Enjoying fried foods has never been so healthy—or easy!
Canadians are more concerned than ever about their health—and for good reason. According to Statistics Canada, more than 61% of Canadians classify as overweight or obese. While being active and exercising regularly is important, what we eat plays a huge role in our overall health. But eating healthier isn’t always easy, especially now that our lives are busier than ever. T-fal understands this, which is why it developed the second generation of its hugely popular ActiFry.
Now available in 1kg and 1.5kg capacity, the T-fal Express is a low-oil fryer and multicooker that can prepare a wide variety of healthy meals that would typically be high in fat and calories. Two popular Canadian bloggers, Jeremy and Adrian at the Food Gays and Kaylee Giffin at The Blondielocks, prepared two recipes using the ActiFry and compared the fat and calorie counts to the non-ActiFry meal. The results are impressive.
“We were eager to try out the unit in our kitchen and see how it could perform,” says Adrian. “The new extra-large capacity can feed up to six people and, what’s more, says it can cook your favorite foods in 25% less time than the prior ActiFry generation.”
“In all honesty, we were both actually a bit surprised at what a great job the unit does; turning out ultra-crispy results with everything we put to the test. From chicken wings to french fries, the results were quite satisfying and it’s quite remarkable how little oil is required,” says Harris.
Spicy and Sweet Drumsticks
“These sweet and spicy drumsticks are the perfect easy dinner and the best part is they require zero oil. The sauce for these drumsticks is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, but feel free to adjust the measurements to your tastes,” says Harris.
| Nutrition per serving using ActiFry (2 drumsticks with glaze): | Nutrition per serving traditional preparation* (2 drumsticks with glaze): |
| 622 calories | 682 calories |
| 34 g total fat | 41 g total fat |
| 29 g carbs | 29 g carbs |
| 48 g protein | 48 g protein |
| *chicken browned in a skillet with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, baked then glazed |
ACTIFRY ADVANTAGE:
Preparing the chicken in the ActiFry promotes a super crispy skin without adding any oil. To achieve the same results using a traditional method, the chicken is browned in an oiled skillet then transferred to the oven to bake until cooked through. This extra step adds more fat and calories and also means an extra dish to wash!
Find the full recipe and additional photos at The Food Gays.
Fried foods taste delicious because of the high fat count, which is why we love to eat them and consider them a treat. “I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a bar bite-aholic. Give me a great plate of cheesy nachos and a cold beer and I am one happy girl. Lately I have been trying my hardest to stay away from these types of foods, but when the craving strikes you best believe I’m going to go for the fried food. There’s really just nothing like it,“ says The Blondielocks blogger, Kayley Giffin.
“Unfortunately, there’s also nothing like the calorie count that goes along with it. That’s why when T-fal reached out to me to try out their ActiFry I was so excited. A machine that can fry my favorite types of food with only one tablespoon of oil? Sign me up!”
T-fal consulted with a team of nutritionists and engineers to develop an appliance that could provide the great taste of fried foods while using less oil and retaining food’s healthy nutrients. The ActiFry actually helps control the quantity and quality of fats in meals. For instance, just one spoonful of oil prepares 1kg of delicious, crispy fries with only 3% fat.
“I’ll admit, I was a bit hesitant at first to try the ActiFry,” Giffin says. “Could a machine that uses only a small amount of oil actually live up to my expectations of fried bar bits? To my surprise and delight, it totally did! The chips were perfectly and evenly cooked, crispy, and the flavour was totally there. The machine was also a breeze to use. I literally sliced and seasoned my potatoes, popped them into the ActiFry, shut the lid, and set the timer. No mess, no bubbling frying oil (which in my opinion is an accident waiting to happen) and they were a whole lot heathier. With the ActiFry, my fried food craving was completely satisfied, no excess grease, just spicy, crispy chips and a whole lotta’ satisfaction, “ says Giffin.
It’s easier than ever to start cooking healthier versions of your favourite meals because each ActiFry includes a recipe book with gourmet recipes designed for meat, fish, vegetables, and desserts. Plus, the My ActiFry smartphone app (free to download in the Apple App Store and Google Play) provides hundreds of tested recipes, as well as a cooking time guide for each staple ingredient, videos of cooking techniques, and more to help you cook tasty and healthy food every day.
Jalapeno Infused Chips
“One of my favourite bar bites are spicy hot pepper chips and dip. Embarrassingly enough, I’ll eat them by the pound… no sharing, thanks! So naturally my first thought upon receiving the ActiFry was to attempt to make the jalapeno infused chips that I am so obsessed with, paired with a cool and creamy Caesar dip,“ says Giffin.
| Nutrition per serving using ActiFry (1/6th batch chips without dip): | Nutrition per serving traditional method* (1/6th batch chips without dip): |
| 305 calories | 552 calories |
| 2 g total fat | 30 g total fat |
| 64 g carbs | 64 g carbs |
| 8 g protein | 8 g protein |
| *deep-fried in vegetable oil, estimated values based on weight of potatoes at 10% fat absorbed |
ACTIFRY ADVANTAGE:
Preparing these chips in the ActiFry saves 28 grams of fat and almost 250 calories per serving.
Find the full recipe and additional photos at The Blondielocks.
Click here for more great T-fal ActiFry recipes.