The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Good morning,

As in this thread http://www.englishforum.ch/housing-g...s-cooking.html , someone was looking for a good fryer sollution without having the smells and oil trouble.

It's a great product, cooking up to 1 Kg of fries, meat,veggy's and many more.

I explained the OP about my Actyfry, and i noticed allot people asked questions regarding the fryer such as what can you make in it, is it expensive, does it go up in flames etc :D

Hence me starting this thread for and with Actifry owners, but also for people who have didn't make their mind up whether to get one or not.

So please feel free to post pictures and recipes of what you created with your Actifry, ill keep you posted of what i did good and what failed..

This is the Electric Actifryer
http://www.coolkitchen.co.uk/applian...ucts/15703.jpg

If You need to buy a cooker which can cook you're favorite meals without the extra fat that usually is needed to cook them, the Tefal Actifry is just what you need.

Unlike your conventional electric fryer, Tefal Actifry does not need any kind of pre-heating; it is ready to cook the instant you plug it in. Your cooking may not be restricted to frying chips alone with the ActiFry, a variety of foods like meat, vegetables and frozen food can also be cooked. With its multi-purpose capability the Tefal ActiFry is way ahead of its time making other electric cookers pale in comparison. The Tefal ActiFry is the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys delicious low-fat meals.

Check out the Tefal site for more details

Enjoy and En Guete!

*please note that i do not work for Tefal, i am just a happy end user *

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Ok ill start , yesterday i made "potato wedges".

You take potatoes (peeled or not, at your choice) and toss them in a bowl.

Add to this a big spoon of flour and mix
To the flowerd spuds, you add the " Actifry " spoon of oil, now gently mix again.

Spice accordingly ( i use pepper, salt, mixed grill spices, curry and dried basil, don't be scared to use of good bit of it, no harm :) )

When all spices are added, mix gently and place them into your Actifryer.

Put the timer on 35-40 minutes, close the lid and enjoy a glass of wine.

The result are lovely golden brown wedges, moist inside yet so greasy and heavy when deep fried.

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/actifry/wedges.JPG

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Had Spring Roll for lunch,

In case of smaller portions such as this, i just spray some oil on the food subject to be cooked, as a spoon of oil would be overkill.

Just a normal pump action oil spray bottle will do the trick, it puts a fine mist of oil over the food in order to bake it, but not that much so the food will not swim in oil.

http://www.google.ie/url?source=imgr...q54gtnm9piqBUA

This is cooked from frozen in 9 minutes, crispy outside, nice and warm inside hmmhhhh :msntongue:

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/...pringrolls.JPG

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

I must be the only here with an Actifry or what :D

For the people of Belgium and Holland, you all know a " frikadel", i found some in Germany and wunderbar ! it works !

Same idea as below with the spring roll, just spray a bit of oil (mist) over it and let the Actifry do its job.

It doesn't let them dry out like in the oven, but also doesn't soak them in fat.

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/random/frik.JPG


For the " frietkot " favorits, you can also cut them open when done, line up with onions, mayo and ketchup to have a frikadel special..nom nom nom nom ..

Prepared from frozen in 8 minutes.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Can you make straw fries/prawn crackers in it?

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

I have made normal fries in it, but prefer frozen to fresh as the fresh ones have a " new " taste to it, its not bad but its more like a potate wedge if you know what i mean.

Frozen fries for deep fryer are better, crispy outside and a good taste.
Do not ever put oven bake fries in the actifry or you will end up in tears and rock hard fries.

The actifry has a rotating arm, so straw fries and prawn crackers will probably get damaged while turning, then again since it works on circulating the air around the food, you can take the arm out and bake without it, thats how i bake off small rolls for example.

But i can't say 100% yes i didn't try it.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

great. how much did you pay and where did you buy it?

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

I've been toying with getting one of these for quite some time. I don't know how to sneak "yet another" appliance into the kitchen, though. Will be following this thread with interest. Thanks.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Good one, bought it in June this year, Media Markt Pratteln, the price back then was around 269 Chf.

