Ninja FG551 Quick Start Guide

More ﬂavor. Less smoke.

Please make sure to read the enclosed Ninja® Owner’s Guide prior to using your unit.

FOR LESS SMOKE, WE RECOMMEND USING OILS WITH A HIGH SMOKE POINT—LIKE

CANOLA, COCONUT, AVOCADO, VEGETABLE, OR GRAPESEED OIL—INSTEAD OF OLIVE OIL.

If you choose to cook ingredients at a higher temperature than recommended or

when using olive oil, it may result in more smoke and food having a burnt, acrid ﬂavor.

LO (400°F)

Best for bacon and

sausages, and when using

thicker barbecue sauces.

Sausages

9 sausages (3–4 oz. each)

Whole

LO, preset to PORK

and set doneness

Frozen: LO, 10–14 mins

MED (450°F)

Best for frozen meats

and marinated ingredients.

Boneless Marinated

Chicken Breast

6 breasts (7–9 oz. each)

MED, preset to CHICKEN

or set to LO if using a thick sauce

When using the grill function,

for best results ﬂip meats.

HI (500°F)

Best for steaks,

chicken, and burgers.

New York Strip Steaks

4 steaks (10–12 oz. each, 1 1/2 in. thick)

Pat dry. Rub with canola oil and season.

HI, preset to BEEF and set doneness

Frozen: MED, 18–26 mins

When cooking frozen protein,

ﬂip 2 or 3 times while cooking.

MAX (up to 510°F)

Best for veggies,

fruit, fresh/frozen

seafood, and pizza.

Salmon

6 ﬁllets (5–6 oz. each)

Pat dry. Rub with canola oil and season.

MAX, preset to FISH

and set doneness

Frozen: MAX, 12–15 mins

SMART

QUICK START GUIDE

XL GRILLXL GRILL

How to place the thermometer

FOOD TYPE PLACEMENT CORRECT INCORRECT

Steaks Pork chops Lamb chops Chicken breasts Burgers Tenderloins Fish ﬁllets

• Insert thermometer horizontally into the center of the thickest part of the meat.

• Make sure the tip of the thermometer is inserted straight into the center of the meat, not angled toward the bottom or top of it.

• Make sure the thermometer is close to (but not touching) the bone and away from any fat or gristle.

NOTE: The thickest part of the ﬁllet may

not be the center. It is important that the end of the thermometer hits the thickest part so desired results are achieved.

Bone-In Barbecue

Chicken Thighs

6 thighs (7–9 oz. each)

LO, preset to CHICKEN

For best results when using

the Grill function, ﬂip meats.

Bacon

8 strips, thick cut

LO, 7–9 mins

Barbecue Marinated

(store-bought, prepackaged)

Pork Ribs

2 racks (24 oz. each)

LO, 13 mins

Frozen Boneless Pork Chops

6 chops (8 oz. each)

Pat dry. Rub with canola oil and season.

MED, 22–26 mins

When cooking frozen protein,

it is recommended to not use

the thermometer.

Frozen Pork Tenderloin

2 whole tenderloins (1 lb. each)

Pat dry. Rub with canola oil and season.

MED, 22–28 mins

When cooking frozen protein,

it is recommended to not use

the thermometer.

Frozen Turkey Burgers

6 patties (4–6 oz. each)

Pat dry. Rub with canola oil and season.

MED, 13–16 mins

When cooking frozen protein,

it is recommended to not use

the thermometer.

For more charts and individual cook times, refer to the Inspiration Guide.

Boneless Chicken Breasts

6 breasts (7–9 oz. each)

HI, preset to CHICKEN

Frozen: MED, 20–25 mins

When cooking frozen protein,

ﬂip 2 or 3 times while cooking.

80% Lean Burgers

6 patties, 1-inch thick

(up to 7 oz. each)

HI, preset to BEEF and set doneness

Frozen: MED, 10–12 mins

Fresh Bone-in Chicken Thighs

6 thighs (7–9 oz. each)

Pat dry. Rub with canola oil and season.

HI, preset to CHICKEN

Frozen: MED, 28–32 mins

Fresh Asparagus

(2 bunches)

Toss with canola oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

MAX, cook 5–7 mins

Spread evenly on grill grate. Do not ﬂip.

Fresh Corn on the Cob

(6 ears)

Brush lightly with canola oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

MAX, cook 10–12 mins

Shrimp

20 oz. (about 30 pieces)

Pat dry. Rub with canola oil and season.

MAX, cook 1–3 mins

Whole chicken

DO NOT use the thermometer with frozen protein

or for cuts of meat 1 inch thick or thinner.

• Insert thermometer horizontally into the thickest part of the breast, parallel to, but not touching, the bone.

