Earlier this year when the Mother Trucker came to visit us she decided to make french fries with my overload of potatoes I sometimes get from the co-op I help run. It was totally fine with me that someone besides myself was going to be cooking, but what floored me was the amount of oil that she used while pan frying. 1/2 a quart to be exact. And this wasn’t just regular cheap oil found on the bottom shelf of my favorite store–this was extra virgin olive oil! Because she likes to cook healthfully.
It wasn’t just the amount of healthy grease that we consumed that evening that bothered me. I was also discouraged by the amount of time it took to pan fry 3 pounds of potatoes that somehow figured out how to stick to my pans no matter how much oil we used. Don’t get me wrong, those fries were good but the almost automatic trip to the restroom afterward wasn’t so much.
My final take from having the Mother Trucker make dinner that night? There had to be a better way to do this.
And then the folks from ActiFry contacted me. 3 months too late for the Mother Trucker french fry debacle.
Enter the T-Fal ActiFry, a countertop appliance that uses just 1 tablespoon of oil to perfectly cook french fries with that crunchy outside and soft inside (instead of the Mother Trucker’s soggy mess) with virtually no sticking, flipping or counting down the time it takes for my smoke detectors to go off. The nutritional difference floored me–according to laboratory tests there are 192 calories and 3 grams of fat in ActiFry fresh French Fries vs. 298 calories and 15.8 grams of fat in frozen fast food fries, based on a serving size of 3.52 oz. You read that right–ActiFry fresh french fries contain over 100 calories less and 5 times less fat than frozen fast food fries!
Don’t limit yourself to french fries when using the ActiFry though! the T-Fal ActiFry also makes chicken wings, fried rice, chili, vegetables, steaks, and desserts, plus many more! The appliance comes with a recipe booklet and you can find more amazing recipes in their online community! Personally, I’m throwing my deep fryer away (y’all know how messy that thing is) and am never making fries on the stove again. How about in the oven? Probably won’t either since with the ActiFry I don’t have to worry about flipping, stirring, sticking or my kitchen heating up (which some online reviews fail to mention). Just load ingredients into the ActiFry, set the timer, turn it on, and walk away until it’s finished cooking.
How does the ActiFry work? ActiFry has a hot air distribution system. The heat pulse and optimized hot air circulation evenly cooks the food while the paddle gently rotates the food. Simply add the ingredients into the pan, close the lid, set the countdown timer and turn the product on. ActiFry will do the cooking for you. ActiFry always cooks at the same temperature to ensure even and thorough cooking of the food. There is a countdown timer that lets you know when your dish is finished cooking. ActiFry is even easy to clean. The lid, the removable pan, stirring paddle and dosing spoon are dishwasher safe. You just need to wipe out the base.
GIVE AWAY!
Not only has ActiFry given me one of these appliances to review and keep, but they also want to give one of my readers their very own ActiFry! I think this would make a great Father’s Day gift or even an awesome way to start off your summer eating more healthfully! The retail value of the ActiFry is $250 (technically $249.99).
How to Enter (required): You MUST leave a comment on this post telling me how you think the ActiFry will make a healthy difference in your or someone else’s life.
Additional Entries (optional): After doing the required entry above, you can do one or as many of the following optional entries below. Just make sure that you leave a separate comment for each for the entries to count (I will be verifying).
- Follow ActiFry on Facebook.
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- Tweet the following message on Twitter: GIVEAWAY! #Win @ActiFry Value $250. Make Fries w Just 1 T of Oil! http://bit.ly/K4cgqL @screweduptexan
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That’s it! Entries close at 9 PM CST on Monday, June 4, 2012. Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen and contacted via email (so be sure to leave a valid email address when entering) the week the giveaway ends. Winner has 3 days to claim ActiFry or another winner will be chosen.
*WINNER HAS BEEN DETERMINED AND EMAILED! Thank you to everyone that entered!*
Disclosure: I was sent one ActiFry to test out, review, and keep. All opinions are my own (including the stuff about the Mother Trucker).
