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A popular air fryer company has responded after owners discovered a 'secret' feature that’s been hiding in plain sight this whole time.
In a recent TikTok that's gone viral, social media user @bowesy5 revealed a 'hidden' compartment in one particular model of the cult kitchen appliance.
During the clip, she opens a discreet compartment on the left side of her Ninja Foodi Max to pull out the gadget in question. "Did you know?!" she captioned the video.
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Judging by the huge number of likes and shares, the answer is a firm no.
The accessory in question is a small meat prong, designed to test the temperature of your meat to make sure it's perfectly cooked. It only comes with one particular model, the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone (9.5L version).
It's worth noting that if you don't own that exact model you can also buy a Ninja digital probe separately.
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And in a surprise turn of events, Ninja has responded to the discussion, as the brand wrote: “You lot really don’t read our manuals, do you.”
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"But I'm British," one TikToker replied, while another admitted: "Listen I don’t read them unless I mess something up."
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"We only read them when we need them" one said.
I mean, fair play.
Responding to the video, one follower wrote: “HOLD THE FRONT DOOR…"
Another added, “WHAT?! No, I didn’t know. I’m off to check now.”
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A third said: "So, you're telling me that my air fryer has a probe? I have that same one."
Meanwhile, a small number of social media users admitted that while they knew the Ninja air fryer in question came with a meat probe, they had no idea where to find it. “I was looking for this!” one wrote. “I thought we’d lost it in the bin.”
Another commented, “No way! I’ve been looking for this for so long...”
So, which Ninja Air Fryer comes with a meat prong?
The Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Digital Air Fryer (9.5L) is the model that comes complete with a digital probe. Designed to make cooking Sunday lunch easier, the handy accessory will monitor the temperature of meat to ensure it’s safe to eat.
Where to buy the Ninja Air Fryer with a meat prong now
The bestselling Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Digital Air Fryer (9.5L) is available to purchase on Amazon. A bestseller in its category, the air fryer has racked up thousands of rave reviews.
The cult air fryer comes with two drawers, six cooking functions, and fits up to eight portions of food at a time. It’s available in three colours (black and silver, black and copper, and black) and three sizes (7.6 litre, 9.5 litre, and 10.4 litre).
If you want the additional meat probe feature, all you need to do is select ‘dual drawer and probe’ before checking out.
How the ‘secret meat probe’ is used
Ninja’s ‘digital cooking probe’ is essentially a thermometer for your food, to ensure meat and fish is cooked perfectly whether you like your steak rare, medium or well done.
Unlike a traditional meat thermometer, it’s designed to be left in during the cooking progress; you select your desired outcome from the pre-set options on your air fryer and the appliance will let you know when your food is ready.
When not in use, the temperature probe can be wrapped and stored in the dedicated slot on the side of the device.
For a steak, you’ll want the internal temperature to be around 50C (rare) 55C (medium-rare), 60C (medium) or 70C (well done).
However if you want to err on the side of caution it’s worth seeing what the Foods Standards Agency have to say; according to their guidance, to ensure that food (including meat) is fully cooked, the middle of the food should follow one of the below temperature/ time combinations:
- 60°C for 45 minutes
- 65°C for 10 minutes
- 70°C for 2 minutes
- 75°C for 30 seconds
- 80°C for 6 seconds
Danielle Fowler