Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker 8-in-1 slow cooker review

The world may be divided into two sorts of individuals: those that love their gradual cookers and people who have but to find their capabilities. Assured to attraction to each, the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker 8-in-1 Gradual Cooker (the US identify attaches Professional to the top to tell apart between this and an earlier mannequin) brings collectively gradual cooking – a low temperature operate that’s perfect for soups, stews, curry and more durable cuts of meat – with a bunch of different strategies.

These embrace searing, which is one thing most gradual cookers can’t do, so caramelising onions or browning meat must be performed on a hob earlier than transferring to the pot, in addition to steaming, baking, and proving dough. Additional versatility comes from a pot and lid which are oven-safe, and a serving spoon that slots into the lid for minimal mess.

Design & Construct

• 8 litres/ 8.5qt capability
• Giant at 28x42x29cm/ 10.59×12.64x18in
• Gentle, non-stick inside aluminium pot

The very first thing you’ll discover in regards to the Foodi PossibleCooker is that it’s massive: its pot can accommodate as much as 8 litres/ 8.5qts. In comparison with the common 3.5-litre/3QT or 6-litre/6QT gradual cooker, this implies that you could simply feed a big household or batch prepare dinner sufficient meals for a complete week forward.

The draw back of that is the quantity of area it takes up on a worktop – it’d solely measure 28cm tall however its width is 42cm and depth 29cm (10.59 x 12.64 x 18in), so that you’ll have to clear some room for it.

Capability apart, it’s thoughtfully designed: there’s a well-labelled management panel on the entrance that you can in all probability perceive with out the directions at hand, a non-stick light-weight aluminium pot that sits inside the bottom unit, and a glass lid on prime that features a ‘instrument relaxation’ in its deal with, so you may pop the serving spoon in it when not in use.

The bottom unit itself has a modern grey-blue end that matches the pot and is a refreshing change from so many stainless-steel or white bases. And, ought to that you must transfer it round your kitchen, the entire thing is barely 6kg/ 12lbs – making it lighter than comparably sized gradual cookers that use a thick-walled, heavy ceramic pot.

Efficiency & Options

• Goal temperature alert
• No guide cooking choices
• In-pan searing and sautéing

Whereas it’s at the beginning a gradual cooker, the longer you employ the Foodi PossibleCooker, the extra you’ll respect how useful its different features are, when used both alone or in tandem.

A major instance is the sear/sauté operate: we used this for browning rooster thighs and chopped onion earlier than making a stew. It took some time to warmth up – about 5 minutes to achieve searing temperature – however as soon as it did, it browned the substances evenly and with out the necessity to do that a part of the cooking on the hob beforehand.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Admittedly, it could have been sooner to brown on the hob, and we observed that including substances tended to trigger a pointy drop in temperature. Plus, it produced a good quantity of steam so we nonetheless needed to run our extractor. Nevertheless, for many who really feel like they go away the flavour of meat and veggies behind in a frying pan, it’s a good way to verify it results in your ultimate dish.

What the sear/sauté operate additionally demonstrated is how consumer pleasant this equipment is: quite than simply preheating and counting on guesswork to know when it’s prepared, it beeps (utilizing the identical noise as different Ninja home equipment) and the show adjustments to ‘add meals’ when it’s at temperature.

There’s solely a alternative of excessive or low for sautéing, quite than a variety of settings, however these ought to suffice for many duties. The identical ease of use is true for the steam operate we tried: there’s a rack included for veg (plus a chart to advise on how lengthy to steam every kind for) and the programme preheats the water earlier than the timer begins to depend down the time set.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

We steamed broccoli florets for five minutes and so they emerged completely cooked: not overdone and soggy, they nonetheless saved their form however have been mushy sufficient to eat. A basket in addition to or as a substitute of a rack could be helpful as some bits of broccoli ended up within the water, however in any other case, we felt this might simply exchange a standalone steamer in your kitchen.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Maybe the one lacking characteristic is the power to prepare dinner manually, ie by choosing a time and temperature of your alternative. The Foodi PossibleCooker requires a cooking operate to be chosen after which toggled by time and temperature to swimsuit inside that programme’s parameters. For instance, when gradual cooking a rooster stew, like most gradual cookers, there’s solely the choice of excessive or low warmth.

Nevertheless, each of those have set time bands: low can solely be 6-12 hours, whereas excessive is 3-12 hours, making cooking on low for say, 2 hours, unimaginable. Contemplating that desserts, equivalent to rice pudding, may be made on a low warmth for round 3 hours, this additionally means you may’t depend on a timer to cease the cooking.

We additionally felt it could be helpful to have a desk of the potential occasions and temperatures of every programme for reference: the data is dotted across the directions however not multi functional place.

That mentioned, the Foodi PossibleCooker’s gradual cooking operate is particularly good because of warmth generated across the sides in addition to the bottom. Not like bigger gradual cookers, the place the warmth comes from beneath and may be patchy all through, inflicting substances to dry out, the stew we cooked on low was evenly simmered with out noticeable sizzling spots.

A ultimate motive to love it? As we turned it off, the show even bid us ‘bye’.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Value & Availability

The Foodi PossibleCooker is broadly available for purchase. In case you’re within the US, it’s referred to as the Foodi Attainable Cooker Professional and it’s out there direct from Ninja for $149.99, though some retailers are promoting it at the next worth. However there are higher affords. On the time of writing, the perfect costs are from Kohl’s and Amazon ($129.99).

Within the UK, though it has an RRP of £149.99, it’s now broadly out there for £129.99, together with from Ninja itself and Amazon.

It is a bit of pricier than different multifunctional gradual cookers nevertheless it’s exhausting to match like for like given the distinction in features out there. What we are able to say is that Ninja countertop home equipment do are inclined to justify their barely elevated costs with their longevity.

Do you have to purchase the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker?

Maybe the perfect factor in regards to the Foodi PossibleCooker is that whether or not you’re new to gradual cooking or effectively versed in it, there’s one thing for you right here. For the novice, there’s loads of recommendation and programmes that make reaching nice outcomes easy, whereas for these upgrading from a primary mannequin, there’s versatility that’ll provide the alternative to broaden your dinner repertoire, together with ending dishes off within the oven.

Nevertheless, there’s no getting away from the truth that it’s a big piece of equipment – in case your kitchen is compact, chances are you’ll battle to make room for it – and pricier than most gradual cookers, which begin at round a fifth of the worth of this.

That mentioned, if you happen to think about all the opposite home equipment it could possibly exchange – a steamer, a soup maker, possibly even your hob – it might show to be your go-to for flavour-filled meals all winter and past.