Pricy yes but compared to a regular fryer , one you can only use up to 10 times depending on what you fry, before changing 3L of oil, it actually works out cheaper.

You don't have the smells in the house, no need to pre heat and all parts disassemble for easy dishwasher or sink cleaning.

It can make single portions, or "eintopf" meals..brilliant thing.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

I understand you, had the same thing yet now i have it i rarely use my normal oven.

Spring rolls use to go into the oven, but needed pre heating, 15 minutes or more baking time depending if from frozen or not etc..

Now i have the Actifry, the oven is only used for baking bread and cookies, and rarely is switched on during the week.

The fryer how ever works every day or second day :) not only for fries but to bake off rolls, vegetables etc.. it can take up to 1 kg , more then enough.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

170??? Joey, it is listed now for 349!!! have they really more than doubled the price???
BTW, here are a few recipe from t-fal http://www.myactifry.com/

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Evening Lilith,

Yes they went up, my bad but i calculated in Euro's , it was 193 Euro at the time or 269 Chf - massive difference by the looks it now !

I'm going to Germany this evening, ill check what they sell it for.

Thanks for the link :)

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Said and done.. we went to Germany today and saw the Actifry at 149 Euro ( 194 Chf at todays rate) - massive difference that what i paid for in June this year, and surely a bigger difference with Lillith's 349 Chf.

So shop around people, money to be saved !

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/...%20germany.jpg

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

CHF 195.00 is about right, if you look around (www.toppreise.ch) and order online. I just ordered one from Microspot.ch.

Migros' MElectronics is selling it for CHF 349.00 :eek:

There's a gourmet version - from what I read in the reviews on amazon.de, it comes in a different colour and has a cookbook in Dutch with it - for about CHF 50.00 more :rolleyes:

Then there's a "family" version, which is a lot more expensive and larger. For 1.5kg chips at a time, IIRC - we won't be needing that.

Wish me luck, smuggling it into the kitchen, when mine arrives :cool:

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Brilliant idea - I'll keep it in the oven :D

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Hahah :D you got the coded message, well done :)

Mad pricing indeed, it pays off to shop around for those things.

I noticed the new Actifry Family today but i can't seem to justify the extra 100 euro for just 500 gr more fries, if needed, i just bake twice 1 kg in my "normal " actifry and get more out of it :)

Speaking of, tried a frozen chicken breast today..shocking my girlfriend, it actualy worked :D

Spray oil on it,spice as you wish, put timer on 16 minutes, go and make a salad or so, when done, a lovely moist piece of chicken will come out , Yum that was good !

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/actifry/chicken.JPG

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Thank you for this thread Joey:). I have been interested in these appliances for a while but haven't gotten around to doing any research on them. I'm not sure which is bigger.. A shoe box or my kitchen :confused: so whatever appliance I purchase has to be well used to justify taking up the space. I'll definitely be following this thread too:)

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Joey, you mentioned Actifry oil. Can ordinary cooking oil be used for the spraying etc?

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

My bad, i mean just the Actifry spoon of oil.
It's the green spoon you get with your Actifry.

http://www.google.ie/url?source=imgr...2PzhalWsps6q1A

I use normal sunflower oil for it as it gives a nice crisp and golden brown result.

You can vary the type of oil depending on your choice.
Choose a different oil every time you cook if you wish.

With Actifry, you can use a very wide variety of oils;

* Standard Oils: olive oil, grape seed oil, corn oil, groundnut (peanut) oil, sunflower oil, soya oil

* Flavoured Oils: oils infused with aromatic herbs, garlic, chilli, lemon ...

* Speciality Oils: hazelnut*, sesame* ...

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

got a question about the taste of the food made with thing compared with the taste of fried stuff (like simple french fries).

I 've always read it was "disastrous"


And thanks the thread, interesting and tempting....

