Ninja FlexFlame Grill Assessment

Grills will 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 gasoline grill that not solely guarantees to char burgers but additionally to smoke, griddle, and bake? This amalgam does exist: The Ninja FlexFlame.

As a middle-ground type 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 additionally skeptical. Any equipment that guarantees to do many issues typically doesn’t do all of them very properly. To seek 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 achieve 500°F. 
• Grill Take a look at: I used the Ninja to grill a wide range of meals, together with corn, burgers, and kielbasa. 
• Griddle Take a look at: I used the included griddle to sear smash burgers. 
• Pizza Take a look at: I used the included pizza stone to bake a pepperoni pizza. 
• Smoke Take a look at: 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 gasoline grill, I simply connect the propane tank and twist the ignitor dials. However along with needing propane, the Ninja, with its multitasking character, 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 must 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 gradual). Every setting corresponds to a special temperature, however these will be adjusted by turning a special dial. 

The ability dial is finicky. I needed to push it in and switch it forwards and backwards a couple of instances earlier than it ignited the burners. Whereas this isn’t a significant flaw, I want the simplicity and ease of a non-electric gasoline grill. Plus, electronics outdoors = larger likelihood of malfunctions. (The electrical field additionally hangs down at an angle from underneath 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 that reveals the temperature. It was clear and shiny, and it was straightforward to regulate the grill temperature; I wasn’t caught with a preset. 

Due to Its Fan, It Heated Up Rapidly and Grilled Properly 

The Ninja has a built-in fan akin to that of a pellet grill. This creates a fair circulate of warmth when the lid’s closed, and for those who’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 offers you respite from the noise, however as soon as it’s closed, it’s again to the runway.  Regardless of that, the FlexFlame did an excellent job grilling. Scorching canine, sausages, and corn bought deep char marks and cooked shortly. In order for you a stable propane grill, it’ll do. 

Let’s Speak Concerning the FlexFlame’s Different Options 

The Ninja is an honest grill, however what about its different talents? It did fairly properly in all however considered one of 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 exams. Whereas smoking does contain burning pellets, it ought to be a gradual 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 known as a complete success. 

The Verdict

The Ninja FlexFlame is an effective gasoline grill. It heats up quick due to 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 shiny, clear digital show. Nearly all of its further 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 slightly than a gently smouldering heap. General, it’s an excellent grill, although I feel it’s costly contemplating that its further options weren’t mind-blowingly superior. Should you’re simply utilizing the grilling bit, you may save your self a pair hundred bucks and spring for a Weber as a substitute. 

The Execs

The Ninja FlexFlame is peddled as a multitasker, however at its coronary heart, it is a grill—and an excellent 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, due to a robust (and airplane-engine-loud) fan that distributes the warmth: Sausages have been burnished and blistered, and burgers have 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 hearth after 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 components. To start out the grill, you must 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 couple of instances earlier than it will gentle and interact. I didn’t love the truth that you could 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 be a mere seven inches lengthy, so I wanted to make use of an extension wire. 

Whereas the Ninja FlexFlame bought scorching quick and grilled properly, its different capabilities weren’t as spectacular, significantly the smoker. After I cold-smoked some deviled eggs, the pellets caught on hearth, taking pictures out flames after I opened the hopper. The grill’s fan seems like a airplane 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 gasoline out there: 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 gasoline grills, two charcoal grills, two pizza ovens, and a smoker—suffice it to say she is aware of outside gear.