Functionally and I am nothing if not all about function, the official Ninja Dehydrator stands are the best choice, although currently only available for the Foodi 6.5qt, 8qt (round) and the Foodi Grills (square) Price wise, they are competitive/ with the others now being offered on Amazon and at Ninja Kitchens
I continue to be surprised at the limited official accessory choices for the newest Foodi Family PC-AF model, the 5 qt. Over the past few days, at the request of a reader, I found what looks like a rack that should fit in the Foodi 5qt – and be helpful in more than one function. CAVEAT: I have no reason to buy it, if you choose to, I’d love to hear about your experience. It is only 3.9 inches high. It appears to have the same system as the official racks which is important. Given it versatility, may well be a good choice for the Foodi 5qt PC/AF owner – I will keep adding more as I find them so be sure to read the comment on my Amazon Page for each item.
Although smaller in diameter than I might prefer, single rack could be used as a trivet if you are like me and want any pot or pan elevated off the base of the inner pot – since they are half the height of most trivets, that could be a huge benefit for the 5qt owners.
The possible bad news is it also smaller in diameter since it was apparently created for use in an AirFryer. BUT should still be useful for those preparing smaller meals.
Back to function and speaking only to the round racks. Dehydrator Stands are useful for so much more than fruit & pet snacks or drying your garden fresh herbs.
Currently, because it is price competitive and so far the best choice for the 6.5qt, 8qt is the sold by NinjaKitchens on Amazon. I’ve included it in my “Foodi Friendly” suggestions and other suggestion pages as well .
SHOPPING TIP FOR FOODI OFFICIAL ACCESSORIES – sometimes an item will be out of stock on either Amazon or NinjaKitchens but will be available from the other. That is both good if you want it NOW, but bad in you are a Prime member and want the advantage of free or reduced shipping. ALSO it has been my observation that if it is available at NinjaKitchens there is a good chance it will be on Amazon within a short period of time. Not every time but often enough if you are not in a hurry to check every few days.
The Round 5 level Foodi™ Dehydrator Stand Model #: AOP104BRN is for use with the 6.5 and 8 qt and can be found on both Amazon and NinjaKitchens in the parts & accessories section.
Last of the racks I recommend is the The “Square” 4 level Foodi™ Indoor Grill Dehydrate Stand Model #: 122KY300 is compatible with all Ag300 and Ag400 Ninja foodi grill models
Caveat Emptor: Just a note on the dehydrator racks. There are two OEM that I have tried (Ninja was out, I wanted a second so said “might as well try” and purchased two different ones that looked interesting. They went back for different reasons. So hear are some of the things I have learned the hard way and why I prefer the official Ninja Foodi style of racks.
Things to consider also know as more things I learned the most difficult way.
Several of the NON-Foodi designs would not allow use unless ALL racks were inserted. Unlike the Foodi Stands, where you can use as few as one – which means it can also be used like the Reversible rack in the low position. This is a major plus in my world.
The one designed with a rim, as several of us have learned to our “purchase in haste, repent at leisure” experience does not clean well. You think it is, you spend a LOT of time “detailing” but then you find obnoxious and obviously old gunk on the bottom of the inner pan. It Is IMPOSSIBLE to get clean. While it might be okay for just dehydrating, if you want to take advantage of its many other uses, you will soon find those rims are very good at hiding grease and other gunk and guck – only to be found when it has leaked onto other food.
Rack could not be removed or added as needed during cooking process.
There are two OEM that I have seen (and have not added to my pages https://www.amazon.com/shop/wheatcarr ne APPEARS to be identical to the Official Accessory. It Is NOT – The finish cracked and chipped after one trip thru Dishwasher. A classic “cheap can cost you dear” moment.
One of the thinks you DO NOT WANT are the styles that have silicone on the top of the handles. Your food, until it get hot, may exceed the usually temperature limits for the parts close to Air Crsip face. Believe me that stuff really sticks to the non stick surface.
Conversely, i have had no issues with adding oven guard snippets to the feet and that may be one of the reasons my inner pan continues to be happy.
Some are bothered by what they consider to be the wobbly nature. I am not because that is why it is so easy to add, remove or replace the shelves/racks when making what I call a “serial” cook.
The Stand is invaluable when trying to prepare a thicker cut of beef or lamb using broil/grill in my 6.5qt. and I suspect will be equally helpful to the 5qt owner since their model did not include any sort of rack, reversible or otherwise.
When I use the upper levels for thicker cuts of meat, I place a small pan on the lowest shelf to catch most of the drips. Stainless Steel devotee that I am – these TeamFar 8 inch stainless pans Those who will be using the smaller rack, may need to look for a smaller pan – I find some, I will add it in. Meanwhile the 8 inch are serving multiple uses in my small kitchen.
Yes the above contains affiliate links, but I have included enough detail so if you don’t want me to benefit from the information I share, you can search out the products directly
I would love to hear your inventive uses of the dehydrator rack. I hope to share some of mine over time.
Over the last year or so, I have created an Amazon “Storefront” to make it easier to respond when people ask a question. Yes, if you interact I may earn a small commission.
Since I began this EPC – Electric Pressure Cooker AF – AirFry and Countertop Convection/AF Digital Oven, it has become quite a “hobby” searching out accessories that fit and are useful.
