Plain greek yogurt is often a main ingredient for sauces, dips and marinades. Chobani is one of the two brands I prefer. As a “hand up, not a hand out” sort of person, have always thought food banks a valuable community resource. Donating when I can. So was pleased to read this article in this week’s Aldi Reviewer.
“… Chobani is running a campaign, July 29-Aug 29 2020 called Food Bank Batch. In a partnership with Chicago-based charity Feeding America, Chobani is donating 100% of all profits from sales of its limited-run 4-pack PB&J Yogurt to the charity. The company is pledging a minimum donation of 800,000 meals, or $80,000. So when you see “food bank batch,” that’s what it means. This campaign is not limited to Aldi. It applies to all stores where Chobani PB&J Yogurt is sold. According to Charity Navigator, Feeding America has a 4-star rating, the highest rating the site gives. ,,,”
My preferred version of Christmas In July is to be making not shopping. One of my favorite is “The Good Morning Brigade” So today I am starting my day by reminding myself and sharing with with all the positive energy of all creative endeavors.
Thread The Needle Day the meanings I like best: Literal meaning – Taking a thread and guiding it through a sewing needle Metaphorical sense – Finding a path through two opposing views
Lord know we need the grace that some from both those exercises.
I might not have read this article if the banner drawing did not exemplify my “this kitchen was drawn by someone who does not cook. So had to read the article to see if it was in line with the image.
Of all the culinary e-news letters, I think Epicurious is my favorite. today, because cleaning my kitchen is both habit and a form of anger management – as in when I am annoyed, I take it out on something in my kitchen in need of deep cleaning. It is also important to me that my limited space be clean and organized.
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
