Philips AirFyer - anyone got one ?

[Dedworth]

Been wondering about buying one for a while which would enable us to skip the deep fat fryer and up the intake of fried food :biggrin:

Would welcome comments from anyone who has one or similar (I think Tefal also do them)

[SimonH]

Thought this was a Phil Air frequent flyer offer when I first saw the title :cwm25:

[Terpe]

I've got the Tefal Actifry. Had it for about a year now.
Got it from Costco on a half-price promo for £59.99
Yes, quite expensive and quite a large storage space needed.

Pro's

Virtually no cooking smells
Easy to clean
Able to cook a variety of food (not just chips)
The outside doesn't get too hot
Uses minimal amount of oil.
Makes crispy french fries
Cooks frozen oven chips great without addition of oil
Great for sausages, chicken, onions, mushrooms, stirfry etc


Cons

It's not a fryer
No temperature control
No timer (so have to keep checking as it's easy to overcook)
Bit of hassle to cook homemade chips since you have to peel, cut, chip, rinse and dry before cooking.
Takes quite a bit of trial and error to get good results
Unless you can get a good price - overpriced.

It really depends how much 'fried' foods you eat. Don't expect the food cooked in an actifry to taste like fried foods.
Cooking chips from 'scratch' takes time to prepare and about 30min minimum to cook a small portion.
Frozen oven ready chips take about 15-20 mins

[Dedworth]

The Philips one has a temp control & timer - I guess they are a compact and high spec fan oven

[DaveyWallis]

Yes we've got one and it is brilliant.

The advert says the best chips you've ever tasted and they're not lying. We don't make our own chips but but use low-fat oven chips instead and it cooks them much better than the oven.

It takes only 3 minutes to heat up before you put your food in it. We also use it as a mini oven and it's great for cooking food for our 2 year old; things such as fish fingers, chicken dippers, rosti potatoes etc. Cooking times are also shorter than the oven or grill. Combine that with the quick heat up times and it's a real energy saver too.

Grace got the baking tray that you can buy separately and cooks brownies in it.

The only negative is that it is a bit on the small side. It's fine for cooking for two but not really a family of four or more.

Having said that it is a cracking appliance. We paid £90 from Curry's just before Xmas.

[les_taxi]

Pah never I got a proper deep fat electric fryer-can't beat the taste :biggrin:

[Dedworth]

Pah never I got a proper deep fat electric fryer-can't beat the taste :biggrin:

:icon_lol: or the stench and the furred up arteries Les. I reckon one of these Philips things would do you just fine you'll be rushed off your feet with the new venture and needing to grab a quick bite http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/eating/eating.gif

[les_taxi]

To be honest I only use my deep fat fryer once a month if that,but I go for taste and you cant beat home-made chips cooked in one of these,drained then emptied out on kitchen towel,there will be more fat in a bag of crisps I bet!

[Terpe]

To be honest I only use my deep fat fryer once a month if that,but I go for taste and you cant beat home-made chips cooked in one of these,drained then emptied out on kitchen towel,there will be more fat in a bag of crisps I bet!

Since I bought my Tefal Actifry it seems from accounts related above that Philips have overcome many of the Tefal weaknesses.
To be honest, I've been quite happy with the Tefal's capability for crispy fries like you'd get in Burger King.
I've been impressed with it's speed it's efficiency and it's healthy process for other foods too.

However, Les, in my opinion you are spot on in that these appliances can never compete with genuine home fried proper chips. The taste and texture of proper chips is far beyond their capability.

However 'good' they are they are just not fryers. They are ovens. Period.
My wife makes the ultimate egg and chips and she only does it the proper way.
And I usually insist on shallow frying with beef dripping :yikes:

As always horses for courses

[Dedworth]

If I was in Les's area I'd not be bothering with DIY but getting some proper non rip off Britain Yorkshire Fish & Chips down my neck.

[Terpe]

If I was in Les's area I'd not be bothering with DIY but getting some proper non rip off Britain Yorkshire Fish & Chips down my neck.

I've never yet experienced Yorkshire Fish n' Chips. But heard they're the bee's knee's :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Northampton Fish n' Chips are :censored:
Well except for one shop about 10-15 mins away.
That's run and cooked by some great Cypriots :icon_lol:
The fish is tops, the chips are OK

[Dedworth]

Ordered one £89.00 delivered Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0042EU3A2/ref=nosim

[les_taxi]

Best Fish and chips in Harrogate
http://www.dougiesfish.com/

[cheekee]

now Im hungry :hubbahubba: