The Actifry & AirFryer Thread - Merged

Tom Dunne · 28-10-2013 2:23pm

Bateman wrote: »

I haven't got the knack of making decent chips in it yet though.

A few tips:

Chop them spuds up as small as you can (cubes work wonders)
Dry the spuds before putting any oil on them
Use vegetable oil, not olive oil
Do them around 180 and make to sure to shake them regularly (every 4-5 minutes)

Phoebas · 28-10-2013 2:33pm

Tom Dunne wrote: »

A few tips:

Chop them spuds up as small as you can (cubes work wonders)
Dry the spuds before putting any oil on them
Use vegetable oil, not olive oil
Do them around 180 and make to sure to shake them regularly (every 4-5 minutes)

What's the advantage of vegetable oil over olive oil?

OP, I have an air fryer and I use it a lot for making chips. Its worth having one just for chips, but I really should make an effort to use it for other stuff too.

Phoebas · 28-10-2013 2:36pm

fred funk }{ wrote: »

Best thing I have bought in years. We use it several times a day.

We use it to cook almost everything, bread, chicken, roast potatoes, toasted sambos, even the kids make there own home made chips in it.

I have the Philips one and couldn't fault it at all, worth every cent.

Bread + toasted sandwiches?
Tell me more.

daRobot · 28-10-2013 2:38pm

Phoebas wrote: »

What's the advantage of vegetable oil over olive oil?

OP, I have an air fryer and I use it a lot for making chips. Its worth having one just for chips, but I really should make an effort to use it for other stuff too.

Olive Oil has a lower smoke point, so isn't suitable.

beer enigma · 09-11-2013 8:30pm

Sorry to bring this one up again, I'm in the UK at the moment and just seen a Philips Airfryer reduced from £179 down to £89 !

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/small-kitchen-appliances/small-cooking-appliances/fryers/philips-airfryer-black-08638403-pdt.html

It's a black model and just wondered if anyone either has one or has an opinion on pros and cons of it

Ta

brick tamland · 09-11-2013 8:41pm

Thats the one I have. Love it really. Does the job fine but if your cooking chips for more than 2/3 you'll need to do them in batches

beer enigma · 09-11-2013 9:05pm

brick tamland wrote: »

Thats the one I have. Love it really. Does the job fine but if your cooking chips for more than 2/3 you'll need to do them in batches

Thanks it would be small quantities, I'm always wary or sale prices, £89 is just over €100 does that sound good value for it

brick tamland · 09-11-2013 10:15pm

Andip wrote: »

Thanks it would be small quantities, I'm always wary or sale prices, £89 is just over €100 does that sound good value for it

I think mine was €120 on sale in arnotts. Sounds a good deal to me

Tom Dunne · 10-11-2013 5:30pm

Andip wrote: »

Thanks it would be small quantities, I'm always wary or sale prices, £89 is just over €100 does that sound good value for it

It all depends on how much you will use it. I have a similar one (from what I can tell, only the colour is different), but I use mine pretty much every day and I paid around 180 Euro for it.

However, if you were only to use it once a week, I don't know if it would be worth it.

taibhse1966 · 10-11-2013 9:20pm

Hi all - Aldi have an offer on at the moment for a Multi-fryer seems to me to be more or less the same as an actifry thingy, if anyone could give me some real life feedback on them I would be grateful ! Thanks.

Bateman · 14-11-2013 11:41am

Has anyone ever tried lightly battered / deep fried cod (or any other white fish) in the Philips?

I usually pay a few bob for decent fresh fish so if it's going to be a soggy mess I'll just pan fry or oven bake. But would be nice to know if it can do a delicate piece of white fish close to a deep frier could.

It's also at the back of my mind that I have to clean the blighter. The bottom is fulll of grease and bits of chicken wings

rubadub · 25-11-2013 11:30am

Currys have the philips ones half price, €109/€160 for the small/big ones 0.8/1.2kg

http://www.currys.ie/action/searchsite/airfryer?gclid=CPj73Nbc_7oCFYZ52wodOCUAPA&ef_id=UW@r-QAABRvLyV74:20131125102609:s

Has anybody comments on how they compare to counter top halogen ovens? the halogens are cheaper of course.

CuppaCocoa · 25-11-2013 1:30pm

I have the airfryer and I love it! My partner was dubious about it when I brought it home but we now use it all the time. Hardly ever use the oven now. It helps that there's only two of us as you wouldn't be able to cook for a family with it! Burgers, rashers, sausages, toasted sandwiches, garlic bread, frozen foods all come out a treat in it! I line the base with tinfoil because it does collect quite a bit of fat.

fred funk }{ · 25-11-2013 3:20pm

lilybarlean wrote: »

I have the airfryer and I love it! My partner was dubious about it when I brought it home but we now use it all the time. Hardly ever use the oven now. It helps that there's only two of us as you wouldn't be able to cook for a family with it! Burgers, rashers, sausages, toasted sandwiches, garlic bread, frozen foods all come out a treat in it! I line the base with tinfoil because it does collect quite a bit of fat.

I think the bottom has a deliberate design to help the air move around the fryer so the tinfoil might inhibit that.

MugMugs · 27-03-2014 11:33am

Folks, anybody got any nice receipies for the AIrfryer?

I've only really done Chips, Roast potatoes and chicken wings in it and I know I could be doing so much more ! Just at a loss as to what !

paperroses · 29-03-2014 8:45pm

I would be interested in recipes also. I have bought one and looking for ideas.

bren2001 · 06-05-2014 9:51am

Got an actifry over the weekend. My mam wanted to start making chips again but didnt want a deep fat fryer, so got an actifry. Anybody point me in the direction of a few recipes or general tips?

