[MrQuike]

My deep fat fryer stopped working last month - I've never had one that lasted more than 18 months. This time I thought I'd try one of those "dry" machines and opted for the Philips Airfryer at £84.99 (free delivery and guaranteed for 2 years ). Took me a few goes to get it right but excellent chips, and no mess. I make my own chips - vivaldi tats, soaked in water for an hour, lightly boiled, dried, and oiled in a bowl - airfryed for 20 mins and served up with lightly dusted lemon sole and a nice green salad. Anyone else got one or getting one for christmas?

[Color of Night]

Haven't got a Philips airfryer but have an actifry which has been used to death, in fact it's my second. I do all sorts in it including lamb chops which are gorgeous.
I have seen the Philips one advertise and wondered how the chips cook evenly, do they rotate in the basket or do you need to shake them during cooking?

[MrQuike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Color of Night

Haven't got a Philips airfryer but have an actifry which has been used to death, in fact it's my second. I do all sorts in it including lamb chops which are gorgeous.
I have seen the Philips one advertise and wondered how the chips cook evenly, do they rotate in the basket or do you need to shake them during cooking?

I very nearly bought the actifry but I was a bit concerned about reliability. I give the chips a good shake every 5 mins. Actually I stir them with a wooden spoon as well. The chips do cook surprisingly evenly and removing the basket is simple and doesn't seem to affect the frying time. The basket doesn't rotate but you just pull it out to shake and push it back in.

The main difference is that you have to add the oil and stir the chips in a bowl before you put them in the basket.

In some ways this is not as good as the actifry but the pro's are there's a bit less noise and nothing much to breakdown. The basket has a removable divider so you can put something else in the other side. It a lot better in use than you'd expect and cleaning is minimal.

The other thing is there's very little smell.

[c4rv]

They had the philips one reviewed by Stephen Fry on his gadgets show and he cooked chips in it and said they turned out really well.

[degsyhufc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrQuike

My deep fat fryer stopped working last month - I've never had one that lasted more than 18 months. This time I thought I'd try one of those "dry" machines and opted for the Philips Airfryer at £84.99 (free delivery and guaranteed for 2 years ).

Just wondering how much you paid for your fryers?
I've had my dual stainless steel one for 5 years and it's still great.
It cost £70 so not a cheapo value one, but also not the most expensive.

[MrQuike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by degsyhufc

Just wondering how much you paid for your fryers?
I've had my dual stainless steel one for 5 years and it's still great.
It cost £70 so not a cheapo value one, but also not the most expensive.

Not sure. Probably about £30ish. The last one was a Breville and stainless steel. It lasted about 20 months. I think the most expensive one we ever bought was about £45.

You may have a point there though. My Breville Café Series TT 2 slice toaster cost £65 and it's lasted twice as long than any other cheaper £20 - £30 toasters I've ever owned already (cheaper Brevilles included) - it toasts better as well.

[phill363]

Can you fry in batter in those machines?

[MrQuike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phill363

Can you fry in batter in those machines?

Not tried it myself but there's always someone else that has tried on the internet.

The the batter cannot be too thin and runny. You have to get the balance right. Using aluminium foil to line the wire basket to “save” the batter apparently works well to make the batter more aesthetically pleasing.

Sprinkled the chips after oiling with southern style seasoning tonight. Very nice .

[missyalicia]

I did pork chops tonight. Turned out better than in a normal oven. Messy to clean though. Had to turn them often. 20 mins at 200 for 4 big thick chops.