I tried a multicooker and now use it more than my oven - here's why

With energy prices going through the roof, suddenly I'm constantly finding myself considering other, more energy efficient, ways of doing things around the house. Since air fryers are the appliance of the moment, this seemed like the natural place to start.

I love a multipurpose product, and have been a fan of the Ninja brand (also the home of our favourite Shark vacuums) for a while now, so the Foodi Multi-Cooker was right up my street.

The Ninja Foodi

The Foodi's have been around for a couple of years, and to say that the latest iteration has all the bells and whistles feels like an understatement. The (deep breath) Ninja OL750UK Foodi MAX 15-in-1 SmartLid Multi-Cooker with Smart Cook System, available at Amazon, allows you to cook in practically every way you could ever want. To be honest, even more than I need.

As well as the aforementioned, must-have air fryer function, the Ninja Foodi works as a Pressure Cooker, Dehydrator, Slow Cooker, Bread Steamer, Yoghurt Maker and much, much more. 

And even though it has more functions than previous models, this version has a SmartLid, meaning you don't need to switch lids in between air frying and pressure cooking. 

The air fryer function is getting more (ahem) air time in my kitchen than any other, partly because its cost to run is so low, but also because it's just so good. I've started to realise just how much energy I was wasting using my oven to cook small meals. 

The other big delight to my bank account has been being able to cook food from frozen in a matter of minutes which has stopped me opening up Deliveroo every time I arrive home too late to cook from scratch and once again forgot to defrost anything.

The first time I attempted cooking chicken from frozen I was a little concerned about it being cooked through, but Ninja was one step ahead. There's an integrated probe which can update you on the internal temperature of your food throughout cooking. It's also great for estimating when a steak might be at your preferred readiness (medium rare, please).

Batch cooking is going to play a role in my personal how to save energy and money plans for this winter, so having a 7.5L pot should provide around 6 portions. 

Although that's probably not surprising, since I also managed to cook a whole roast chicken dinner in mine last weekend. Using the two-level wire rack I was able to provide glazed veg, fluffy potatoes and a crispy-skinned, perfectly cooked chicken all in the one pot. So it's goodbye oven cooked meals and hello multicooker addiction. Total game changer.

Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker [OP350UK] | £199.99 £179.00 at Amazon

This isn't the model I have but this is the best deal out there right now, taking advantage of the Amazon Prime Day deals. And at 9-in-1, you'll still have more than enough functions to play with.

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Ninja Foodi MAX SmartLid Multi-Cooker [OL750UK] | £300.00 at Amazon

If 9 functions aren't enough, then this is the exact model I'm using. Not currently on offer, but if it's replacing several appliances it still feels like a good deal.

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