who are only interested in that.
The pot is excellent, I both cook and bake with it, and for several weeks now I haven't lifted the cover of my gas oven - partly because I didn't need to, and partly because the pot serves me well. If you want to move on, now is the time. If you're interested in details, buckle up because you're in for an adventure.
Allow me to start with the one downside of this pot - it is large. Large and heavy, and as a result, storing it in the kitchen in addition to the other pots will almost always be problematic. Moreover, it is a perfect pot for a single person's apartment without stoves (yes, they exist, and many), because in this pot, you can literally cook everything. So if you have space on the counter, this pot is a must because you can cook everything in it, in half the time at least, simultaneously, and at the peak of convenience.
What is everything? Everything. Soups, additions, long-cooked stews, very fine vegetables, casseroles, fried foods like schnitzel and chips, bread, cheesecakes. Everything - even frying an egg if you want. This is a brilliant combination of three cooking methods in one pot, maximizing its efficiency in the kitchen and saving on utensils, cleaning, and space.
Even in the old pot, I could put a whole chicken and cook it in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes, and then transfer it to air frying to give it color. In the new pot, there is no need to complicate things - you put the chicken and use air frying and broiling, getting a similar but much better result. The broiling from the pressure cooker maintains the meat's tenderness, and hot, strong air currents simultaneously create the outer crispiness of the chicken, giving it the look and taste of grilled chicken bought on a street corner. And without oil (although you can add some - because it's tastier).
The result is excellent because thanks to the digital thermostat added to the pot in its smarter version, the chicken will not be overcooked but tender, and the crispiness will remain crispy, thanks to broiling that removes the moisture of the hot air, without adding to the cooking time, which was unavoidable in the old pot.
Another significant improvement from the old version is that the new pot has one cover that is used for all cooking methods, unlike the additional cover (thick, heavy, and very large intended for use in pressure cooker mode) that came with the previous pot, leading to storage and cleaning problems, making the process cumbersome. Additionally, the new version has a larger pot capacity, which is always good - without enlarging the external device. How to use it? In the center of the pot, there is a slider that switches between the three cooking modes, and in each position of the slider, a digital display of all the programs available in the current slider mode is shown.
The pot comes with a digital thermostat, a basket for broiling and air frying, and two separation shelves for assembly and disassembly that allow cooking several dishes in one pot on different levels. One dish I am addicted to and always make in the old pot is a whole cauliflower. Put it in the pressure cooker for ten minutes, then add olive oil or tahini, a bit of salt, and air fry for fifteen minutes. You get a tender cauliflower in half an hour instead of an hour and a half, and the kitchen doesn't smell bad. Amazing. In the new pot, on the other hand, there is no need to go through both stages - you can simply put it in the broiling + broiling mode from the start and close the lid.
Some more things you can do in a cooking situation with the addition of steam are to cook a whole meal in three layers. Rice at the bottom, fish on top, and in the middle broccoli in silver paper - the fish sauce will drip onto the rice and broccoli, and you can understand the rest. From my experience cooking a three-layer meal is definitely possible, just that I would start with the rice and partially cook it before adding the fish, which requires very little time. Baking in combination with steam is one of my favorite functions, baking cheesecakes (instead of adding a bowl of water to the oven - there is already steam), and bread - because of the crispy crust created by the combination of hot air and steam, reminiscent of the texture of a bought bread, with zero effort.
Another useful feature is the pressure cooker, which cuts cooking times in half and preserves nutritional values, and air frying, for cooking with little or no oil at all.
Almost everything can be air fried, including schnitzel, chips, and early cooking pastries, as well as preparing various healthy snacks - on low heat for a long time, for example homemade dried fruits. In addition, the Ninja Smart Lid offers options for sous-vide cooking, slow cooking, food drying, proofing (genius), and yogurt, believe it or not, a function I have not tried, and probably never will. Who makes yogurt? Funny. The automatic heat preservation program keeps your food warm after the timer is finished (until you turn off the pot completely). When finished, there is no need to scratch your head, because you can throw the parts in the dishwasher, and immediately afterward throw yourself on the couch. Moreover, one cannot ask for a pot that even caused the expression "hot air" to sound positive.
Launch price: 1990 NIS, comes with a recipe book and cooking tables in Hebrew. With the official importer's warranty, available from authorized resellers and on the 'Shrig Electric' website, the official importer.