We got the 1 kg reduced in power city. Oddly enough, only the white was reduced.

MugMugs · 06-05-2014 10:19am

bren2001 wrote: »

Got an actifry over the weekend. My mam wanted to start making chips again but didnt want a deep fat fryer, so got an actifry. Anybody point me in the direction of a few recipes or general tips?

We got the 1 kg reduced in power city. Oddly enough, only the white was reduced.

What I do.

Cut big chunky chips. Par boil them for about five minutes in salty water and drain. Spray with Frylite (or oil if you wish) and airfry until done.

De-lic-ous !

vibe666 · 06-05-2014 10:33am

tefal have just introduced a 2in1 version of the family sized actifry, with a second tray sitting above the main one, so you can cook burgers, fish, chops etc. at the same time as your chips etc.

at £269 on amazon though, it's not exactly cheap! :eek:

they also have a new mini (700g) version of the actifry as well with a smaller footprint. again, very pricy though.

Tefal-Actifrymini(194564)-Large.jpg

Bateman · 12-05-2014 7:48pm

I think the Philips website have some recipes, basic stuff. The tips etc, you just learn as you go along.

rubadub · 12-05-2014 8:07pm

I did a full chicken in my small aifryer in about 35mins after preheating. Think it was 1.1 or 1.2kg. Trick was to section it up and deeply score some places so heat got in.

I plan on using it as a dehydrator soon too, drying out onions to make onion powder.

maringo · 12-05-2014 8:24pm

Chicken Tikka Masala airfrier recipe video down the page on here.

http://www.airfryers.org/

Muahahaha · 09-06-2014 3:28pm

I'm really tempted to get one as the reviews are very positive but also I'm running out of counter space ! So I just wanna ask owners of these what the main advantages are ?
Does airfrying make the food taste better than conventional ovens/deep fat fryers ? Or is it more of a convenience/less clean up thing ? Or is the main reason to eat healthier, and on that note do people feel the healthier claims stack up to the extent they claim ?

Also to cook a full chicken in one (1.4-1.6kg) do you need to chop it up first to fit it ? What about pizza, is this a no-go ?

Bateman · 10-06-2014 11:54am

I guess whether you "feel" it or not, air frying is healthier than deep frying, end of. That and the cleanliness/convenience are the big ones.

Muahahaha · 11-06-2014 5:55pm

Thanks for that. How about cooking chickens or full pizzas in them, do they fit or too small ?

Bateman · 12-06-2014 12:11pm

Jaysus I don’t think I’d attempt to cook a whole chicken or a pizza, sure they probably wouldn’t fit. Wings, thighs etc, it does the job

Muahahaha · 12-06-2014 12:15pm

Thanks, I was kinda hoping the actifry could replace my oven altogether but I suppose pizza is a step too far for this gadget! I still reckon I'll get one when the funds allow

rubadub · 12-06-2014 1:18pm

I did a small chicken as mentioned, mine is the small airfryer

rubadub wrote: »

I did a full chicken in my small aifryer in about 35mins after preheating. Think it was 1.1 or 1.2kg. Trick was to section it up and deeply score some places so heat got in.

I have done pizza too. I got a frozen one and defrosted it in the fridge, it then dropped into the basket and curled up at the sides a little. Some pizzas would fit in perfectly. It was nicer than pizza from a normal oven as it cooked in half the time, so more like a real pizza oven speed wise (but lower temp).

Another pizza I cut into 1/4ers and could fit 2 in at a time, the points facing each other and then shifted inwards a bit.

The bigger version would probably fit them.

I really like the quick preheat time, I don't bother preheating most times. I also greatly value the timer, as when it turns off it is still hot but does not remain as hot as my normal oven. My regular oven has an off timer but will continue cooking. With this I turn it on and head to the shops or do whatever around the house and comeback, no need to keep an eye on it at all. Cleaning is a breeze too.

I got it at christmas and have never set out to use my main oven since, unless it just happened to be on with someone else using it.

I do not consider it to be like a deep frier at all, just a fast heating, fast cooking, highly efficient fan oven.

I am usually only cooking for myself, I would have got a bigger one otherwise. Though it might be enough to cook a partial meal for more, e.g. 2 people might have enough meat in it and be cooking rice or potatoes at the same time on a stove or microwave.

verywell · 12-06-2014 2:28pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Thanks, I was kinda hoping the actifry could replace my oven altogether but I suppose pizza is a step too far for this gadget! I still reckon I'll get one when the funds allow

Perhaps a Halogen Oven would be more suited to your needs.

I use mine all the time for Chicken, Chips, Spuds, Veg etc

rubadub · 30-06-2014 11:52am

I got silicone fairy cake cases for my small air fryer. They are in packs of 6 in dealz for €1.49. 6 fit into the airfyer tray, bit of a tight fit so hte sides are squished if you were looking for perfect cakes.

I did onion bhajis in mine, mixing coconut oil in with the mixture. Completely non stick and easy to clean. As the heat only goes to 200C the cases should be fine. They are pretty thin and inside the case the bhajis had browned, I turned them over anyway and browned them a bit more.

http://www.dealz.ie/jane-asher-s-kitchen/preparation-equipment/jane-asher-silicone-cake-cases

You can see they have the curved side like normal cases. This is just for show

but normal cases are made out of a flat bit of paper.

I tried normal cases previously but without the support of a baking dish for fairy cases the papers just fell flat. These silicone ones support themselves.

I am going to try eggs in the next, crack and egg and split the yoke and put a bit of butter in it.

The Actifry & AirFryer Thread - Merged

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