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

I should get a stall on a Christmas market and have you all try it :)

Bit of background, i'm from Belgium, if you believe my country and my belly,we know how to make fries :D

I too was a bit sceptic buying the Actifry as it was classed as " just not the same".
I admit, it's different in the beginning, as everyone puts in the fresh cut fries and expect them to taste the same, well they don't.

Fresh fries will absorb more of the hot air and just a bit of oil,making them puffy , good but not a "fried " taste.
However do this with larger pieces of potato mixed with spices and you make some killed wedges ( see my second post)
For fries/chips in general i use frozen ones, for the fryer that is,not oven fries.

As said before, oven fries will come out rock hard and not to be eaten.

Frozen deep fryer fries however need 35 min in the Actifry to be golden brown, taste crunchy on the outside, and smooth on the inside, just like you would have from a normal deep fried one, but then less fat around it.

No where near to compare them to the disaster called " oven fries"..thats just wrong..

Ill make some fries/chips tomorrow and post the picture for you to see, agreed its not the same as tasting but you get the idea :)

As for other food, i find the chicken,spring rolls and wedges tasting 10 x better out of the actifry then out of the oven or deep fryer.

Oven = drying out the food ( smaller portions ), you need to baste the meat once and a while if you want it juicy.

Deep fryer = loaded with fat and oil, result is it fills you up quickly leaving you with a heavy feeling in your belly.

Acitfry = seals the flavor and juices inside, without bathing it in fat.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Due to selling my laptop today ,i didn't had a chance to make " stoofvlees " ( sort of a stew but this can't be made in the Actifry so won't go on about it :) ) so had to resort to Schupfnudeln mit Sauerkraut.

Normal way of preparing it is to put some oil or butter in the pot/pan ( as you wish) and basicly fry them,this makes them heavy and blends the taste of the sauerkraut and nudeln together to one big flavorless buttery or oily taste.

So i put on my " Be aware, experimental kitchen " cooking apron on, opend the pack and emptied it in the actifry.

Spiced it up with some meditiranian spices , sprayed some mist of oil over and set the timer for 9 minutes.

Result :
http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/actifry/shnudel.JPG

Lovely taste of the sauerkraut (not over powering) and a lovely smell from bacon scented schupfnudeln..tasting great btw :)

Thinking of it, this is getting dangerous, all these lovely meals ready in less then 10 minutes.. better see if the thing can prepare salad's also :D

Tomorrow evening we will have Frietjes ( fries) with stoofvlees, ill post a pic of the fries ( both fresh and frozen) to show you how they look.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Monday evening, time for the promised Frietjes (Fries )

Here they are, these are the frozen fries for deepfryer, into the the actifry.

700 Gr frozen fries, 3/4 Actifry spoon of oil , timer on 35 minutes until they are golden brown.

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/actifry/frozen.JPG

I also made a small batch of fresh cut ones, who look like this :

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/actifry/fresh.JPG

The only problem with the fresh ones is that they taste more like a baked potatoe, still "mushy " inside, not as crispy as you would expect a fry to be.
A bit on the soft side, lets keep it with that :)

You could leave them in a bit longer but then they turn all brownish and puffy, close to a burned taste .. hence me opting for the frozen ones.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

My Actifry arrived today ....

it's huge.

Unfortunately, I really do not have space for this machine in my kitchen, so it's either the Actifry or the cakes. I'm sticking with cakes, so will put this up for sale in the "for sale" section.

Link to ad

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Aw, too bad. How about putting it in the balcony?
:p

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Or in the oven,as suggested :) shame to see you are selling it, did you at least have some time to play around with it?

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Sad to see the Actifry from Crumbs will be sold due to big..But then again, you can't have it standing around also as it does take up some space.

As someone on the net commented :
[HTML]
The ActiFry is also fairly large, about the size of a football helmet for a medium-size gorilla
[/HTML]

So unless you are a gorilla, here are the exact dimensions :

HxWxD Dimensions with lid closed and handles shut 22x32x43 Cm

Hope it helps anyone to decide , and for those who do, Crumb's Actifry is set at a very good price !

