For me, T-Fal is synonymous with deep frying. I have a T-Fal deep fryer, and while it’s small, with a one-gallon capacity, it’s nearly perfect for my needs. I’m pretty happy with it. But… what if I could get all the benefits of deep frying without so much of the unhealthiness, perceived or otherwise?
To try to answer that question, The Feisty Foodie was invited to the launch of the ActiFry in the US. The big selling point of this appliance lies in its use of one tablespoon of oil per batch or whatever it is you’re aiming to deep-fry. And it will fry up 2.2 pounds — yes a kilo; after all, it’s been in Europe for several years — per batch, whether that’s french fries, meatballs, or vegetables.
I spoke with evangelist Ellie Krieger, she of Food Network fame and a dietitian to boot, about the machine for quite some time while we waited for ActiFry-created foods to be plated and offered to the teeming masses. While she can’t possibly keep a deep fryer at home — she’s trying to be a healthy FN star, after all — she loves her ActiFry and developed a ton of recipes, collected in a book included with every machine. And while the machine has acknowledged limitations as an alternative to deep-frying, well, we’ll just have to taste the fruits of the cooks on-hand, right?
Since the kitchen was keen on preparing everything served via ActiFry, of course, there were quite a number of them within photographic distance.
While most recipes call for a tablespoon at most of oil to work, this, the Sweet and Saucy Meatballs, used none. Instead, it combines a couple of diced bell peppers with fruit juice, ketchup, vinegar, maple syrup and mustard with frozen meatballs, paddled around the machine for 20 minutes.
Yes, frozen meatballs. The ActiFry has some interesting features. Soft foods will get battered by the stir paddle in the revolving base, so really cold or frozen food works better if room-temperature versions are mushy. Speaking of batter, that’s out too — so no famous fried chicken from me, just the milk-dip-flour-coated version will be attempted on my end. And there’s one temperature, 338 degrees Fahrenheit, at which the ActiFry operates — so perhaps french fries, with their optimal two-step frying process, aren’t going to be as successfully cooked to the purist.
That does not mean that ActiFried foods aren’t tasty, though. The meatballs came out glistening, with a nice crispness to the outside, and the flavors had enough time to blend together and make for a rather good savory dish.
I don’t see ActiFry replacing my deep fryer anytime soon for fries, as you might have foreseen — these sat out a little while to be sure, but even the unpictured freshly-“fried” ones were more like baked fries: you notice the difference straight away. They seemed to lack that crisp coating, even if the interior potato retained its fluffiness.
The beans on this plate really showcased the ActiFry’s utility, however. I see its best use as a set-and-forget stir-frying replacement. It’s not exactly set-and-forget, as the machine will continue to cook your food after the timer sounds; you might want to be nearby when it goes off. But otherwise it’s fairly foolproof: just a small amount of oil, something mechanical to move the vegetables and your choice of protein (though your tofu had better be chilled!) during the frying process…. I truly enjoyed my vegetables here. They had life, they had crunch, and they were bursting with flavor. This was a true win.
Let me put it another way: when else would I get seconds on green beans? Granted, these were tossed with slivered almonds, toasted very well by the ActiFry might I add, but to reiterate, the light touch with the oil, the automation of the whole process, this is the type of dish for which the ActiFry was built.
The granola worked, too, which wasn’t a surprise. I enjoyed the apples, just like apple pie filling, which benefited from being constantly stirred while being heated for something like 20 minutes. Served with a dollop of… I want to say it was yogurt, but I honestly wasn’t concerned with it, I concentrated on the ActiFry dishes.
The best part of the early evening? Swag! Each attendee walked away with a mail-in voucher for his very own ActiFry. To be perfectly honest, if we weren’t given one for free, the $200-plus price tag puts this appliance well off my radar, in “never would buy ” land. I simply don’t cook a lot of the sorts of dishes that work in the ActiFry, and the ones I do enjoy cooking, work better with an actual deep fryer. If you’re typically feeding more than one person on a hectic schedule, and want to minimize the use of oil in everything you prepare, however, the ActiFry is worth a look.
But I’m keeping my deep fryer.
Please note that the event was courtesy of T-Fal and their PR. I received no monetary compensation for this review, nor was I obliged in any way to post about the event, positively or otherwise. This is my own opinion and I feel it was unbiased; you are free to take from this what you will.
