I just found out my Ninja air fryer has this hidden feature

Ninja DZ550 air fryer with Foodi thermometer in chicken — (Image credit: Ninja)

If you own a Ninja Foodi Max dual air fryer (one of the best air fryers out there in my opinion), you might not realize a useful feature that's been sitting in your kitchen all along. Tucked away in a small side compartment is a digital meat probe that many owners never discover.

I'll be honest, I've had my air fryer for nearly three months before I found this thing. I never bothered reading the manual thoroughly, and the compartment isn't exactly obvious. The probe itself is more sophisticated than you'd expect from something that comes free with an appliance.

What the meat probe does and why its useful

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The main advantage is eliminating guesswork from cooking meat. Instead of relying on cooking times that can vary based on thickness, starting temperature, or even how frozen your meat was, the probe gives you exact internal temperature readings.

This means no more overcooked chicken that's dry and tough, or undercooked meat that poses food safety risks. You can also cook different cuts of meat to your preferred doneness - rare, medium, or well-done - with confidence.

The probe is particularly helpful for larger cuts like whole chickens, roasts, or thick steaks where visual cues don't tell you much about what's happening inside the meat.

How to find and use the meat probe

Check the side of your air fryer for a small compartment door. The probe stores inside when not in use.

To use it, insert the metal tip into the thickest part of your meat before starting the cooking cycle.

The probe connects to a port inside one of the cooking drawers. Once connected, you can select preset temperature settings or set custom temperatures depending on what you're cooking.

Landing the number one spot on our list of best air fryers in 2024, the Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1 will fit up to 5 pounds of French fries or 9 pounds of chicken wings. And despite its 6.5 quart capacity, it has a neat compact design that won’t overwhelm your countertop. With air crisp technology reaching 400°F you can enjoy crispy food cooked with little or no oil. Aside from providing crisp food, it can reheat pastries, roast and dehydrate, perfect for when you want to dry fruits and other foods. Cleaning up is a cinch with a nonstick basket and crisper plate.

Important details

This feature is only available on Ninja Foodi Max Dual air fryer models that specifically include the probe. Not all versions of this air fryer come with the meat probe, so check your model specifications if you're unsure.

If your Ninja air fryer doesn't include a built-in meat probe, you can purchase the Ninja Foodi Smart Thermometer ($22 at Ninja Kitchen) separately, which is compatible with certain Ninja models. There are also third-party meat thermometers available that work with various air fryer brands and models.

The probe follows standard food safety temperature guidelines, helping ensure meat reaches safe internal temperatures for consumption.

Now that you've learned all about the Ninja Foodi Max Dual's hidden feature and how to find it, why not explore some of our other articles related to this appliance?

Take a look at how to clean an air fryer's heating element and 5 top tips when using aluminium foil in the air fryer. And if you're interested in how to restore your air fryer's non-stick coating, we've got you covered.

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Kaycee is Tom's Guide's How-To Editor, known for tutorials that get straight to what works. She writes across phones, homes, TVs and everything in between — because life doesn't stick to categories and neither should good advice. She's spent years in content creation doing one thing really well: making complicated things click. Kaycee is also an award-winning poet and co-editor at Fox and Star Books.

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