The Ninja Pressure Cooker: A Versatile Kitchen Gadget

I can confidently say that the Ninja pressure cooker is one of my favourite kitchen gadgets. It is currently on sale for 219.95 (reg. 249.95).

Size Matters

One of the key features I appreciate about the Ninja FD401 is its generous 8-quart capacity. Unlike the smaller 6.5-quart models, this larger size can comfortably fit an entire chicken, making it perfect for preparing meals for the whole family or for meal prepping. The capacity also comes in handy for making a big batch of homemade bone broth (recipe below). It’s also great for thawing food, such as hamburger beef, which saves a ton of time.

Versatility in the Kitchen

The Ninja FD401 is not just a pressure cooker; it’s a multi-function gadget. Here are some of the functions:

• Pressure Cooking: Perfect for cooking chicken breasts to use in recipes like my favourite chicken cheese stew. The pressure cooker makes the chicken tender and juicy in a fraction of the time it would take using traditional methods.
• Slow Cooking: If you prefer the traditional slow-cooked flavour, this function allows you to set it and forget it, coming back to a perfectly cooked meal. TBH, I only ever used this function once. For bigger batches of slow-cooked meals, I prefer an even bigger pot.
• Steaming: Ideal for vegetables and seafood, preserving nutrients while ensuring deliciously tender results.
• Searing/Sautéing: This function lets you brown your meats and sauté your veggies directly in the pot before pressure cooking, adding depth of flavour to your dishes. It has a ceramic coating, which makes it easy to clean. The pot is also dishwasher safe.
• Air Frying: A great alternative to deep frying, it gives your food a crispy finish with little to no oil. I love fat, but deep frying is so wasteful.
• Dehydrating: Great for making snacks like dried fruits and jerky. Personally, I would stay away from dried fruit though. It’s too high in sugar.

Bone Broth Made Easy

Making bone broth used to be a time-consuming task, often requiring 24 hours of simmering on the stove. The Ninja FD401 simplifies this process significantly. Here’s a quick and easy recipe for bone broth:

1. Fill the Ninja with Bones: Load it up with as many bones as you can fit.
2. Add Water: Fill up to the max level.
3. Add Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice and Salt: About 2 tablespoons of either vinegar or lemon juice helps extract the nutrients from the bones.
4. Pressure Cook for 4 Hours: Yes, you read that right. It only takes 4 hours. This drastically reduces the cooking time while still providing a rich, nutritious broth.

A word of caution: don’t fill the pot over the max level. During venting, overfilling can cause a mess, but don’t worry—I found it easy to clean up.

Extra Perks

This appliance can even boil eggs to perfection, making it a truly all-in-one kitchen tool.

There you have it. The Ninja FD401 Foodi 12-in-1 Deluxe XL 8-quart pressure cooker is a must-have kitchen gadget. Its large capacity, multi-functionality, and ease of use make it an invaluable addition to my or any kitchen.