The Tefal Actifry – An Overview and Recipes

Tefal owes its origins to a French engineer called Marc Grégoire. Grégoire designed a non-stick coating in the 1950’s that made cookware easier to use and clean. Now, Tefal is well known for manufacturing non-stick products and small appliances and operates in more than 120 countries (Tefal) .

With the Actifryer revolutionary technology from Tefal, you can cook up to 1kg of chips in just 1 spoon of oil, making great homemade tasting chips that are better for you and contain less than 3% fat. This is in contrast to the way in which deep fat fryers saturate the potatoes in fat.

How Does the Tefal Actifry Work?

The Actifry moves the food around with a rotor blade ensuring it is cooked evenly. Simultaneously, hot air is circulated around the appliance which is why the method is sometimes called “Hot air frying” (Brodel et al).

What are the Main Features of the Tefal Actifry?

• The appliance requires no pre-heating.
• The automatic lid opens at the push of a button for your convenience.
• Cool wall and safety cut-out.
• The mixing paddle constantly rotates ensuring food is evenly cooked.
• The lid, basket and mixing paddle are all suitable for the dishwasher.
• The Actifry has a digital timer and audible warning at the end of the cooking period.
• Non-slip feet and cord storage.
• The steam-free lid and viewing window means that you can always keep an eye on your food.
• Odour free (due to the filter).

The versatile Tefal Actifry allows you to cook not only chips, roast potatoes and wedges from fresh or frozen, but also meat, fish, curries, stews and even puddings. Because the Actifry requires so little oil, it is a good idea to invest in a good quality one, such as a rapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil.

These two recipes are easy and a great way to get used to using a Tefal Actifry.

Coronation Chicken with Peas

You will need:

• 1 diced large chicken breast.
• 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
• 2 tablespoons of peas (frozen is fine).
• 75g of apricots that have been soaked in 75mls of boiling water.
• 3 teaspoons of medium curry powder.
• 35g of whole blanched almonds
• Salt and pepper.

To make:

1. Add the almonds to the Actifry and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken to the almonds and allow to cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Mix the apricots (with the hot water), mayonnaise and curry powder together and add to the Actifry.
4. Cook for at least 10 minutes and then test some meat to ensure it is cooked thoroughly.
5. Add the peas and allow to cook for a further 2 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Serves 2 – 3 people.

Lovely served with fresh crusty bread and seasonal vegetables.

Marmite Chips with Sesame Seeds

You wlll need:

• 1kg of peeled potatoes.
• 2 teaspoons of marmite.
• 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

To make:

1. Chop the potatoes into evenly sized chips (or wedges if preferred).
2. Wash the potatoes and dry with a tea towel.
3. Place the potatoes into the Actifry.
4. Mix the sesame seeds with the oil and add to the Actifry.
5. Cook for 10 minutes.
6. Lift the lid (which will pause the cooking process) and add marmite.
7. Allow to cook for a further 10 – 15 minutes until the chips are browned to your liking.

Serves 3 – 4 people.

Lovely served with lamb chops and rosemary.

Please note that Tefal recommend using potatoes that are best for chipping such as King Edward or Maris Piper. It is also advisable to make sure chips are all of an equal thickness and have been washed to remove as much starch as possible.