If your Ninja Foodi Grill is smoking, there's probably a reason why
Is Your Ninja Foodi Grill Smoking?
Pretty regularly in the Ninja Foodi Grill ❤️Lovers Group, someone expresses frustration with the Foodi Grill setting off a smoke detector.
So why is Your Ninja Foodi Grill Smoking?
Although I've never allowed my Foodi Grill, Ninja® Foodi™ Smart XL Grill or Ninja Foodi Deluxe Pressure Cooker to smoke long enough that the smoke detector starts blaring I am guilty of having to open a bunch of windows to allow smoke to escape on a cold winters day.
I learned this the hard way when cooking some bacon when I was learning how to cook burgers on the Ninja Foodi Grill.
I wanted to reiterate my opinion about why your Foodi Grill could be smoking.
In order for there to be smoke, something has to create it.
A clean, dry, properly preheated Foodi Grill should not smoke excessively to the point where a smoke detector is deployed.
Most meats should be able to be cooked in the Foodi Grill from raw to properly cooked with little or no smoke-
But let's think about this for a second. How does smoke happen?
Oil's + Excessive heat = Smoke
So to prevent smoke, you need to reduce the heat or reduce the Oils.
I know when cooking bacon on the stove, if the pan's too hot it will smoke. The same goes for the Ninja Foodi.
I've tried five similar oil sprayers and the EVO is the only one that consistently and reliably spritzes a small amount of oil without clogging or requiring some kind of ridiculous pumping to make it work.
Cleaning the Ninja Foodi Grill
The old saying that "A clean grill is a happy grill" rings true for both indoor and outdoor grills.
If you want to reduce smoke you must be cleaning the Ninja Foodi Grill each and every time you use it.
Everything with the exception of the base unit itself is dishwasher safe and should be cleaned after each use.
The rule of thumb is that if it can be removed from the Ninja Foodi Grill then it's dishwasher safe. This includes the cooking pot, grill plate, air crisp basket, and even the spatter shield.
If none of this works turn down the heat
If you are still experiencing smoke when you use the Foodi Grill, maybe it's time to reevaluate your cooking temperatures. Nothing will get ruined cooking at a lower temperature so try scaling back the heat a bit.
Other people have experienced less smoke when putting some water in the main cook pan. Although it's not something I commonly do, it is worth a try. When using water, I recommend using hot water as cold water will be more of a heat sink and it will throw off the temperatures a bit.
Water is a good solution when cooking something like sausages or bratwurst that have a lot of fats which tend to render during cooking.
Now that you have a clean grill to work with, get some inspiration as to what you should cook next with a few of my favorite cookbooks for the Ninja Foodi and other air fryers, or check out some of the best recipes I've made in my kitchen.
i would not recommed this product i hav tried everything suggested to stop it from setting smoke alarm off for the price and i can not even use it
Hi there! So my foodi grill sets off smoke detector while preheating 😱 It’s always clean so it’s not that. While preheating there’s this unpleasant plastic smell … help!!
I would suggest inspecting all of the components while it is smoking (carefully because they will be hot) to determine where it is coming from. If that is no help I would call Ninja directly. Good luck-
mine smelt like plastic at first when new. Smoking king is inevitable as it is not designed for easy cleaning access to fan housing.
Major design flaw.
An access door & reuseable filter would've been nice.
Not much to ask for the price paid.
The filter is reusable and most new appliances have a unique smell the first few times it gets used. I agree some design aspects could be improved upon.
I have the same problem. Clean grill/griddle, and setting off smoke detectors. The heat was on low last time. This is a heap of junk. This is my second smoking grill. We are vegans and do not use oil. I am calling Ninja today. I have SEVERAL Ninja and Shark appliances and vacuum. I have Ninja Foodi Pressure crisp, the flip oven, Ninja Creami. I am so disappointed in this griddle. Beware.This is dangerous junk. My replacement is worse than the grill.
Yep. For the first year I loved my Foodi, even bought my kids one. Now, can't use it anymore because sets off fire alarms. Not a good thing in an apartment. I clean it every time and try to clean the fan but just can't access where it needs to be cleaned. I am so disappointed because I really loved it. Will never buy another Ninja product.
Sorry to tell you this Gwen, but it's a cleanliness issue. Some people have good luck putting some vinegar in a heat proof bowl and really letting it cook into the appliance and then wipe out when it's cool enough to handle. Although I don't reccommend that it's one option. You may want to call Ninja about the unit smoking. They may surprise you -
Totally agree! Right from the beginning I setting temp to 500 set off the fire alarm
Hello Paul (Mr. Montana)! I too struggle with my smoke detectors going off, I feel for no reason. My question is though, I don't see any smoke coming from the machine, so what are the detectors detecting? I always have my fan in the living room and dining room for help, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Also, the recipe for your burgers is a bit confusing - the recipe states 6 min cooking time, however, in the instructions, it's a total of 8 mins. Also, do you happen to know what the High temperature actually is? I've never used high and fear it will definitely set off my detectors. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. 🙂
You may want to check your owners manual but many smoke detectors also detect heat. Perhaps thats the culprit?
I just keep my electric leaf blower by the smoke alarm, when the smoke gets crazy a blast of air at the smoke detector works. Not just a leaf blower any moree.
Thats one way to do it Mike!
Mine has set off the smoke detectors 2 times. Both times I was making burgers. I tried the water in the base while cooking. It helped. No alarms that time. It only does it when I cook a burger. Steaks are fine as are other meats. I clean the filter all the time. I really like it and I hope the water has fixed my issue.
I'm glad you found a solution and can keep cooking!