Well, I did a blogpost a few weeks ago (here) about the theory behind the Tefal Actifry - a revolutionary fryer that cooks chips (amongst other things) with just a small spoonful of oil. I love the idea but really couldn't see how it could actually work. I thought you'd end up with soggy or half-cooked chips, or something dried out resembling oven chips that always give me indigestion. But then the lovely people at Tefal sent me one and the whole family has been amazed at how nice the chips are !
I still don't understand how it all works to be honest ! I've been describing it to my friends as something vaguely based on the logic of cooking chips in a salad spinner with a hairdryer attached ! So strangely enough, they can't get their heads around it either ! But the important thing is, it really does work. I'm absolutely amazed that you can get crunchy, crispy, tasty chips with barely any oil that taste like they've come out of a deep-fat fryer.
I must admit, the first time we got off to a false start. I planned on cooking chips to go with the steak I'd cooked but didn't read the instructions until the last minute, so I didn't realise the Actifry would need 40 minutes to cook the chips. Eeeek, the steak would have been charcoal by then so it was put away for another day and we had quick cook rice instead !
But the next day, I allowed myself more time and it worked perfectly. It made me laugh because me, Sophie and Juliette all stood there for the first five minutes watching the chips go round going "ooooh" ! To be honest, I never really expected it to cook chips properly so I was intrigued to watch the process from start to finish. When the timer beeped, I opened the lid and - as usual - poured the chips out on to absorbent paper on a big plate. This normally soaks up some of the excess grease but just look at the picture - there isn't any grease at all !
Everyone tucked in so fast that I didn't actually get a chance to take a photo of my freshly cooked chips but they look just like normal chips from a deep fat fryer. I asked what everyone thought and Sophie said that they're nicer than usual because they're not so greasy. I honestly couldn't taste any difference. Juliette was the only one brave enough to be photographed eating her chips, but as you can see, they look golden, crispy and totally normal.
The little recipe book that comes with the Actifry gives other ideas of things to cook, including curry, which again has me scratching my head wondering how it can work. But the difference now is that I actually believe the claims. To answer my question in my previous post, yes, the dream of healthier but equally tasty, oil-free chips really is a possibility now. The only slight downside is that it take longer to cook so you need to plan ahead slightly and it is a bit expensive. But the health factor and the fact that I no longer have a stinky, greasy deep fat fryer in my kitchen make me think it is worth the price.
star rating : 5/5
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Looks like it beats shop chips almost :)
ReplyDeletei always though this was just a gimic, but it actually sounds as though it really works im a bit funny with chips and how they are cooked, might like to try them done this was though!
ReplyDeleteWe had one of these but ended up giving it to my brother because we didn't really have the room in our kitchen (it is rather big!). It was lovely though, I recommend cooking sausages in it - they were beautiful!!
ReplyDelete@grannysmither on twitter
It does take up a lot of space. Thanks for the sausages idea, I'll definitely give that a go. I want to try curry too :-)
ReplyDeleteDid not realise it took quite so long to cook chips, at least its a healthy way to cook.
ReplyDeleteI've wanted one of these for a while but couldn't justify spending that much to just make chips. So good to see you can do more than just chips
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