The Ninja FG551 Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill is made for busy home cooks who want more than one way to cook. It can grill, air fry, roast, bake, broil, and dehydrate. I like the smart thermometer most because it takes much of the guesswork out of cooking meat. Overall, the Ninja FG551 is a large indoor grill with smart cooking tools and a 4-quart air fryer basket.
Product Review: Ninja FG551 Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill
The Ninja FG551 is a countertop cooker with six cooking modes. You can use it as an indoor grill, air fryer, roaster, baker, broiler, or food dryer. This makes it useful for many meals without needing six separate tools.
One thing I like is the Foodi Smart Thermometer. You place the probe into your food before cooking. The system then tracks the inside temp as the food cooks. This can help when you want meat cooked to a set level.
The grill can reach up to 500°F. It uses hot air and a hot grill grate to cook food. This helps create grill marks on steaks, burgers, chicken, and other foods.
The grill grate can hold up to six steaks at once. It can also fit up to 24 hot dogs. That gives the Ninja FG551 a good fit for family meals, cookouts at home, and game-day food.
The 4-quart crisper basket is made for air frying. You can use it for fries, wings, veggies, and other foods that you want to make crisp.
The FG551 also has a cooking pot. This gives you another way to cook foods that do not need the grill grate. You can bake, roast, or broil with the right setup.
The six cooking modes are easy to understand. Grill is for direct heat. Air Crisp is for crisp food. Roast is for larger foods. Bake works for items such as small baked dishes. Broil adds strong top heat. Dehydrate is for drying food at a low heat.
The unit is fairly large for a countertop cooker. It measures about 15.7 inches long, 11.1 inches wide, and 16 inches high in one Ninja listing. So, I would check your counter space before buying it.
The FG551 uses 1,760 watts and 120 volts. That fits standard US home power. The cord is about 34 inches long, so I would also check where your wall outlet sits.
Cleaning is another area I like. The grill grate, cooking pot, and crisper basket are dishwasher safe. A cleaning brush is also included for the grill area.
The lid has a splatter shield. This helps keep grease from spreading inside the cooking area. It is a useful touch when cooking foods that give off a lot of fat.
Pros
What I Like
- Smart thermometer: It tracks the inside temp of meat while it cooks.
- Six cooking modes: One unit can handle many types of meals.
- Large grill area: It can cook up to six steaks at one time.
- 4-quart air fryer: It gives you a good space for fries, wings, and veggies.
- 500°F grill heat: This helps create a strong sear and grill marks.
- Dishwasher-safe parts: The main cooking parts are easier to clean.
- Indoor use: You can grill food without setting up an outdoor grill.
Cons
What Could Be Better
- Large countertop size: It can take up a good amount of kitchen space.
- Heavy body: At around 27 pounds in one Ninja listing, it is not a tool I would move often.
- Single-purpose parts: You need to change the grill grate, pot, or basket based on the food.
- High power use: The 1,760-watt rating is something to keep in mind when running other kitchen tools at the same time.
My Personal Experience with Ninja FG551
When I look at the Ninja FG551, the smart cooking system stands out first. Many home cooks find it hard to judge when meat is done. The built-in thermometer gives you a way to watch the food without cutting it open again and again.
For steak nights, I like the idea of using the probe while the grill does the cooking. You can choose a level of doneness and let the system track the meat. This can make steak cooking less of a guessing game.
For burgers, the large grill grate gives you more room. You can cook several at once instead of working in small batches. That can help when dinner is for the whole family.
Chicken is another good match for this type of cooker. The grill mode can add marks, while the smart thermometer helps track the inside temp. I see this as a useful setup for people who cook chicken often.
The air fryer side gives the FG551 a different role. I would use the 4-quart basket for foods such as fries, chicken wings, and small veggie portions. It saves you from needing a second air fryer on the counter.
I also like the roast setting for larger meals. It gives the unit a job beyond grilling and air frying. This can be handy when you want one cooker to handle most of a meal.
The bake mode adds even more range. I would use it for small baked foods when I do not want to turn on a full-size oven. This can make sense for quick meals or small batches.
The broil mode is useful when food needs a crisp top. It can help with foods that need a browned finish near the end of cooking.
