Ninja IG651 Review – Does it truly powerful as it claims

The Ninja Foodi Smart XL was a great and necessary upgrade from the original version of the Ninja Foodi Grill. The model comes with a built-in thermometer, a bigger cooking capacity, and an additional cooking function – broil. But, today’s topic is about the advanced version of Smart XL, Ninja IG651 review.

Note: I would highly recommend Ninja FG551 Foodi Indoor Grill compared to Ninja IG651, see why?

The Ninja IG651 or Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro has additional features. Now you can cook while the lid is up.

Up until now, all the IG651 Ninja grill would pause the cooking as soon as the lid was up. But, this XL Pro lets you cook while keeping the lid open.

Also, now a 12” BBQ griddle comes with the machine. With it, you can cook the food a grill grate is unable to cook due to direct heat or whatsoever reason.

Without that, there are a few other noticeable differences, which you will know in the following article. So, let’s start with the Ninja IG651 review without spending more time.

Noticeable Features In Ninja IG651

• With IG651’s high temperature (500F), it produces better char-grill output compared to other Ninja grills.
• A 12-inch BBQ griddle comes with it, which allows you to cook foods that usually won’t be possible with a grill grate.
• Thanks to the dual heating elements on the bottom and top, you can sear food to keep the hood down or up.
• The four doneness levels with four protein and nine customizable doneness levels cook the food on the perfect level.
• It comes with a thermometer to be precise with the temperature.
• Cook food with 75% less fat compared to deep frying.

What Are The Differences Between Ninja IG601 vs Ninja IG651 vs Ninja FG551

Ninja IG601 Foodi Indoor Grill	Ninja IG651 Foodi Indoor Grill	Ninja FG551 Foodi Indoor Grill
Capacity: Extra Large 4-quart cooking capacity that holds 6 steaks, 4 sandwiches, 6 pancakes, and a platter of nachos	Capacity: XL capacity, 12 inches large griddle that holds 6 steaks, 4 sandwiches, 6 pancakes, and a platter of nachos	Capacity: Extra Large 6-quart interior that holds 24 hot dogs, 6 steaks, mains, sides, etc.
Ease Of Cleaning: Made of ceramic coated PTFE or PFOA nonstick grill grates that are dishwasher safe for hassle-free cleaning	Ease Of Cleaning: The grill grate, crisper basket, and bbq griddle plate are PTFE or PFOA-free, nonstick ceramic-coated for dishwasher cleaning.	Ease Of Cleaning: Made with stainless steel which is not dishwasher safe, and can be cleaned with soapy warm water
Cooking Functions: Features Seven cooking functions- broil, grill, roast, dehydrate, the air crisp, bake, BBQ griddle, etc.	Cooking Functions: Seven Cooking functions- broil, grill, roast, dehydrate, the air crisp, bake, BBQ griddle, etc.	Cooking Functions: Six cooking functions- broil, grill, roast, dehydrate, the air crisp, bake, etc.
Temperature Range: Produces a maximum temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit for high heat searing and chargrills.	Temperature Range: With a maximum temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit, it can sear at high heat.	Temperature Range: Heats up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for cyclonic air fry or chargrill.
Power Consumption: It operates with a power output of 1766 watts.	Power Consumption: The energy consumption of this appliance is 1766 watts	Power Consumption: It has a power output of 1760 watts.
Settings: A smoke control system, 4 smart protein settings & 9 customizable doneness levels, a Smart cooking system, and Thermometer.	Settings: Smart Thermometer, Smart cooking system, smoke control system, 4 smart protein settings & 9 customizable doneness levels	Settings: Dual Sensor Foodi Smart Thermometer, smoke control system, 4 smart protein settings, 9 customizable doneness levels, cyclonic grilling, etc.

Key Features Of Ninja IG651 Foodi Smart XL Pro 7-in-1 Indoor Grill Air Fry

Design

After taking it out of the box, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the machine. The stainless steel and black finish match any kitchen appearance and increase overall aesthetics. But, the machine is fairly large, with dimensions of 16 inches in depth, 17 inches in width, and 12 inches in height.

So, you need to free up quite a bit of space on your countertop. But, as the machine is a mixer of seven appliances, if you already have a toaster and air fryer, you can replace them. This way, it’s both money and space-efficient.

On the front part of the machine, you can see a large control panel, which has different keys and a knob. You can use different cooking options, presets, and other settings from the control panel.

The thermometer is attached on the side and has a hidden magnetic compartment. From the inside, the machine has two separate heating elements, which allow you to cook food, keeping the lid up or down, depending on your food and recipe.

Lastly, the machine has four cooking accessories, including a grill grate, a BBQ griddle, a crisper basket, and a cooking pot.

Cooking Functions

If you ask me, what makes the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer kitchen appliance so special is, without a doubt, the multi-function cooking of the machines. Thanks to the multi-function features, you can have extra space on your countertop and save some money.

The Ninja foodi IG651 can do the task of 7 different appliances despite being a single machine. It can BBQ griddle, air crisp, roast, bake, broil, and dehydrate as well as grilling. Thanks to these cooking features, you can cook a vast range of different foods.

Control Panel

The control panel greatly affects the grill’s overall appearance and effectiveness. From the Smart XL, this model has more functions on the control panels. It offers several smart programs to make your cooking easier.

The smart programs are present on the machine. On this model, you can see two types of presets: the protein and the other is the level of doneness.

The protein presets are names of different foods; currently, IG651 has four protein presets, including beef, chicken, fish, and pork. On the other hand, it offers nine customizable levels of doneness from rare to well.

With smart programs, cooking is going to be much faster and simpler. All you need to do is place the foods in the machine, decide what you want, and select from the presets. You will be alarmed when the cooking is done.

Performance

This Ninja model is entirely different from the other versions. And, the differences make its performance top-notch. Firstly, unlike heating the surface circulating hot air, the unit uses electricity to heat up the surface.

And, the lid still circulates hot air. Thus, the machine thoroughly heats up in no minutes, and the food is pretty fast.

Its ability to cook food while keeping the lid open provides you with a more grill experience. But, when the lid is open, it may expel some smoke in your kitchen. However, you will experience the grill smells even though you can in your kitchen, not on the patio.

The griddle performance and heating open up more cooking options beyond pancakes, eggs, or occasional smash burgers.

The machine’s large capacity allows you to cook for a small crowd. Anyways, the most underrating feature of the machine is its air frying function, which beats all the functions of the Ninja air fryer, despite the fact that air frying is just a secondary function.

To sum up, the model is to heat up in seconds, cook faster, provide different experiences, and cook tastes great. There are also tons of convenience features, which you can notice in the Ninja IG651 review.

FAQ Of The Ninja IG651 Foodi Smart XL Pro Indoor Grill Air Fry

Final Verdict

There is nothing perfect in this mortal world. But, Ninja ran after the perfection with their grills and came closer to the excellence with the Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro Grill.

It grills excellently and quickly, air fries beautifully and efficiently, provide bbq experience, and has a dehydrated function. Very few machines on the market can come to its performance, currently on the market.

The price is also a bit high for the machine, but it is already expectable if you consider buying the best indoor grill in the market. If you think about adding this to your kitchen, stop hesitating much, and get it now. With that, I would like to call into this Ninja IG651 review.