http://www.gadgetspeak.com/gadget/article.rhtm/753/627647/Tefal_Actifry_Family_AH900015.html

Tefal Actifry Family AH900015 

Image of author
Published 28 Nov 2010 Author Chris_Johnys
The Tefal Actifry Family, lets you cook fried-style food with a fraction of the calorie count. Healthy fried food, made easy.

tefal actifry family fryer
click image to enlarge

Let's face it - we all like chips - don't we? But these days most of us are a bit concerned about the health consequences of munching on fatty, processed foods. The ActiFry range of food fryers is about as healthy a cooking device as you can get. I was expecting some kind of deep fat fryer to review but this piece of kitchen kit bears only a passing resemblance to one of those greasy old heart attack machines.

The ActiFry principle is the same whether you purchase the smaller version or the bigger family one that we are looking at here. It is simple. There is a powerful air heater which churns out thousands of Watts of heat onto the food inside a solid non-stick pan. The air is re-circulated to save energy, improving the efficiency of this stylish unit. As the air blows, the food is stirred and agitated very gently by a cleverly-designed paddle system which turns the food over and ensures an even and uniform crispness for your chips and perfect results for chicken, seafood, sausages, vegetables and more.

Just set the easy-to-use timer and you'll hear beeping when the food is ready; as simple as that. Wash up the pan/paddle in seconds or pop in the
dishwasher and you're done.

As you are cooking in what looks like a non-stick frying pan with a see-through lid, you can also add herbs and spices knowing that they will stay on the food, rather than float away into a see of oil.

Because of the innovative hot air method, a minimum of oil is required. A 20ml spoonful is more than enough to prepare a 1.5Kg of crispy home-made chips! The ActiFry Comes with a hardback family recipe book: "Easy recipes for kids, fun recipes for teens & various recipes for the whole family."

There's even a special card game included for the kids to learn about healthy eating!

We found the Tefal Actifry Family at Amazon for £189.99.

Follow us on Twitter!!

add to del.icio.us Digg this review
StumbleUpon
Reddit

Reviews by related category

What our readers said!

Rating:

Comment by Catherine, 25 Jan 2011 22:14

I have the smaller Actifry and love it. I cook all kinds in it and it's great to even 'freshen' food up that's gone cold (garlic bread you'd think was straight out of the oven even though it had previously been cooked and then gone cold and 'chip shop chips' you'd think you'd just brought them in).
If anything happens to the one I've got then I'll definitely buy the Family version.
Oh and you can do roast potatoes without having to par-boil them first.
I always hated the deep fat fryer with all the oil/fat in it but the Actifry is one of the best things I've ever bought (my Mum bought one at the same time and she thinks the same).
Don't think of it as just a 'chip cooker' this cooks anything and everything. :-)
Rating:

Comment by buxb, 20 Jan 2011 12:59

Have had mine for about 3 years now and although I don't use it anywhere near it's potential I still wouldn't be without it. I hadn't cooked chips for probably 5 years or more prior to getting this due to the horrible smell and mess of a deep fat fryer and also the health issue of deep fried foods. We now have chips whenever we want with no fuss, no mess and great taste. It cooks frozen chips, oven chips, french fries or home made chips, all with the same crispy texture. As a working mum I love being able to tip some oven chips in straight out of the freezer and then simply set the timer and wait for them to cook. Expensive? yes. Worth it? Most definitely.
Rating:

Comment by Vronbh1, 9 Dec 2010 21:57

My husband had gall stones and had to have a low fat diet so this machine was invaluable.  It did blow up after a year of constant use, but Costco replaced it immediately and although the gall stones have been removed I wouldn't be without the Actifry !  I only use it for chips and instead of the measuring spoon I put the oil in a spray, so it spreads more evenly.  As they haven't been submerged in hot fat, I always serve the chips last on the plates as they do not stay hot for long, but are quite delicious and home made !
Rating:

Comment by frags27, 5 Dec 2010 13:06

I had one as a present for Xmas last year and it does really good chips that are healthier, crispy and easy to do.  Its easy to clean and you just leave it going and don't have to check on it like you do a deep fat fryer.  The only downside I can see is if you need to do something like fry garlic breaded mushrooms don't bother.  I tried this but because it cooks as the food goes round it has no temperature before you put the food in.  So anything that needs a really hot temperature like breaded garlic mushrooms means the food is not hot enough and as it goes round the batter around the mushrooms comes off and sticks to the side and you end up with just plain mushrooms!  Get one but not if you need to do deep frying like doughnuts, scotch eggs and battered garlic mushrooms!
Rating:

Comment by NeilMcCall, 5 Dec 2010 12:12

Had one for over 12 months then one day POP and loads of smoke. Think it was possibly over used as it was one of the most used items in the kitchen. Can highly recommend throwing a bit of seasoning over your chips as they cook, and as for cooking sausage and bean casserole, can't go wrong. Hopefully santa will bring me another one this year.
Rating:

Comment by compercol, 5 Dec 2010 10:01

Had one of these for over 12 months ..This is actually a kitchen appliance that works . cooks frozen as well as homemade chips is also good for roast potatoes . uses very little fat so produces healthy chips that taste good
Rating:

Comment by gmiles1, 1 Dec 2010 22:05

Just got one at Tesco using vouchers - was £127 not the £108 that was advertised on TV (demand?). Excellent appliance, easy to use and clean - I can have chips at last without the house or clothes stinking of fat/oil. It is a bit expensive but definitely worth it - looking forward to trying it out with different foods besides chips, chippy chips!

Comments are switched off for this article

Smiley Rating

Features1
Performance1
Value1
Ease of use1
Design1
OverallTefal Actifry Family AH900015 rated 84 out of 100
TrackBack URI

If you like this article then why not link to it from your site!

Use a text link, or download an image

 

Our current Free Prizedraw!!

close

Why join GadgetSpeak?

Well - there are lots of reasons to join, depending on you and your interests :

  • Member prize-draws
  • Real reviews - by real people
  • Membership is free
  • Email summary of the weeks reviews
  • Share your product feedback with others
  • Keep in touch with all that's new in gadgets
  • Full of great ideas as the Christmas deadline looms!

Convinced? Come along and join in the fun!

close

Invite friends and family to GadgetSpeak

Why not invite friends or family to join in the fun?

Help us make GadgetSpeak the place to come for free and impartial reviews of the latest gadgets!

Start inviting your friends along!