The Actifry & AirFryer Thread - Merged

Warper

Just seen this advertised and available in Harvey Norman for €169.

http://www.harveynorman.ie/philips-airfryer.html

Its a deep fat fryer but with no oil and uses hot air? Anyone have one or heard of these as they seem handy as cleaning the deep fat fryer is just head-wrecking.

CJhaughey

LOL at the Scottish presenter on the video.
Airfried mars bars anyone?

Uncle_moe

seen these in arnotts and was very interested to know what they're like. Sounds great but I wonder could it be anywhere near as good as deep frying. If it is then its got to be the way of the future

biddywiddy

This looks similar to the Tefal Actifry. I have one of those and it's the business for cooking chips and potatoes. Haven't tried much else in it though.

Warper

Just cleaned out my Deep-dat fryer today and its a stinking job. Though if this thing can only cook chips and chicken nuggets its probably not worth it. If it cooked sausages as well it nearly would be

JohnK

Interesting product, although I really do have too many bloody things lying around the kitchen at this point.

Looking into it a bit though you do actually need some oil for chips, but its only a small amount and its to coat the chips prior to cooking them. And it seems you can cook all sorts of things including chicken, steaks and brownies () A bit more info here and here.

Warper, it cooks sausage rolls so I'd imagine it'd do sausages too.

Edit: Actually, reading a review on Amazon it seems they recommend you dont try and cook sausages or high fat foods

rubadub

Got this in an email today

An Invitation from Powercity to see the NEW Philips Air Fryer in action
with special promotional price in store on the day.

beerpong

Cooks saugages, my mate has one they're quality

vibe666

the thing that worries me is that they're probably (at least i assume) going to be rotating around or something to 'toss' the food as it's cooking.

i imagine this is fine for chips and nuggets etc. but if you wanted to batter something yourself (fish, onion rings etc.) or cook more delicate stuff, it wouldn't work.

mind you, i'm a little puzzled about the sausage rolls thing, how the feck would it cook those?

JoanyM

I got an air fryer yesterday and cooked quorn rasher, sausage, mushrooms and tomatoe in it in 7 minutes. The quorn sausage was frozen so I put that in first for 3 mins having first sprayed it with Frylite 1 cal spray and then I put the rest in for 4 mins. I also cooked two slices of 'fried bread' in it. I sprayed the bread on both sides with the oil spray and cooked it in 3 mins. Everything was really nice. Does anyone know if you can use small roasting bags in these things?

rupamede

I want to get one of them healthy fryers but not sure which to get. Could someone please advise? Thanks. R

Antibac

Have the teal actifry. Good for sausages and chips but not great for breaded stuff

Uncle_moe

had a tasting thing on in Arnotts last week, it was terrible, food was soggy. I don't know how its called a firyer when it doesn't fry at all. It's basically a small portable fan oven. You cannot do with this what you could do with a deep fat fryer. Waste of money I say.

JoanyM

rupamede wrote: »

I want to get one of them healthy fryers but not sure which to get. Could someone please advise? Thanks. R

Having used the Philips Air Fryer for nearly 4 months now I can honestly say its great. It is fast and clean and cooks skinny french fries perfectly. A portion for one person takes 7 mins on max temperature and for double that time for 3 to 4 portions. Breadcrumbed and battered foods are very nice as are non-coated such as fish and chicken portions. My family call it the idiot-prooof machine as it is so easy to use. I saw recently that they are selling them in Dunnes now for €169 which is same price I paid in DID Electric

rupamede

Antibac wrote: »

Have the teal actifry. Good for sausages and chips but not great for breaded stuff

Thanks, I did get the Tefal one.

esharknz

Antibac wrote: »

Have the teal actifry. Good for sausages and chips but not great for breaded stuff

Great for a load of other things too Love the risotto recipe and a modified version of the spaghetti bolognese.

rupamede

JoanyM wrote: »

Having used the Philips Air Fryer for nearly 4 months now I can honestly say its great. It is fast and clean and cooks skinny french fries perfectly. A portion for one person takes 7 mins on max temperature and for double that time for 3 to 4 portions. Breadcrumbed and battered foods are very nice as are non-coated such as fish and chicken portions. My family call it the idiot-prooof machine as it is so easy to use. I saw recently that they are selling them in Dunnes now for €169 which is same price I paid in DID Electric

I ended up getting the Actify and am happy with it. Cooks a nice portion of any type of chips in 27 min and more. I still have to cook scampi in the old oven but the Actifry cooks the chicken nuggets perfectly. Also, you can cook many other things in it like proper meals, it comes with a cook book. I did not buy the Philips Air Fryer because having examined it I felt that it is just a portable fan oven. You can do much more with the Tefal Actifry.

Mellor

rupamede wrote: »

I did not buy the Philips Air Fryer because having examined it I felt that it is just a portable fan oven. You can do much more with the Tefal Actifry.

Are they not pretty much the exact same?

beer enigma

I know a few people on here have bought either the Phillips Airfryer or the Tefal Actifry over the past couple of years and just wondering how with benefit of hindsight are they performing for you ?

