I made 4 full meals in my bedroom & didn’t burn it down

If there’s one thing I wish I had done more of back in my hall days in university, it was cooking.

Those late nights studying would have been well served if I could whip up a quick hearty snack or meal instead of relying on instant noodles or food delivery.

But there were two problems then: a lack of space and kitchenware.

Now, the game has changed. Cooking tasty food no longer requires an entire counter top complete with fancy stoves or skillets.

And that’s what the Ninja CRISPi air fryer promises.

It is a portable air fryer that compresses the power of a full kitchen into a single appliance which lets you marinate, cook, serve and store — an all-in-one cooking system.

On the backs of my unfulfilled university dorm chef dreams, I decided to put the Ninja CRISPi to the test by turning my bedroom into a kitchen.

Bedroom kitchen

The Ninja CRISPi comes with several items, including two glass containers, one 3.8L and another 1.4L, and crisper plates for both.

The glass is a nifty feature that sets the Ninja CRISPi apart from other air fryers by offering a 360° cooking view as it cooks.

Included is also a lid that can be used with the smaller glass container.

Miso-glazed salmon and roasted vegetables

First up, miso-glazed salmon and roasted vegetables.

Step one: making the marinade and preparing the salmon.

The marinade is a mix of sesame oil, white miso, mirin and soya sauce.

The slab of salmon fit perfectly in the small glass dish, which meant I could marinate the fish and let it sit directly in the dish itself.

As the salmon sat and basked in the miso marinade, I chopped and seasoned the vegetables in the larger glass dish.

With the vegetables prepared and soaking up the spices, it’s time to cook the salmon

I opted for the “Roast” mode, which, according to the user manual, is best for roasting cuts of meat.

After five minutes, I applied more of the miso glaze, flipped the salmon over and let it roast for another five.

This is when the glass container came in handy.

I got a look at how the salmon was cooking without having to disturb the cooking process, which you might have to do with a conventional air fryer.

Watching your food turn brown and crispy also builds up anticipation for the meal.

With the salmon cooked, I went back to the vegetables and set them to roast as well, but not before placing the salmon into the smaller glass container and using the lid to keep it warm.

After roasting the vegetables for about 10 minutes, I put everything together and the meal was ready.

You can prepare a sauce to go with the salmon, but I had mine without one for a cleaner meal.

Besides, the fish remained moist enough to be flavourful on its own.

Mac and Cheese

Can the Ninja CRISPi handle bake-style dishes? I put it to the test with a viral mac and cheese recipe from TikTok.

I started by grating the cheese with a grater and ample amounts of endurance and patience.

Following the online recipe only semi-religiously, I combined macaroni, water, cream and cheese in the glass dish and seasoned it.

The user manual says the “Air fry” mode cooks like a 200°C oven, so I figured this might be a good setting to try out for the mac and cheese.

I let the mixture cook in the smaller glass container, adding more cheese throughout the process while the cream reduces and the macaroni is cooked.

Here’s how it turned out. Cheesy, creamy and tasty goodness.

With some leftovers, I decided to pop the lid on and save it for later.

The next day, I recrisped the mac and cheese and brought the food out to share the joy with a friend, all while it was still in the same glass container.

Shakshouka with chicken breast

After a gym session, I typically heat up a couple of pieces of chicken breasts to add more protein to my diet.

But just eating them on their own can get boring sometimes, so I decided to make a simple shakshouka to add more flavour and nutrition.

The ingredients were what my mind simply fancied at the moment: garlic, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes.

I added the chopped vegetables into the glass container, seasoned them, and toasted the combination for 10 minutes using the “Air fry” setting.

After this, I added the chicken breasts to the toasted tomatoes and vegetables.

I finished off by cracking two eggs over the chicken and vegetables, then let the eggs poach using the “Keep warm” setting, which is the lowest heat setting on the Ninja CRISPi.

Et voila.

ReCRISPing leftover fries

Another function of the Ninja CRISPi is the ‘Recrisp’ mode, which doesn’t just heat up your leftovers but makes them as good as fresh.

When I used this mode for a box of leftover rendang fries that was two days old, I was honestly impressed.

It didn’t just heat up the fries, but it made them crunchy again.

While some air fryers or microwaves I used in the past left reheated food soggy, there was none of that here.

Four-in-one appliance

There’s much to love about the Ninja CRISPi. For one, the Ninja CRISPi stands out for packing serious cooking power into a surprisingly compact form.

The glass containers, along with the lid, also made it easy to refrigerate leftovers without needing to transfer the food to a separate container, reducing the amount of clean-up needed.

Best of all, I was able to whip up delicious, nutritious and hearty meals right in my bedroom.

I can imagine the Ninja CRISPi coming in handy for busy weeknights post-work or weekend home gatherings.

The Ninja CRISPi lets you prepare meals in advance, crisp them fresh and serve straight from the container. Leftovers can also be stowed away with the pop of a lid.

No fuss, no mess.

For students living in dorms, the Ninja CRISPi will definitely improve your quality of life.

It will hit shelves in Singapore in February at a retail price of S$299 and packs full-sized air-frying power, 360° glass cooking, and flexible batch sizes into one compact design.

There’ll also be a special launch gift if you snag one as soon as it launches: a free Ninja CleanCrisp 2.3L glassware container worth S$49.99.

The freebie is only available while stocks last, so don’t wait too long.

So, the experiment scratched an itch for me and also proved a point. The Ninja CRISPi is as good as it sounds and a true do-it-all-in-one air fryer.

Get yours now and start prepping, crisping, serving, and storing delicious meals anywhere.

The writer of this sponsored article really enjoyed the freedom that came with a portable air fryer.

Images and gifs via Mothership