When the first T-Fal ActiFry came out, my sister decided to talk my family into buying me one as a birthday present. I used is several times in the first year, but not much after that. We don’t often eat French fries at home, since we eat those out, and recipes were still limited on what we could do outside of them and wings.
When I received the T-Fal ActiFry Express for review, at least I knew I could to a side-by-side comparison. According to the marketing material, it is supposed to be 20 per cent faster. I wanted to see if that held up.
During the unboxing, I commented on video that the T-Fal ActiFry Express looked bigger than the original. When I placed them side by side, it turns out that they are the same size, just the top dome of the new model is round, where the original is flatter with the center of it dropping down a bit. Unlike a deep fryer, in which you use a lot of oil, the ActiFry line is designed to use only a tablespoon or none at all.
The ActiFry line is unique looking. It’s like T-Fal took one of their non-stick frying pans, put a hole in it so you can snap in a spindle that stirs the food while cooking, a dome and on the backside, and a convention oven fan. There is no heat coming from below the cooking tray, just the hot air blowing down from above and circulating around the dome.
After I did the cooking comparison, I noticed the cooking pan was interchangeable between the original and the Express models, so it can handle a kilo of food. They added a better panel to the Express model, which allows you to select what type of food you’re cooking for preset time. Both models are very easy to clean. The lid, paddle (which stirs the food), pan and measuring spoon is all dishwasher safe. A big change is that the original pan is shallow in the center, so you can’t fill the pan with liquid beyond the height of the paddle mount. If you do, it could leak out into the base. The new unit has the pan just about the same height as the outside edge so you can add liquid if the recipe calls for it, like for risotto.
On the side by side comparison, I had both the original and the express sitting side by side on the counter. I sliced the potatoes up and made sure both machines received close to half the amount of potatoes. I added a tablespoon of oil in each and turned them on at the same time. Both seem to emit the same volume of sound from the fan running, comparable to that of a microwave oven. As it cooks, the paddle – which is center of the pan – slowly stirs the food for an even cooking of all sides. It also helps to keep food from sticking. Out of curiosity, at the 30-minute mark I checked to see how the fries were coming along, and neither were done yet. In the end, both units take about the same length of time to cook a batch of fries, which is about 40 to 45 minutes. The method of prep on the potatoes included having them soak in ice water, then dried on paper towels. I tried a batch without the ice water bath, just a rinse and pat dry method, and it still took about the same amount of time. However, unlike an oven or deep fryer, the ActiFry does not need to be preheated.
In terms of cooking time, it does take longer than deep frying a batch of fries, but the tradeoff is that you use a lot less oil. It is recommended that you put your seasonings on the potatoes before you start cooking them. Because the potatoes are cooked with hot air, spices and salt don’t stick, so tossing them post cooking won’t work. You could also bake fries in less time than the ActiFry takes but, again, you are using more oil to do so, though less than a deep fryer. You can use frozen fries in the ActiFry too, just don’t add any oil, since they usually come with that already added.
Most people who buy the ActiFry will do so to make healthy French fries, but it does cook other things. I have done chicken wings in it. The wings tends to shrink a bit in size – as compared to deep frying – I believe because the fat and juice is cooked out of the wing, but then coats the skin, like when basting a roast. You can also cook dishes like stir-fries, chili and other saucy type meals. The Actifry will do the stirring and cooking for you as you continue working away on other things in the kitchen or home. There is a risotto recipe on the T-Fal website that I tried and it turned out well, though it did take longer to make than the traditional method, but it required very little monitoring and handled the continuous stirring for me. The pan is non-stick, so it can handle sticky desert recipes too, and you still don’t have to add very much oil.
Unlike a deep fryer, you cannot cook anything that is battered in the Actifry. With the paddle constantly stirring, it would scrape the coating off the meat. But there is an ActiFry Snacking Grill that allows foods to get cooked that would otherwise fall apart in the stirring process. It’s a mesh basket that replaces the paddle and sits just above the pan, so the hot air can cook the food from all sides. It goes for about $20.
It may not be a time saver, but it is a great way to cook if you are looking to eat healthy and don’t want to stand at the oven to stir. The T-Fal ActiFry Express goes for about $220 to $300 depending on the retailer.
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Contributor Steve Polyak |
Topic Food | Product Review | T-Fal |
