Saturday, 8 January 2011

Tefal ActiFry - the healthy chips dream come true ?


New Year, New You ... New Year's Detox Plan ... Get Fitter in 2011 ... Healthy Resolutions for New Year ... the list is endless ! All the magazines and websites are full of flash-in-the-pan quick-fix ways to turn your life around and suddenly become ultra-healthy in the new year. Even here at The Madhouse, we've been looking at fun ways to get moving more and eating more healthily. But the trouble with New Year's Resolutions is that they barely last beyond January most of the time. And we all know that for it to make a difference, we need longterm lifestyle changes.

Well, I've been reading up about a fabulous gadget that could help you make a really simple change which is especially good for families. If you say you're banishing chips from your diet, you'll have a riot on your hands from your teens or tweens - but you could switch over to healthier chips and they probably wouldn't even notice ! Sneaky, huh ? I haven't actually had a chance to taste the chips so I'd be interested to hear your comments, if you've tried one. I always find oven chips a bit hard to digest but from what I've read, these taste like the real deal, just healthier. Sounds too good to be true, I know ! Well, here's what they say in the press release.

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Guilt free chips - the healthy way to enjoy the nation’s favourite food



The Tefal ActiFry is a revolutionary new gadget that allows all your favourite foods to be cooked using just half a spoonful of oil. Whether it be light, fluffy chips or crisp, succulent chicken drumsticks, the ActiFry uses a unique rotating mixing paddle, so that food is coated in oil to give the best crisp finish with only 3% fat, which is great compared to traditionally deep fried chips which can have up to 15% fat.


The specially designed paddle gently stirs the food, coating the outside with a fine mist of oil to deliver delicious, low-fat results each time. The fryer can be used to fry chips, potato wedges or scampi but Tefal knows that variety is the spice of life and has designed ActiFry using a unique, patented hot air circulation system, which allows you to cook much more than just chips. Unlike any other low fat fryer, ActiFry is so versatile, it can also cook foods such as curries, stir-frys and sausages to perfection with minimum fuss. Each ActiFry model comes complete with its own recipe book containing a variety of mouth-watering meal suggestions for the whole family.

Mums on the go will love the innovative ActiFry as one spoonful of oil cooks enough chips for a family of four. The removable aluminium bowl has a non-stick coating for easy cleaning, and the bowl, lid and paddle are all dishwasher-safe making it the essential item in any family kitchen or chip-loving bachelor pad.

Designed to be able to serve up to four portions, the original ActiFry boasts a 1kg capacity, while ActiFry Family has 50% more capacity, cooking 1.5kg of chips with ease and serving up to six people. This clever gadget also has a number of distinctive safety features, including a large transparent lid which means you can oversee the cooking process and, on ActiFry Family, a special auto-off feature.


Tefal has taken the UK by storm, creating the world’s healthiest fryer – ActiFry. As the UK’s best selling small kitchen appliance, ActiFry has won millions of fans worldwide as well as being accredited by the Good Housekeeping Institute.



The Tefal ActiFry is available from Lakeland, John Lewis, as well as electrical and independent retailers. (RRP £199.99) For further information on ActiFry or any of Tefal’s innovative product range, visit: http://www.tefal.co.uk/

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Oooh, I didn't know it could be used for cooking more than chips so that may have just sold it ! I love the fact that I could throw out the normal unsightly deep-fat fryer that is always covered in oil drips too. The biggest disadvantage is the pricetag but I've done my homework and found them on Amazon for almost half the RRP, currently on sale for £107.20 with free delivery. If I manage to convince the Madhouse Daddy that we really need one, I'll come back and give you a proper review !

Other reviews you may be interested in :

8 comments:

  1. Wow that sounds great,i was looking at buying one of these before xmas as we love chips but i don't own a chip pan because of the grease they make,we always have oven chips.The only thing that put me off is the price? Do you think its worth investing in? xx

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  2. Maybe have a look around in the sales ? The amazon deal sounds good but there may be even better ones out there ! I thought it was expensive as just a fryer but if it can cook other stuff too, it'll get used a lot more. I've got to talk around my husband now !! ;-)

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  3. I have the smaller Actifry and love it. I cook all kinds in it and it's great to even 'freshen' food up that's gone cold (garlic bread you'd think was straight out of the oven even though it had previously been cooked and then gone cold and 'chip shop chips' you'd think you'd just brought them in).
    If anything happens to the one I've got then I'll definitely buy the Family version.
    Oh and you can do roast potatoes without having to par-boil them first.
    I always hated the deep fat fryer with all the oil/fat in it but the Actifry is one of the best things I've ever bought (my Mum bought one at the same time and she thinks the same).
    Don't think of it as just a 'chip cooker' this cooks anything and everything. :-)

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  4. I love my Actifry. The very, very best thing to cook in it is parsnips. They come out a much better texture than roast ones - and healthier too.

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  5. I've often thought of getting one - but was originally put off by reports that some had burst into flames! Having read that it can be used for so much more I'll have to reconsider.

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  6. Lovely idea but far too expensive at the moment Id rather stick with my fry light spray and slimmming world chips!

    helen @freyamae1

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  7. i think they look great but like others the cost puts me off a bit. my husband is desperate for one though x

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