• Make sure the tip reaches the center of the thickest part of the breast and doesn’t go all the way through the breast into the cavity.

Preheat for better results

For best grilling results, preheat the Foodi Smart XL Grill before adding food. It will take approximately 10 minutes. Adding food before preheating is complete may lead to overcooking and smoke.

APROX

MINS

Turn for Instructions on cooking with the thermometer

How to turn off Preheat

We do not recommend skipping preheating, as it will impact cooking results. However, if you would like to skip it, after selecting a function and pressing the START/STOP button (when the unit is then in preheat mode), press the PREHEAT button to cancel preheating.

Cooking with the leave-in thermometer

The FoodiTM Smart Thermometer continues to monitor doneness throughout

the cooking process, unlike a traditional instant-read thermometer.

STEP 1

Set Up

• Remove the storage compartment on right side of the unit.

• Unwind cord and remove thermometer.

• Plug thermometer into jack under orange silicone cover on right side of the unit.

Perception of what a speciﬁc internal doneness looks like diers from person to person, even

restaurant to restaurant. This guide shows what to expect with each preset beef doneness level

(we have provided a wide range of options so you can customize doneness to your liking).

STEP 2

Select Cook Function

• Press the desired cooking function (eg. Grill).

• Use the left arrows to select desired cook temperature (setting a time is not necessary when using the thermometer).

Ninja Beef Doneness Guide

STEP 3

Program Thermometer

• Press the PRESET button.

• Use the right arrows to choose the desired protein.

• Use the left arrows to choose the desired doneness.

NOTE: If selecting the MANUAL

button, use the internal cook temperatures recommended in the Owner's Guide.

STEP 4

Place Thermometer

• Press the START/STOP button to begin preheating.

• Wait until unit is fully preheated before adding food.

• Insert thermometer in protein

using the guide on the front page.

STEP 5

Add Food

• Once unit has preheated, “ADD FOOD” will appear on the screen.

• Add the food with thermometer grip fully inside the unit, and close hood over cord to begin cooking (images below).

NOTE: DO NOT

close hood on thermometer grip, as this will prop open the hood and create inaccurate readings.

• The progress bar at the top of the display will track doneness.

• Flashing doneness indicates progression to that doneness.

• When using Roast and Grill, the unit will beep and display FLIP. Flipping is optional, but recommended.

STEP 6

Track Progress

STEP 7

Carry-Over Cook & Rest

• Unit will beep and show "GET FOOD", indicating it's time to carry-over cook and rest food on a plate for 3–5 minutes.

• Carry-over cooking is when food retains heat and continues to cook after being removed from the source of heat.

Did you know?

Meat keeps cooking when you remove it from the grill.

To prevent overcooking, the unit will beep right before your food reaches desired doneness,

taking carry-over cooking into account.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

RARE WELLMEDIUM WELLMEDIUMMEDIUM RARE

NOTE: This guide is based on New York Strip Steak. Using dierent cuts and/or sizes of beef can alter the outcome.

For cuts 2 inches or thicker (e.g., ﬁlet mignon), we recommend selecting the lower temperature

setting within the desired doneness category (e.g., Rare 1 instead of Rare 2).

Using the thermometer in different cooking scenarios

SAME PROTEINS & SIZE DIFFERENT DONENESS

1 Set PRESET to the highest desired

level of doneness.

2 Insert the thermometer in the protein

with the higher desired level of doneness.

3 When the lesser level of doneness is

reached, remove the protein without thermometer.

4 Continue cooking until the next level of

doneness is reached.

SAME PROTEINS

DIFFERENT SIZES

1 Set PRESET to the desired level of

doneness for the smaller protein.

2 Then refer to steps 4–7 above. 3 Using oven mitts, transfer thermometer

to the larger protein and use the arrows to the left of the display to choose the other protein's doneness. Press the START/STOP button to begin.

2+ DIFFERENT PROTEINS

1 Insert thermometer in the protein with

the lowest desired level of doneness.

2 Use MANUAL to choose the desired internal

temperature (refer to Owner's Guide).

3 Using oven mitts, transfer thermometer

to the other protein, and use the arrows to the left of the display to change the desired internal temperature.

Removing your food

Transfer meat to a plate using silicone-tipped

tongs with the thermometer still inserted.

WARNING: Thermometer and grip will be hot.

NOTE: Skipping carry-over cooking and cutting into food right away may result in a rarer level of doneness.

For more instructions on cleaning the unit, refer to your Owner’s Guide.

Carry-over cooking & resting

Allow protein to carry-over cook

and rest for 3–5 minutes. “REST” will

appear and timer will count up.

To check the internal temperature of other pieces

of protein, press and hold MANUAL. Then insert the

thermometer into another piece of protein and check

the display for the internal temperature reading.