More than anything, you need to know how much space you have (not always the easiest details to pry out of NinjaKitchens) and ALL the dimensions of the accessory you are considering.
When buying “on-line” unless you want to spend a fair amount of time returning things, you need to know both inner and more importantly OUTER measurements.
When shopping in a brick and mortar store, I carry two tools. A tiny tape measure on my key chain and a circle of graph paper. IF the accessory can fit within that circle, it can be used in the original style Ninja Foodi The EPC with AF. All three sizes are have an inner pot a shade over 9.25 inch diameter.
What differs is the inner pot’s height. It took some time, but NinjaKitchen.com finally confirmed the some details provided to me by other users. Keep in mind that most pans will need to be place on some sort of rack so that further limits the heights you can use.
There are multiple brands of appliance in my kitchen, and I hope to also share my experiences with my 2qt Cosori, and several Hamilton Beach, and KitchenAid and others useful tools you can find in my kitchen that were an investment I am glad I made over the years.
When shopping on line for accessories, you need to know how much room you have to work with the dimensions show in the image above.
Currently, my Amazon Storefront only shows the products I liked. Going forward, I plan to do mini-reviews here and elsewhere for what has and has not worked for me, and which brand made me happy as well as what did not and why it failed me.
If you have some favs, I hope you comment and why you like that accessory with a link because I am always “looking” for a better solution.
I grew up hearing two mantras, 1. What is worth having, is worth both the working or waiting for. 2. Cheap can cost you dear.
The result is doing without until I can get what I really want. That is why I always look for the best ratio of value and usefulness to the price. More about that when discussing the good and the bad.
If you choose to use my links, thank you. However, what I really want is to give back a bit to those who helped to better
Paleo Meal Prep is why after nearly two years I have become quite a fan of Kenzie Swanhart cookbook author. Thanks to her videos, I am also liking her more as a representative for the Ninja Foodi Family and other culinary presentations.
EVEN if you are not strict PALEO – but are working towards eating a bit healthier, this book is useful. The key is planning and Kenzie has focused wonderfully on the prepping and planning.
PRO: The recipes, primarily guided by Paleo rules, are interesting to those who are not adherents to Paleo for many reasons.
Those I have prepared tasted good. (It will take another month or so to work thru them all)
The relative novice home cook should be able to (a) follow the directions with nominal assistance – especially if you take the time to review her videos using Paleo Meal Prep recipes. (LINK NEEDED) (b) find most if not all the ingredients are already in their kitchen and if not are readily available in your favorite grocery store (I checked Safeway & Aldi) (c) sub (especially protein) other ingredients to make it your own. (Tiplet: always follow the recipe written if you are not allergic to any ingredients the first time and make notes so you can decide how to adjust next time. )
For those who know how picky I can be, I found absolutely nothing to disagree about. Just a ting or two I might have done differently.
Not an official NinjaKitchen book, there is enough information to make these recipes “Foodi Friendly” (I will be using the 6.5 quart and digital oven in my kitchen.
CON: If I Ruled The Universe and Clearly I Do Not. and some might say I am pretty darn opinionated – so will likely be quite surprized to read I only found two things I wish were different.
(1) It would be helpful to have included details for freezing so those who need to make ahead and want to build “diversity” into the diet will have an idea how to best plan and prepare.
(2) This is said with an understanding of the effects more photos would have on the cost of the book. With that cost consideration in mind.. I would hope that over the coming months Kenzie will consider sharing finished dishes for each recipe, referencing which book, the name and page number.
It took me awhile to write this review because my first efforts were even too Food Geeky for me.
Bottom line? I bought the Kindle version after reading thru unlimited, trying several recipes and getting positive feedback so I would be able to reference it later. I suggest you do the same.
Successful Food Craft is always a multi-step process.
It has been my observation that the “iffy” things about recipes found on the internet is always the technique details or more accurately – the lack of technique details.
This book may be quite worthwhile both as a “refresher” and for those who need some help learning to customize a recipe It does not matter what pan or appliance is needed, because all recipes start with “prep” and that seems to be where many of us tend to go astray.
Or, like most smart cooks, either you make it once to see how it works for you and yours
Or, need to make advance adjustments, based on taste or even allergy considerations.
I was pleased to find it once again (mine was damaged in a broken pipe incident) on Amazon.
This is a link* to the “used copy” Amazon Listings. I have had good luck “so far” . https://amzn.to/37LROvH
Hardcover: 290 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books; 1st edition (April 4, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0767902793
ISBN-13: 978-0767902793
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1 x 9.4 inches
*This is an affiliate link and might result in a commission if you purchase this book.
Not An affiliate link: but worth a read.
It seems to be discussing a “stove top” Pressure Cooker, so I do disagree with the “you have to watch it every second” when it comes to the Ninja Foodi (and mostly for all other electric Pressure Cookers)
Mushy Vegetables can be overcome, but yes, that does take both planning and a bit of “tending” Still, as the article says, if flavor is important to you, then yes, it is worth that extra few minutes once or twice during the hour it takes to get something “Freezer to Table” in about an hour most of the time.
Successful Food Craft is always a multi-step process.