The dehydrate mode is a nice extra. It lets you dry foods at a lower heat. I see this as more of a bonus feature than the main reason to buy the FG551.
The splatter shield is also worth noting. Indoor grilling can create grease and food mess. Having a shield inside the lid helps keep the cooking area cleaner.
The biggest issue for me is counter space. This is not a tiny kitchen tool. I would give it a fixed spot if I planned to use it often.
Another thing I would think about is the weight. The unit is not something I would want to carry in and out of a cabinet each day. It makes more sense for a kitchen where you have room to leave it set up.
For a US home, the 120V power rating is a good fit. The unit is made for standard US household power. That means you do not need a special power setup for normal use.
Comparing With Other Brands
I’ve also looked at indoor grills and air fryers from brands such as COSORI, Cuisinart, and Breville. Each type can fit a different cooking style.
Some air fryers focus on crisp food and simple controls. The Ninja FG551 goes further by adding a grill, thermometer, roast mode, bake mode, broil mode, and dehydrate mode.
Some indoor grills focus mainly on meat. The FG551 gives you more cooking choices, so it can take the place of more than one small appliance.
The main trade-off is size. A simple air fryer may take less room. The Ninja needs more counter space because it combines several cooking tools in one body.
Ninja FG551 vs Other Brands: Quick Comparison
For cooking range, the Ninja FG551 has a clear focus on doing many jobs. You get six modes in one unit, which can help if you do not want several kitchen tools.
For meat cooking, the smart thermometer is a key part of the FG551. It watches the food’s inside temp as it cooks. This is different from a basic grill that only gives you heat and a timer.
For air frying, the 4-quart basket gives you a separate cooking space. It works well for foods that need hot air around them.
For counter space, a smaller air fryer may be easier to fit. The FG551 is better suited to a kitchen where you have room for a large countertop cooker.
For family meals, the large grill grate is useful. Ninja says it can hold up to six steaks or 24 hot dogs at once. That makes the grill side more suited to group meals than many small indoor grills.
Recommendation
I would look at the Ninja FG551 if you want one kitchen tool that can handle grilling, air frying, roasting, baking, broiling, and dehydrating.
It also makes sense for people who often cook steak, burgers, chicken, wings, fries, and other common US meals. The smart thermometer can be helpful if you want more control over meat doneness.
I would think twice if your kitchen has very little counter space. The FG551 is a large and heavy appliance, so it works best when you have a set place for it.
For a US kitchen, the 120V design is a normal fit. I also like that the main cooking parts can go in the dishwasher, which can save time after meals.
My main reason to choose the FG551 would be its mix of grill, air fryer, and smart cooking tools. If you only want an air fryer, a smaller model may make more sense. If you want several cooking jobs in one unit, the FG551 is worth a closer look.
FAQs for Ninja FG551 Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill
What can the Ninja FG551 do?
The Ninja FG551 has six cooking modes. They are Grill, Air Crisp, Roast, Bake, Broil, and Dehydrate.
Does the Ninja FG551 have a meat thermometer?
Yes. It comes with a Foodi Smart Thermometer. The probe tracks the inside temp of food while it cooks.
How large is the air fryer basket?
The Ninja FG551 comes with a 4-quart crisper basket. It is made for air frying foods such as fries, wings, and vegetables.
Can the Ninja FG551 cook steak?
Yes. The grill grate is made for steak and other meats. The smart thermometer can also help track the inside temp while the steak cooks.
How hot does the Ninja FG551 get?
The grill can reach up to 500°F. This high heat helps create grill marks and a strong sear on food.
Is the Ninja FG551 good for a family?
It can be a good fit for family meals. The grill grate can hold up to six steaks or up to 24 hot dogs at one time.
Is the Ninja FG551 easy to clean?
The cooking parts are dishwasher safe. The unit also comes with a cleaning brush for the grill area. The splatter shield helps reduce grease mess inside the cooker.
Conclusion
The Ninja FG551 Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill is more than a basic indoor grill. It combines grilling, air frying, roasting, baking, broiling, and dehydrating in one countertop unit.
I especially like the smart thermometer and large grill space. The 4-quart air fryer basket also adds useful value for daily meals.
The main things to think about are its size, weight, and power use. If you have enough counter space and want several cooking modes in one machine, the Ninja FG551 is a strong option to consider.