Tuesday 28 October 2014

Crispy Chips

I've been dithering over buying a Tefal Actifry for quite some time now. We're not huge chip eaters but I hate oven chips, I've never found any brand I enjoy, so I always resort to deep frying which is both messy and unhealthy. It's quite an expensive bit of kit but a deal came up recently and I couldn't resist any longer.


Up to 1.2kg of chips can be cooked with just one spoon of oil, it must be much healthier than deep frying.


The inside pan lifts out and the lid is removable for easy cleaning, in fact, the pan, paddle and lid are all dishwasher safe so it should be a doddle to keep it clean.


I've read some very good reviews, as well as a few bad ones, so I couldn't wait to give it a try. I was very impressed with the chips we made, they were lovely and crispy and I can't wait to try other things in it now. It comes with a recipe book but there's lots of other Actifry recipes to be found online.


I'm sure it'll get plenty of use.

44 comments:

  1. We have been pondering over one of these for a while, the only thing putting me off was storage, the ones we looked at were huge. My hubby hates oven chips and I hadnt cooked Real ones for years until I was making roasties, i had boiled them to start with then sprayed with oil and then into a hot oven, Then thought why not try this with chipped potatoes. So I did! And they were lovely. I try to do them when the oven is on for something else to save energy and we only have them roughly once a month. It will be interesting to see what other delights you make in it. Who knows I might be converted :-) By the way yours look very tempting :-)

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    1. They are quite big, but there's an area on my worktop where it can stay so it won't take up any cupboard space. I've tried making my own oven chips the way you explain but they didn't turn out very nice. It's worth shopping around if you do decide to buy one as the price can vary quite drastically.

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  2. The Daughter asks; Are the chips fluffy inside and crispy exterior? She is particular about her chips.
    What else can you make in your Actifry?

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    1. The chips are cripsy outside and fluffy inside, I'm quite particular about my chips too. I didn't realise how versatile an Actifry is until I started looking at the recipes. I'm looking forward to trying fried chicken in it, but you can make roast potatoes, rice, stir fry, even things like curries. It may end up adding more meals to our usual repertoire.

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  3. We've had one for two or three years - we used it all the time to begin with, but of course the novelty wore off eventually and it hasn't been out of the cupboard for ages. I'm tempted to get it out and try again though. Keep us posted on other recipes that you try! xx

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    1. That's always the danger when buying small kitchen appliances. It hasn't been a rushed purchase though, it's something we've considered for a while so I hope that we do get our use out of it. I'm looking forward to trying different things in it so I'll let you know how I go on.

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  4. I have a friend who swears by the Actifry. I have unfortunately no space in the kitchen for another piece of equipment. We quite like our home made oven potato wedges as a substitute for chips. Have fun trying different recipes with your new gadget. x

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    1. It's quite big and fairly bulky so I suppose you do need to have some spare space in the kitchen for one. Luckily, I've got just the spot available on the worktop so it won't have to take up any cupboard space. I'm looking forward to trying something other than chips in it now.

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  5. I've always wondered about these fryers. I see them on TV now and then. It looks like your chips came out really well! It's nice to see a real example of its performance.

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    1. Advertising can be misleading sometimes so I read a lot of reviews before buying it. It would have been good to know someone who has one, but my first impressions are good. I need to try some other things in it now to see how well it cooks things other than chips.

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  6. this is a great bit of kit.........im not a fan of oven chips either!

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    1. I've tried so many brands of oven chips yet never found any I like. I'm hoping that the Actifry cooks everything as well as it does chips.

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  7. One of these would of been useful when the big three were all at home. Now I don't have the work surface available to keep one and it would end up in the pantry along with ice cream maker, steamer and bread making machine.

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    1. I have to say that I do consider these type of purchases quite carefully as, like you say, they can be bought in haste and end up in the cupboard never seeing the light of day. I've never succumbed to an ice cream maker or steamer but my bread maker is well used.

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  8. Replies
    1. They tasted delicious. I hope everything else I cook in the Actifry is as scrumptious.

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  9. I know somebody who has had, and regularly used, one for a couple of years and been well pleased with it. Flighty xx

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    1. I've read lots of positive reviews and I can say that, so far, I'm pleased with it.

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  10. My friend keeps trying to convince me to get one. We don't have chips very often so I can't justify the expense. Maybe my friend will get a new one and I can have the hand me down ;) x

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    1. We don't have chips very often either but it cooks lots of other things too, and in a much healthier way. I'm hoping that we get our money's worth from it.