Anyone bidding? i got 150 in the back 150 ... going once ..

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

With more time on my hands then ever, i made " sausage rolls " today.

Small ones ,just as a tester.

I must confess, i bought ready made pastry and sausages.

Raw sausage from frozen, wrapped in a single layer of pastry.
I sprayed a fine mist of oil directly into the actifry, but very very little so the pastry wouldn't soak.

Set the timer for 15 minutes - larger ones will need an extra 5 min. or so.

I made two, one with the surfaced oiled and one without, both came out the same.

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/actifry/srol.JPG

They worked out very nice, and are now on the menu as " apero " snackbit for when we have visitors.

Quick job putting them together, Actifry them a voila, nice pastry with a moist sausage in the middle.

Happy Holidays

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Hmmm... interesting....
So - no "tempura" kind of fried preparations, or extremely liquid fritters and such, right?

Thx

Paul

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Hi Groove

Indeed no soggy or oil soaked food anymore.

At most a small spoon of oil goes over 1kg of fries,nothing compared to a deep fryer

Even with the sausage roll,the meat was nice and juicy,not dried out at all.

Ill try bratwurst in it today,see how that works out

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Nono - what i meant to ask is if the food that goes into the machine can be prepared like tempura (japanese fried veggies / fish) or be liquid like fritters / pancakes...

Ciao, thanks,

Paul

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

No, it can't.

Tom

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

:) My apologies for that, we had a deep fryer called " tempura " once, hence me thinking a normal deep fryer :)

Tempura is " battered " food isn't it? It is not Japanese but it made Snitzel good enough and that is coated also, but you have to take the rotating arm out otherwise you will damage the outside layer.

I made veggies and fish in the actifry at some stage but not the delicate Japanese food, sadly enough i can't say i have any experience with that :msnblush: but maybe someone else can help out ?

*edit*

THanks for helping out St2lemans :) Did you try it in your Actifry already? feel free to post your experience with it as i only tried "basic " foods, no japanese things yet.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

The thing is that "Uncle GroOve" was asking about tempura and other batter fried things, and these require traditional deep fat frying due to the nature of the batter. I would expect that trying to cook them in this would produce a giant blob.

Schnitzel and other foods with bound breading should work fine, however.

I do have some doubts if foods that are simply floured (for example seafood for a fritto misto) will come out well or not.

Tom

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

I see your point, this asks for a test :) Next time i'm in a shop ill see can i buy some " battered " meat or fish of any kind, and try them..ill keep you posted.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Owkee, while the misses is hunting the supermarket for tempura or battered food :), i prepared a normal sausage/bratworst.

From Frozen , sprayed a bit oil over it and for 10-12 minutes in the Actifry.
I left the rotating arm in it as from frozen it is not as fragile as from fresh.

Result, golden brown outside, nice cooked inside, not a piece of undercooked meat to be seen.

http://www.shiphappensblog.com/pics/actifry/Sau.JPG

For a quicker result, you can cut up the frozen or fresh sausage in to small pieces and Actifry them for about 8-9 minutes for a tasty meal.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Try this Nyonya Style Oven-fried Chicken and let me know if it works:

To a half cup of Paniermehl (dried breadcrumbs) add a half teaspoon of each

powdered coriander
powdered cumin
powdered red chilli
powdered cardamom
garlic granules (optional)
salt n pepper to taste

Roll one-inch pieces of chicken breast meat (or chicken wings and drumsticks if you prefer) in coconut milk and then in the spiced breadcrumb mix.

I'd normally stick it in the oven at 185 C for 25-30 minutes (drumsticks and thighs would require at least 45 minutes).

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Looks yummie, but what can i use to replace the coconut milk..i hate coconut..

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Cream, yoghurt or mayonnaise.

Re: The Actifry ,Recipes and more
 

Mayo i have in the house..sounds weird but ill try it for lunch tomorrow.. keep you posted and thanks :)