NINJA CRISPI AIR FRYER: I absolutely love air fryers. They are such a great accessory to make healthy meals (okay....they are also great at French fries and tater tots!!!!). We use ours all the time for entrees and sides.
I bought my first one, a 5.5 quart Cosori, back in 2019. It was recalled for an electrical defect and fully replaced by the manufacturer in 2023. I loved using it, but it came up short in two areas. First, while it does not use a Teflon coating (now illegal in MN), it does have a PFTE coating on the cooking surface. This coating is completely safe when intact, but scratches or flaking mean it's time to get a new one. While ours was in perfect shape, the second area was the bigger draw.
This second benefit was huge to me. The cooking vessel in the Ninja Crispi is borosilicate glass. No coatings to worry about.....easiest surface to clean...but the big deal was being able to see the food as it cooked. A lot of air fryer recipes are hit or miss because of the vast differences in machines. Having to stop the air fryer and pull out the basket to check cooking status was a hassle and a half. Now just a quick glance at the Crispi tells me how I'm doing.
Given that it is just Becky and I at home, we really had no need for the giant 5.5 quart capacity. So we bought the small Crispi, perfect for the two of us. For $159, you get a 4-quart and 6-cup cooking vessel along with covers to keep the leftovers in the fridge. The cooking vessels are dishwasher safe (huge bonus). If you need more capacity, Ninja just rolled out the Crispi Pro for $279, which comes with a 6-quart and 2.5-quart cooking vessel. The Ninja Crispi (pictured above), is a small, portable air fryer, while the Ninja Crispi Pro is a substantial countertop model. Either way, you can't go wrong.
GINO BAMBINO SOURDOUGH PIZZA STARTER KIT: A tip of the hat to Costco on this one. They are selling a 3-pack of pizza crusts and sauce for just $9.99. The 11-inch sourdough crusts are each hand stretched and stone baked....and the sauce is pure Italian plum tomatoes. It is, without a doubt, the best store-bought pizza crust I have ever had (Gino has been making them for 60 years).
This is a relatively new item to Costco....I saw it for the first time in September. Make sure you get great toppings. I've been making them for a crowd and two of the recipes are really popular. First is a bacon and onion with fresh mozzarella....and lots of red pepper flakes for heat. The second is a charcuterie pizza with salami, mortadella, prosciutto, canicola, sun-dried tomatoes and Calabrian peppers. While I am an absolute failure at making my own pizza crusts from scratch, I'm a Super Hero when I pull out these pizza crusts.
