When I was asked if I would like to try the newly launched family sized
ActiFry made by
Tefal, I jumped at the chance. I had seen the magazine adverts and was curious about the fryer. The fryer's main selling point is that it can cook food - such as chips -
using only ½ a spoonful of oil!
Before I tell you about the performance of the
ActiFry, I want to mention the appearance. It looks very futuristic and is rather revolutionary in design. The fryer
is quite large and does take up
quite a bit of room on the kitchen counter, but this one was the family sized one with a larger cooking capacity (1.5 kg). I found it to be fairly noisy, making a whirring noise for the cooking duration and the plastic rim seems to be a little flimsy.
On the plus side, it is really easy to clean, it all comes apart and even the lid can unclip for cleaning; the ceramic bowl, lid & paddle are all dishwasher safe. The handle of the ActiFry folds down for storage and you can fold it down during the cooking process. The electrical cord can be removed and placed inside when you want to store the ActiFry in a cupboard. The ActiFry has a clear lid so you can see the food rotating while cooking, and there is a digital control LCD screen with a timer that is easy to use and beeps once the time is up. It automatically turns off once the timer has beeped. It comes with a
really good recipe book that has comprehensive cooking times at the back and recipe nutrition information.
It is quite large on the bench, I had to clear space for itHow does it work? There is a specially designed paddle, which gently stirs the food coating the outside with a fine mist of oil, while a unique patented technology allows hot air to circulate through the food for perfect, even cooking with only 3% fat.
Measuring spoon for oil and rotating paddle - you can use your favourite oil in the ActiFryI was feeling rather skeptical, but after using the ActiFry I was
quite impressed. We don't have chips in our house very often, and when we do, I cook them in a special chip pan (with basket) on the hob. I do the twice cooked method, in which I cook all the potatoes on a lower heat in batches, then finish them in very hot oil which results in beautiful crisp chips.
With the ActiFry cooker, you cut all the potatoes you need (it can cook up to 1.5 kg/3½ lbs, which serves 6), dry them with a clean tea towel or kitchen roll, before putting them all into the ActiFry pan. Using the special spoon, you measure out the correct amount of oil for the potatoes and pour it over. Set the timer and you are then free to get on with the rest of the meal. The largest amount of chips will take about 45 minutes. That seems a long time, but in reality, you can just leave it to do its thing - no standing there worrying if the oil will catch fire, no repeatedly draining the batches of chips for a large family. The time is less if you do a smaller batch of chips, for 250 g/9 oz the time is only 22 minutes.
My chips - softer yes, but more healthy!The chips themselves are
not quite the same as the oil deep fried ones, they seem softer and not so crunchy. You can get them brown and crisp though, and can flavour them with paprika, herbs, spices or lemon etc. I would say that if you loved and ate a lot of chips, but want to do it in a more healthy way, or you have children who like to eat chips, the ActiFry is great. For those who like real deep fried chips and make them infrequently, this may not be the fryer for you. If you buy oven chips, you can cook them in the ActiFry very successfully.
We ate more fried potatoes in the last couple of weeks than in the last year!The ActiFry is extremely versatile. As well as chips, I used it for making crispy new potato wedges, cooking root vegetables, tortilla chips & strips, stir-fried vegetables, fried fruits and it makes the best croutons ever! I love that you can throw the food in and there is no turning/flipping over of the food.
There is none of that horrible 'frying' smell that you get with deep fried chips and you feel safe using the ActiFry. The clear plastic lid does get quite hot during the cooking period, but it is still safer than having a pan of deep hot oil on the stove. You can leave it on while you prepare your fish/meat or take a phone call. Unfortunately, it doesn't do two things at once - you still have to cook the rest of the meal!
The book that comes with the ActiFry has recipes such as bolognaise sauce, chicken korma, sausage & bean cassoulet, apples with hazelnuts & popcorn, lamb with cherry tomatoes, ratatouille, apricots with almonds, and honeyed pineapple with mango.
Here are some of the dishes I made with it:
Healthy tortilla strips, a breeze to make
Herby croutons take just 6-8 minutes to cook, there's no turning them unlike conventional baking
Lemon Greek style new potatoes, actually these were better than the ones I make in the oven
Spiced butternut squash, crisp & deliciousThe ActiFry would be perfect for busy, health conscious mums, and anyone who is trying to cut down on traditional fried foods. It is so much more than a chip fryer, and did I mention there was no standing over it stirring/flipping?!!
On the whole, I loved using the ActiFry and didn't really want to give it back. My main concern was that it didn't seem as robust as I would like. Having said that, I was rather sad to package it back up for it's return journey, as it was well used while I had it. At least I know what to put on my Christmas list, it's only 342 days away!
The RRP for the family sized
Tefal ActiFry £229.99, but you can get it for £171.84 according to the
Tefal website, where they have a price comparison page. You can read more about
Tefal products on their website.
The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
With thanks to
Tefal and Rebecca at
Slice.
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