[1manonthebog]

I've heard people rave about these for a while now so when our deep fat fryer bit the dust now was the perfect chance to pick one up.

I have to say I am not impressed, Now I may well be doing something wrong so am after advice. I have tried various brands of chips, everything from frozen oven chips to french fries to home made chunky chips and they all taste the same and that is basically like card board. The chips aren't nice and crispy, nor are they burnt they just totally dry up and have zero taste.

My kids won't eat them, and if I am honest I am only eating them as I spent £100 on the damn thing and want to get my moneys worth. I guess it is healthier for the reason no one is eating the chips. They remind me on the horrible chips I had to eat while on a slimming world diet, they were made on tin foil in the over and were horrible.

I've also tried sausages in the actifry they were a bit better probably because sausages are so greasy anyway.

Any advice on making decent food in an actifry?

[ecco66]

Hmm, sorry you are not having much luck - I've had mine for years and love it. I use a very scant scoop of oil (usually Oat Bran oil) and keep an eye on them but I must admit they have never burned, what oil are you using? I wonder if you are using one with a low burn point? For fresh chips do you make sure you have rinsed them thoroughly to remove the starch? I have not done oven chips much but when I did I did not add any extra oil.

[Simon_More]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecco66

Hmm, sorry you are not having much luck - I've had mine for years and love it. I use a very scant scoop of oil (usually Oat Bran oil) and keep an eye on them but I must admit they have never burned, what oil are you using? I wonder if you are using one with a low burn point? For fresh chips do you make sure you have rinsed them thoroughly to remove the starch? I have not done oven chips much but when I did I did not add any extra oil.

I use olive oil in mine. Never had a problem. They make brilliant roast potatoes. I add goose fat for these. Have you tried a blob of beef dripping to cook the chips.

[pugamo]

I only ever cook sausages and butternut squash in mine.

[moox]

Never had a problem, whether it's frozen chips, fresh cut ones, or sausages (the only things I've done in them so far)

[East]

There was a thread on this sometime ago OP.

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1091821

The Actifry was also on BBC Watchdog

http://legacy.housewareslive.net/news/news.asp?id=5283

[Shrike]

I've got a Breville Halo - must admit I don't use it much, but it does sweet potato wedges well and I was impressed with roast mediterranean veggies.
I'm suprised you find the chips too dry - have you tried increasing the amount of oil? I use a high temperature oil like corn oil or ground nut for chips.

[callmediva]

We've got a Halo, too. It's very good at cooking chips. They always come out crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, I use Crisp n Dry.
It's really good for roasts and baked spuds, sausages and chicken. That's all I've used it for so far

[Lamin_Ator]

What is the difference if you used a normal oven?

[Tallywacker]

Well it's quite obviously a compromise, innit! You can't expect the greasy fatty lovely taste of proper deep fat fried chips with this 'healthier' (or should that be 'less unhealthy') gimmicky contraption.

Try QVC/Ideal World - they often flog these things and an accompanying 'recipe book' you can buy.

[Gogfumble]

Quote:

Originally Posted by East

There was a thread on this sometime ago OP.

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1091821

The Actifry was also on BBC Watchdog

http://legacy.housewareslive.net/news/news.asp?id=5283

Both very old articles/threads. There was a problem in earlier models but this has apparently now been fixed.

[jarryhack]

My chips and roasties come out of the Actifry lovely. I use olive oil, I don't use the full spoon and if I'm making them just for me , I just squirt them with olive oil from a spray bottle so I don't use that much. I once forgot the oil, and they tasted awful.

[Welsh-lad]

Far cheaper to make Slimming World chips if you're just after healthier chips.

Easy to get crisp and tasty too - just make sure they dry fully after par-boiling before you put them in the oven.

[noise747]

I have a Philips air fryer myself, makes really nice chips, but you do have to shake them halfway through. I have heard of people having mixed results with the Actifry in that the chips break up and go to a mush due to the paddle.
I have also got a VisiCook Crisp & Bake. which is a halogen oven with a paddle in, and I had trouble with that mushing up the chips

I have tasted chips from a Actifry and they are pretty good as long as you can stop them getting mashed up

[noise747]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welsh-lad

Far cheaper to make Slimming World chips if you're just after healthier chips.

Easy to get crisp and tasty too - just make sure they dry fully after par-boiling before you put them in the oven.

If you par boil then surly you just have roast spud in in a chip shape with maybe a little less oil.

[pugamo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by noise747

If you par boil then surly you just have roast spud in in a chip shape with maybe a little less oil.

That's sort of what chips are anyway?

[noise747]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pugamo

That's sort of what chips are anyway?

Not really, chips are fried, you par boil them and you change the texture and taste.