Ninja OL501 Foodi 6.5 Qt. 14-in-1 Pressure Cooker Steam Fryer with SmartLid, that Air Fries, Proofs & More, with 2-Layer Capacity, 4.6 Qt. Crisp…

 I have both the OL601 and the OL701 models of the pressure cooker. In this review, I will compare the two models and explain the differences to help you decide whether paying the extra cost for the OL 701 is worth it for you.

First of all, the OL701 has the same design, accessories, and all of the functions of the OL601, so you don’t lose any functionality if you decide on the OL701 vs. the OL601. Both models have the problem of water dripping from the lid to the counter when using any mode that uses water, which is most of them.

The major differences between the two models are:

1) On the OL601, the pressure release is the same as previous models. You can slow release or quick release by moving the valve. On the OL701, you can digitally choose the release you want. The cooker defaults to Natural Release, but you can also choose Quick Release or Delayed Release and it will be done automatically. Personally, this isn’t a big deal for me as I don’t mind moving the valve for a quick release of pressure or letting the cooker natural release for 10 minutes or so and then moving the valve to release any remaining pressure.
2) The OL701 includes a probe that connects to the underside of the lid and the OL601 does not include a probe. For me, this is the biggest selling point for the OL701. The OL701 has what they call “Smart Cooking”. The probe is stored in a holder on the side of the pressure cooker. Using the probe, you can choose the meat, poultry, or fish you are cooking and choose a preset done temperature or set it manually. For me this is the best benefit of the OL701.
a) Generally, when pressure cooking, it’s a best guess as to when the meat is cooked to the desired temperature and doneness. With the probe, you can pressure cook roasts, chicken, etc. to your preferred internal temperature. In the pressure cooking mode, for presets, you can choose beef, pork, or chicken, and can choose between well and shred. If you choose manual, you can set the internal temperature the meat should be cooked to. The manual suggests temperatures for different doneness and allows for carryover cooking.
b) In the steam and crisp mode, you can choose presets for beef, chicken, pork, and fish, and choose your preferred doneness (rare, med. rare, medium, medium well, and well). You can also use a manual setting to set the done temperature you prefer. The probe does not work for the steam and bake mode.
c) In the third position of the slider, the probe works only for air fry, bake/roast, and sear/sauté functions. For these function, you can also choose a preset for beef, chicken, pork, and fish and choose your preferred doneness, or choose manual to set the internal temperature for the meat or fish you are cooking.

Other than these two major differences of a pressure release choice and the Smart Cooking settings, the OL601 and OL701 are basically the same. I should also mention that some functions of these cookers can be mimicked on previous models. For example, the steam and crisp could be mimicked by using the steaming or pressure cooking functions and then using the air fry lid to crisp. As compared to the older models, it’s nice to not have the extra lid to store. On the downside, the lids on older models are a bit easier to clean since they are not attached to the machine, but the grill cover on the crisping lid of older models does make cleaning them more difficult. With each of the models there are trade-offs.

I have had all of the previous models, and this one is my favorite. It’s true the lid doesn’t come off, but you don’t have to find a place to store an extra lid. Since there isn’t a screen cover over the heating element, you don’t have that to clean. So far, I haven’t had to clean the lid. I think the fan keeps most foods away from it. If the lid does get dirty, you can easily clean it by putting water in the pot and steaming it clean.

My favorite and most used functions are:
1) Steaming. I grow a lot of veggies in my basement, and steam them before packaging them for freezing. Blanching veggies with steam retains more of the vitamins than blanching them in water since some of the vitamins and minerals are lost in the water.
2) Pressure cooking. Although this unit pressure cooks like any other pressure cooker, the difference is the convenience of the probe that you can set a done temperature. Although you can find guidelines for pressure cooking roasts and other meats, the time to be used is often differentiated by small, medium, or large. So, you have to guess as to how these sizes relate to the food you are pressure cooking. The probe takes the guesswork out of pressure cooking. If you like sweet potatoes, you have to try pressure cooked sweet potatoes. Add a little butter and brown sugar and they are to die for.
3) Steam and crisp. Previous to this cooker, I had been making baked potatoes in the microwave. This was OK, but the texture of the potato wasn’t always the best and the skin was soft. Now I use Steam and Crisp to make baked potatoes – the inside of the potatoes is fluffy, and the skin is crispy. Perfect!! On thing I should mention here is the cookbook suggests only 1 cup of water for most foods using the Steam and Crisp method. This means the water will totally steam out of the pot for the crisping to happen leaving some burned on residue from water and juices. Fortunately, with the non-stick surface of the pot, this easily rinses out with water.
4) Another favorite is to pressure cook a roast with aromatics, such as onions and garlic, tomatoes, and herbs in the water, and then use the sauté function to make the gravy. I take the roast out of the pot and cover it with aluminum foil to rest and keep it warm. Then I pour everything left in the pot into a gravy separator with a strainer to remove the fats. Once the fats raise to the top and are poured off, the broth and everything caught by the strainer goes back into the pot. I heat everything in the pot using the sauté mode and add a tablespoon or so mixed with water to the broth. Use an immersion blender to blend everything together and cook to the gravy consistency you like. This makes a super flavorful gravy. I often save leftover gravy to be used later instead of the jarred stuff.

I hope this review was helpful for you.

Damaged box and a loose lid (feels like the latch/hinge took a beating) have made my experience very upsetting for paying over $400 for this… I mean, it does everything but receiving it in non damaged form would have been nice. What a nightmare to send back to replace.

This is an amazing machine, love the ability to do so much in one machine….I really like being able to time the release..and the steam cooking is wonderful…am going to try the sous vide at some point…it’s really great being able to steam and crisp in the same pot…it’s a big, heavy machine but it’s wonderful!

With the amount of things you can do with this easily makes this a staple requirement as much as needing a toaster for your kitchen. Having your air fryer, pressure cooker, baker, dehydrator, and… yogurt maker (I’ll have to try this out) all-in-one not only lets you keep this out on the counter to be easily ready but saves on so much cupboard space between appliances in the first place. If you’re on the fence on getting one of these then I’m telling you just get it, you’ll question any doubts on buying this after you have it. Easy to clean too, well at least for those that put medium effort on kitchen cleanliness. If you often procrastinate doing dishes in general then yeah you’ll find this a pain in the butt, just like everything else I’m assuming 😉 (I’m talking to you “my previous roommate” >:O!!!).

I live in a studio apartment with almost no counter space and very little storage space so this replaces my instant pot, my crockpot, and my dehydrator. Plus I really wanted an air fryer but didn’t have room for one so now I have that too! I like that I can cook chicken tenders in it and not have to stand at the stove while they are cooking. Also you can cook pasta/grains in the bottom of the pot while also steaming veggies and crisp steaming meat on the top rack. I’ve even baked in it – it’s so big my 8” cake pan fit inside so I won’t have to purchase their special baking pan. I wish this has come out years ago! I’m giving my instant pot to my family and the crock pot and dehydrator went to neighbors.

It does put out steam while you are using the steam/crisp mode so just know that you don’t want to put it under a low shelf (it’s not a huge amount of steam but the shelf would have condensation on it, which you might want to dry off).

Also the gasket is a little hard to get back on on mine but now that I have the hang of it it’s no problem. I like to clean the gasket after cooking meat to prevent smells etc.

I love it and would def buy again!