Thinking of buying one, but interested in any limitations on them, are they still as good as you first thought or are they in the back of the cupboard ?

Thanks

rubadub

I would be interested too. A good hypothetical question is, "if it broke would you buy it again" -and I do not mean to factor in the likelihood of it breaking again! -or would you buy something else, like a halogen oven?

Thing is if people fork out money they might not want to admit its not all that great, and might just use it to feel they are getting value.

Tom Dunne

In short: couldn't live without it.

Possibly one of the best gadgets I have bought, use it practically every day, for a range of dinners (and the occasional breakfast/lunch).

beer enigma

Tom Dunne wrote: »

In short: couldn't live without it.

Possibly one of the best gadgets I have bought, use it practically every day, for a range of dinners (and the occasional breakfast/lunch).

which one do you have ?

Can it cope with things like spring rolls or tempura prawn where the coating is loose/liquid

Tom Dunne

Andip wrote: »

which one do you have ?

Can it cope with things like spring rolls or tempura prawn where the coating is loose/liquid

I have the Phillips.

Spring rolls would be fine, not sure about tempura prawn. The nearest thing I did was boneless buffalo wings (coated chicken chunks - egg, breadcrumbs). No problems at all.

beer enigma

Tom Dunne wrote: »

I have the Phillips.

Spring rolls would be fine, not sure about tempura prawn. The nearest thing I did was boneless buffalo wings (coated chicken chunks - egg, breadcrumbs). No problems at all.

Thanks I guess i was concerned that the coating would be knocked off as my understanding is that the inside rotates and turns the food but if egg and breadcrumbs stay on then it's unfounded

vibe666

if it's just chips i'd say the actifry will do a better job as it's turning them over the whole time, but for most other things, i'd go with the phillips air fryer.

this is as someone with a bit of experience of both who has an actifry at home and who has used the air fryer at the mother in laws a good few times.

the actifry does a great job of chips (spud or other veg chips), but you really do need the right sort of spuds to get the most from it imho. it also does wicked crisps if you throw in leftover (clean) potato peelings, although they need to be hand cut peelings for it to work properly.

i've tried a stir fry in it as it seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was a disaster and haven't bothered since.

thick skinned sausages are grand in it too, but if they're in any way delicate at least one will end up bursting and make a mess of the inside. and you can forget pudding or anything with a coating as they get slowly smashed to bits.

if i was getting an actifry again, i'd get the 'plus' sized 1.2kg model at least though as the regular 1kg one is just a tad too small for family needs as it is. actually, i'd get the 1.5kg family sized one if i could justify the price, but it's way too expensive for what it does and you could almost buy two 1.2kg ones for the regular price of one 1.5kg one.

the plus model is on special in argos right now for around the same price you'd normally pay for the regular one (just under €160). they also seem to have the regular sized 800g airfryer for under €135 which seems like a good deal too and even the 1.5kg actifry is down to €240 which compared to the normal price of almost €300 is a bit of a bargain, but still too expensive inho.

in short, if you're in the market for one, now is a good time to buy at argos.

actually, if i was getting an actifry again, i think i'd get an airfryer instead, but that's because it it better suited to what we cook most. if you were much more of the chippy persuasion, i'd go for the actifry every time.

Tom Dunne

Andip wrote: »

Thanks I guess i was concerned that the coating would be knocked off as my understanding is that the inside rotates and turns the food but if egg and breadcrumbs stay on then it's unfounded

There's no moving parts in the model I have. This is it:


You literally drop food into a basket (much like you would in a deep-fat fryer), click it in, and away she goes. The only concern really would be drips from the batter, but I don't think that would be a major issue if you had the fryer hot enough prior to putting them in.

beer enigma

Tom Dunne wrote: »

There's no moving parts in the model I have. This is it:


You literally drop food into a basket (much like you would in a deep-fat fryer), click it in, and away she goes. The only concern really would be drips from the batter, but I don't think that would be a major issue if you had the fryer hot enough prior to putting them in.

Ok so it's the actifry that rotates. .. must have a closer look at them as im not a huge chip guy and the airfryer looks fairly handy

Alun

I'm at a loss then to understand what makes the Airfryer any different to an ordinary fan oven? I'd imagines that the stirrer in the Actifry was there to ensure that the relatively small amount of oil used was distributed evenly over all the product being fried, but if that's not there how is this achieved?

vibe666

As far as I know, it's fine with lots of great and a very strong fan in a similar way to the actifry, just without a paddle to stir it.

fred funk }{

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.

Bateman

I have the Philips one and decided at the last minute last night to take it out and use it for chicken wings instead of deep-frying.

Nothing can fully replicate deep-frying but the end product is/was more than good enough considering you have the bonus of no mess like when deep frying (I don't have a deep fat frier so have to fill a wok with oil whenever I deep fry).

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

Tom Dunne

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 }{

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

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

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

bren2001

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

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

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.

Bateman

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