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  11. My brother has one and he loves it, he cooks almost every thing in his

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    1. I knew I could use it for other things than chips but didn't realise just how much stuff you can cook in them. I'm definitely glad I bought it now.

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  12. Thanks for the review. I have seen these at our Bed, Bath and Beyond store and wondered if they really worked.

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    1. I'm always unsure whether to trust what it says in the adverts so I did a lot of review reading before I took the plunge. I'm glad to say that I'm pleased with the results so far.

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  13. We got one of these in 2012 for Christmas and, to be honest, it's now gathering dust on top of the fridge/freezer. I wasn't impressed with ours at all (45 minutes for chips to cook was too long for me to wait!) and the recipe book was very thin and didn't have much in it that we were likely to eat. At that time there were no recipes online - or at least I couldn't find any. I might have to have another look. I hope you continue to enjoy yours! :o)

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    1. That's a shame as is seems like a healthier way to fry food. I think the cooking time depends on the amount of food you're cooking, these chips served two and took half an hour, but I've read that frozen chips take less time to cook and don't need any oil at all. There's a Facebook page for Actifry recipes and there's even actual recipe books published. I hope you give it another go and find that it can work for you afterall.

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  14. Replies
    1. I've been thinking the same thing about Actifry for some time, I'm glad I finally decided to go ahead and buy one.

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  15. It's great when you buy a gadget and it works well. Sometimes they can be a disappointment.

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    1. That's so true and why I rarely rush in and impulse buy. I've been looking at the Actifry for a long time now so I hope that I find it works well for us.

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  16. This looks like something we need as husband and resident son do like their chips on a Saturday. Can we have a progress report please Jo when you've had more time to test what it can do.

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    1. I'm looking forward to trying other things in it so I'll definitely do a progress report at a later date. They chips were delicious though so that's one thing it's good for.

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  17. Despite a hefty lunch this post has left me feeling very hungry. I've seen ads for these and been rather tempted myself.

    Victoria x
    FlorenceandMary.com

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    1. I've nearly bought one on a number of occasions but held off. I'm glad I did now as I got this on a deal as they're quite expensive. I hope it's going to be worth it.

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  18. Our 10 year old deep fat fryer has finally given up the ghost and we've been looking at the Actifryer, so I'd be interested to know how you get on with it over time.
    Hmmm... and now I'm feeling like a plate of hot crispy chips.. ;-)
    xx

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    1. I'll definitely do a follow up post once I've tried a few more things in it. I've had deep fat fryers but always found them very messy, and they use so much oil. I'm hoping that the Actifry is better, it must be much healthier.

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  19. It sounds as though you will be busy experimenting with all sorts of things. We stick with oven chips, but real ones are so much nicer so I can see the attraction of this. xx

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    1. I've never got on with oven chips, I've done without rather than have them, as you say, real chips are just so much nicer. I shall enjoy experimenting with my new Actifry, chips are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what can be cooked in it.

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  20. Those chips look good, we seem to get on ok with potatoes cut and cooked in the oven with a little olive oil. :)

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    1. I've tried cooking home made chips in the oven but they never turn out right. The Actifry is quite expensive if you're only going to cook chips in it so I'm looking forward to experimenting with it and seeing what else it can do.

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  21. I'm glad that you're happy with your new purchase Jo. Until you've actually road tested a gadget yourself it's difficult to tell how you'll get on isn't it? Especially when there are conflicting reviews. Do let us know how you get on if you try roast potatoes in it. Like you I use my bread maker nearly every day and think it's great. Actually I've just bought a new Andrew James (british made) one to replace the Panasonic that went kaput and the AJ one is miles better than the (expensive) Panasonic xx

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    1. I don't really think you know if you'll use something until you try it yourself, but so far so good with the Actifry. I shall be trying roast potatoes in it soon, I'm hoping that they come out crispy like the chips do. I've never heard of Andrew James, I've had my breadmaker years now but it's always good to hear of recommendations, you never know when you'll need one.

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  22. Why have I never heard of this?! It looks like a great purchase, those chips are making me feel hungry. I don't like the taste of oven chips either. The local chippy are my favourite!
    Lisa x

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    1. There's always far too many chips for me if we visit the chippy, Mick and I usually share. I used the Actifry for chips again yesterday and they came out just as good. I really need to start trying other things in it now.

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