Jenn says
Hmmm, very interesting device. I’ll be interested to see you post what you make with the one you receive. While an interesting concept, I can see why one might be hesitant to shell out the $200. But…well…I know I’m always one for a kitchen gadget. LOL! Thanks for the review of the event.
chakrateeze says
No offense, but if I want to fake-fry something I simply throw it in the oven. Homemade chicken nuggets, “fried” catfish, crispy tofu, anything. My gran’s oven-fried chicken was almost as good as the real thing. BTW, I now roast my green beans on broil almost every time.
chakrateeze says
meant to add on the end there: “with great results.”
BeerBoor says
While I do appreciate baked-fried chicken, I’m very happy to have a deep fryer at my disposal. I believe your beans, roasted, are the tops, though — my roasted Brussels sprouts and garlic (with, of course, bacon)? It’s the reason I like vegetables now.
Since the dirty parts of the Actifry are easy to toss in the dishwasher (plus, nonstick surface), I can see the allure there. But yeah, for $200 I think I’d be ok broiling and roasting things I didn’t want to fry in oil.
T.C. says
I would like my fries to be crispier than that, too. So fried chicken wings or other pieces might not turn out too great either. Hhhmmm.
BeerBoor says
Yeah, I have to test this unit out sometime in the coming week or two. I don’t know if my chicken thighs will fit, but I can slice up a mess of fries to try, and Brussels sprouts would be a useful endeavor. Other ideas?
Hungry says
From the sounds of it, this machine sounds like exactly how you described: stir fry instead of deep fry. Bah, my non-stick pan is all I need.
I still haven’t jumped the shark with a deep fryer though. I will need on eventually to make patis at home. Once I master it, that is.
MM says
I bought my Actifry about a year ago. French fries are okay, but I’d just rather cook frozen french fries in the oven than go through the hassle of frying real ‘chips’ (as the British say) in the Actifry. I even tried sweet potato fries, not that great.
But what I love the Actifry for is making home fries. It makes the BEST home fries ever! I scrub about a pound of small to medium potatoes, leave the skin on, quarter them, then slice each wedge up into smaller pieces. I drizzle them with 1 tbs. of oil, cook for 5 minutes, then add two small onions that have been halved and sliced into 3/8 inch slices, then cook for 15 more minutes. They are truly the best home fries I have ever made and clean up is a breeze.
My chicken wing recipe is out of this world. I buy a package of about 20-22 wing pieces. I put the wings in a bowl and add about 1/4 cup of candied ginger (the jar I have came from Trader Joe’s), and about 1/2 cup or more of BBQ sauce, and 1 tbs. oil. I mix it all together and let it marinate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. I dump the whole thing in the Actifry and set my timer for 30 minutes because I like my wings extra crispy. The wings turn out even BETTER than wings from a restaurant.
The other day I made the cinnamon apples. Tastes just like apple pie filling, without all the calories of pie crust! We drizzled our apples with Butterscotch sauce (the kind you use on ice cream) and the apples were just heavenly. Next time I’m going to pair the fried apples with home-made vanilla ice cream.
Yesterday I decided to make my chicken fajitas in the Actifry, instead of on the stove. I took one lb. of chicken tenderloins, sliced them on the diagonal to get bite size pieces, put them in a bowl, sprinkled a package of fajita spice over them, drizzled a tbs. of oil over the chicken, and stirred it well. I let it marinate for a little while, then dumped them into the Actifry and cooked for 5 minutes, then added two medium onions, halved and sliced, and cooked for an additional 15 minutes. The result was really perfection, way better than any fajitas I’ve made on the stove.
I’ve also browned stew meat for beef stew in the Actifry. It’s so much easier than doing it on the stove in a frying pan, and the end result is much better too. I like how the Actifry gets food really crispy with so little oil.
I’m about to make porcupines in my Actifry using an old Campbell’s soup recipe. The only negative about doing home-made meatballs is that after you make the meatballs you have to freeze them before cooking, otherwise the paddle will destroy them. I’m thinking about experimenting with removing the paddle and covering the hole with foil, then gently stirring every 5 minutes so they cook on all sides.
One of these days I’ll get around to making stir fry, home-made chicken nuggets are also on my list.
Kate ouimet says
I, too love my Actifry…I have 2! Do you have a favorite site to go to for recipes for the machine?