Actifry return to Argos!

louidog

After weeks of wanting a Tefal Actifry I finally purchased one from Argos this week. I'd been reading everyone saying how wonderful they were and was sold on it!
Sadly, I'm not a happy bunny!! The whole idea of this machine is that you can cook with virtually no fat/oil therefore it's healthy and all the potatoes are crisp and cooked through.
I have tried every which way of cooking chips etc with this machine and am not getting cripsy chips.....I'm getting not cooked and burnt chips or potatoes. I have read all the forums about what potatoes to try and how to wash then dry them thoroughly and have now tried several different types, used no oil, oil (different types) and even fry light but still getting nasty chips and potatoes!!!

Can I take this back to Argos and get a refund??! It cost £139 and that is very expensive for it to sit on the kitchen worktop never being used!!

Help please!!

anguk

It could be faulty, I'd take it back.

meer53

I really don't get the point of this machine !

I parboil chipped potatoes, then toss them in about a dessertspoon of oil then bake in the oven. Cost, minimal. If i'm being good, i spray them with Frylight instead of using oil but to be honest the amount of oil on the chips is negligible anyway.

Sometimes i don't even parboil them, just cut them into wedges, spray, season with salt and pepper (or whatever else you like) then shove in the oven for about 30 mins ! I get flavoured salt (rosemary, curry and lemon and dill) the rosemary one on wedges is fabulous.

Why pay £139 for a machine like this ? I just don't get it. OP, if i were you, i'd take it back and ask for a refund. Don't know if they'll give one though, you might just get a replacement.

neilmcl

meer53 wrote: »

I really don't get the point of this machine !

I parboil chipped potatoes, then toss them in about a dessertspoon of oil then bake in the oven. Cost, minimal. If i'm being good, i spray them with Frylight instead of using oil but to be honest the amount of oil on the chips is negligible anyway.

Sometimes i don't even parboil them, just cut them into wedges, spray, season with salt and pepper (or whatever else you like) then shove in the oven for about 30 mins ! I get flavoured salt (rosemary, curry and lemon and dill) the rosemary one on wedges is fabulous.

Why pay £139 for a machine like this ? I just don't get it. OP, if i were you, i'd take it back and ask for a refund. Don't know if they'll give one though, you might just get a replacement.

Or just buy a bag of Aunt Bessie's.

bod1467

@meer53 - exactly.

We had home-made chips tonight - lovely.

Padz_2

I think a while back there was some story about them catching fire too!!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

I_luv_cats

Lots of people on here bought one in December 2010.

I used it everyday @ first doing chips, meat, casseroles, fish, scampi etc. Now I just do chips 1-2 times a week. Oven chips or my own when I pick up potatoes on offer.

Doing your own fresh chips you have to make them not too big and evenly cut. I use Olive oil.

Oven chips 28 minutes and home-made longer than that.

I never leave unattended mine in case of potential fires.

rustyboy21

Padz wrote: »

I think a while back there was some story about them catching fire too!!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

That was when they first came out and has been sorted out years back, no issues now.

I have great crispy chips from my Actifry, cooked in a spoon full of light Olive oil.

It depends on what spuds you buy. Have found recently that the Rooster spuds make the best chips.

If you leave the lid closed on the actifry, but switched off, when you are plating up the rest of the meal, they will go soggy. It is just the steam that will come off the chips.

Some types of spud are more moist, so will end up soggy anyhow. The main culprits for this are ASDA's everyday spuds ( 2 bags for £2)

Any spud which has been prewashed prior to buying( as in most shop bought spuds) will have more moisture in them. Bought some really muddy Wilja potatoes from farm shop the other week, they came out great.

neilmcl

rustyboy21 wrote: »

Any spud which has been prewashed prior to buying( as in most shop bought spuds) will have more moisture in them. Bought some really muddy Wilja potatoes from farm shop the other week, they came out great.

Sorry but that's just nonsense. Pre-washing a spud doesn't increase it's moisture content. Some potatoes are naturally more "moist", these are the waxy type and are no good for chips. The best ones are the drier, floury spuds such as maris piper, king edwards, estima etc.

Padz_2

rustyboy21 wrote: »

That was when they first came out and has been sorted out years back, no issues now.

I have great crispy chips from my Actifry, cooked in a spoon full of light Olive oil.

It depends on what spuds you buy. Have found recently that the Rooster spuds make the best chips.

If you leave the lid closed on the actifry, but switched off, when you are plating up the rest of the meal, they will go soggy. It is just the steam that will come off the chips.

Some types of spud are more moist, so will end up soggy anyhow. The main culprits for this are ASDA's everyday spuds ( 2 bags for £2)

Any spud which has been prewashed prior to buying( as in most shop bought spuds) will have more moisture in them. Bought some really muddy Wilja potatoes from farm shop the other week, they came out great.

Nah still wouldn't buy one!