Ninja FlexFlame Grill Assessment

Grills could be divisive: Some purists snub something however lump charcoal, whereas others love the simplicity and comfort of propane. So, what would the grilldom take into consideration, say, a fuel grill that not solely guarantees to char burgers but in addition to smoke, griddle, and bake? This amalgam does exist: The Ninja FlexFlame.

As a middle-ground sort of griller—I feel lump charcoal is nice, however there’s no getting across the practicality of propane—I used to be intrigued by the FlexFlame but in addition skeptical. Any equipment that guarantees to do many issues usually doesn’t do all of them very properly. To search out out if the FlexFlame was the grilling multitasker it claimed to be, I examined it for over a month, searing burgers, grilling sausages, and even baking pizza. 

The Checks

• Setup and Ease-of-Use Checks: I famous the way it was to arrange the grill and if it was straightforward to make use of. I additionally timed how lengthy it took for the grill to succeed in 500°F. 
• Grill Check: I used the Ninja to grill a wide range of meals, together with corn, burgers, and kielbasa. 
• Griddle Check: I used the included griddle to sear smash burgers. 
• Pizza Check: I used the included pizza stone to bake a pepperoni pizza. 
• Smoke Check: I used the grill to chilly smoke deviled eggs to see how properly the hopper and smoker labored. I attempted Ninja’s pellets to guage their high quality and see if the flavour they imparted was delicate and candy or acrid and smoky. 

What We Discovered

It’s Electrical! (And Finicky to Begin)

I’m used to easy propane grills: To arrange my Weber fuel grill, I simply connect the propane tank and twist the ignitor dials. However along with needing propane, the Ninja, with its multitasking persona, must be plugged in. Its wire is seven inches lengthy, so that you’ll most likely want an extension wire. To show the FlexFlame on, you need to push the dial in, twist it to ignite the burners, then flip it to your required setting (grill/pizza, two-zone, roast/bake, or low and sluggish). Every setting corresponds to a unique temperature, however these could be adjusted by turning a unique dial. 

The ability dial is finicky. I needed to push it in and switch it forwards and backwards a number of instances earlier than it ignited the burners. Whereas this isn’t a serious flaw, I desire the simplicity and simplicity of a non-electric fuel grill. Plus, electronics exterior = greater probability of malfunctions. (The electrical field additionally hangs down at an angle from below one of many aspect tables; I couldn’t screw it in tight sufficient for it to be parallel to the desk.)

I did, nevertheless, just like the digital display screen that reveals the temperature. It was clear and vivid, and it was straightforward to regulate the grill temperature; I wasn’t caught with a preset. 

Due to Its Fan, It Heated Up Shortly and Grilled Effectively 

The Ninja has a built-in fan akin to that of a pellet grill. This creates an excellent circulation of warmth when the lid’s closed, and when you’re utilizing the smoker, it attracts smoke into the cooking chamber from the hopper. It additionally helps the grill warmth up shortly; it reached 500°F in simply over six minutes. 

The draw back to this convection system is that it seems like an airplane taking off. Lifting the lid stops the fan and provides you respite from the noise, however as soon as it’s closed, it’s again to the runway.  Regardless of that, the FlexFlame did job grilling. Sizzling canines, sausages, and corn acquired deep char marks and cooked shortly. If you need a stable propane grill, it’ll do. 

Let’s Speak In regards to the FlexFlame’s Different Options 

The Ninja is an honest grill, however what about its different talents? It did fairly properly in all however one in all them. The half-griddle, whereas cramped, seared lacy, caramelized smash burgers, and the pizza stone ensured a crisp-crusted pizza that baked shortly. The smoker wasn’t as profitable: The hopper was small, and the pellets burst into flames throughout my assessments. Whereas smoking does contain burning pellets, it needs to be a sluggish burn, not a rip-roaring flame that singes your fingers. The burning pellets emitted an acrid burnt-rubber scent and imparted a smoky style to the deviled eggs—maybe a smidge too bitter to be referred to as a complete success. 

The Verdict

The Ninja FlexFlame is an efficient fuel grill. It heats up quick because of its highly effective (and loud) convection fan, and it will get a pleasant sear on sausages, corn, and burgers with out scorching them. The dial to activate and ignite the grill was finicky, although I did like its vivid, clear digital show. Nearly all of its extra options carried out properly, even when they weren’t groundbreaking—anybody can throw a griddle or a pizza stone on a grill. It struggled as a smoker, although, making a pellet inferno relatively than a gently smouldering heap. General, it’s grill, although I feel it’s costly contemplating that its extra options weren’t mind-blowingly superior. In case you’re simply utilizing the grilling bit, you would save your self a pair hundred bucks and spring for a Weber as an alternative. 

The Execs

The Ninja FlexFlame is peddled as a multitasker, however at its coronary heart, it is a grill—and one, too. Whereas it’s fiddly to get began, as soon as the flames are cranking, it heats up quick. Meals prepare dinner shortly, too, because of a robust (and airplane-engine-loud) fan that distributes the warmth: Sausages had been burnished and blistered, and burgers had been properly charred however nonetheless moist inside. This convection fan helped bake pizza shortly, guaranteeing puffy edges and a crisp undercarriage. 

Whereas the pellets caught fireplace once I used the smoker, it did impart a sultry, smoky hickory taste to cold-smoked deviled eggs. General, it excelled as a grill and carried out okay in its different duties. 

The Cons 

It took me over an hour to assemble the grill—there have been a ton of screws and elements. To begin the grill, you need to plug it in, then twist the knob to show the electrical interface on and ignite the flames. Typically I needed to flip the knob forwards and backwards a number of instances earlier than it could gentle and have interaction. I didn’t love the truth that it is advisable plug the grill in for it to work; if something goes flawed with the electronics, you’ve misplaced a lot of the grill’s performance. The wire can also be a mere seven inches lengthy, so I wanted to make use of an extension wire. 

Whereas the Ninja FlexFlame acquired scorching quick and grilled properly, its different capabilities weren’t as spectacular, notably the smoker. After I cold-smoked some deviled eggs, the pellets caught on fireplace, capturing out flames once I opened the hopper. The grill’s fan seems like a aircraft taking off. 

Key Specs

• Cooking space: 424 sq. inches
• Variety of burners: 3
• Variety of wheels: 2
• Variety of aspect tables: 2
• Guarantee: 10 years
• Good to know: Pizza stone and griddle aren’t included within the primary bundle
• Pure fuel obtainable: No
• BTUs: 37,000

Why We’re the Consultants

• Grace Kelly is a senior editor at Critical Eats. 
• She’s been testing kitchen gear for 4 years. 
• She has two fuel grills, two charcoal grills, two pizza ovens, and a smoker—suffice it to say she is aware of outside gear.