Now I know it doesn’t appear as if hot air fryers go with a high-fat diet, but yes, they do!
I recently purchased the Tefal Actifry Fryer and have to say I LOVE it, so much so, I rarely use my oven these days. I purchased the 2-1 kind because I liked the idea of having the 2 levels to cook complete meals easily. The UK and US models vary slightly in looks, but not in function so this Actifry review applies to both.
I did my research on hot air fryers!
I admit, I was skeptical, especially when most of the info I found had images of cooking different kinds of meat. However, once I thought about it, it made sense. There are some keto ingredients and recipes that just don’t hold together well in deep oil, the lupini falafels being one.
The Tefal Actifry definitely seemed to be the one getting the best reviews so I went to my local store for a “hands on” look.
YIKES, typical, the most expensive one in the store!
I checked the other air fryers while using my phone to check reviews, this Tefal one won, hands down.
I made the purchase and bought it home.
What is in the box?
It comes with:
- Instruction Manual
- Recipe book
- Measuring spoon
- Paddle for lower tier
- Top tray
- Handle
To be honest, so far I haven’t used the recipe book, it’s more for meat eaters than vegans.
The Facebook group I mentioned in my previous article has been my main source of inspiration but mostly I followed my usual method of cooking.
I checked the manual for basic instructions on how to operate the air fryer then just starting putting stuff in it and cooking!
I know, not very scientific but most of my best recipes are born this way……
Cooking in the Tefal Actifry
The bottom part of the Actifry, with the paddle is great for doing stir fry and cauliflower rice. Any combination of low carb veg with your favorite seasoning works (I use nutritional yeast A LOT). It’s simple and takes about 15mns to prepare a meal from start to finish (depending on the veg you use).
The top part makes FABULOUS kale crisps. There’s no paddle in the top part so perfect for this. Pop the chopped kale in the air fryer, add your spoon of oil and set for 6mns. You can use different infused oils, I’ve had:
- chili
- garlic
- walnut
- coconut
- truffle
I haven’t used specific recipes as such, apart from the lupini falafels, they worked a treat. They did need a bit of a bake in the oven first but finished off very nicely in the air fryer.
They went in the top part without the paddle with excellent results. Topped with some Vegenaise and kale crisps on a bed of wilted spinach, excellent!
Lightly toasting your nuts and seeds in top part works extremely well, much faster than a conventional oven and much less likely to overcook.
The settings are simple:
- choose whether you want both parts or 1 part to cook.
- set the timer
- press the “play” button!
Cleaning the Tefal Actifry
Both the bottom and top tray come out to be washed in hot soapy water. The center paddle can be removed for easy cleaning. I don’t have a dishwasher but the instructions say “dishwasher safe”.
The only niggle I have is that sometimes food gets underneath the bootom tray, into the main body of the air fryer. This is tricky to clean as it doesn’t come out and is awkward to tip upside down. I’ve sent an email to the company asking for advise and will update this post when I hear back.
Hot Air Fryers
The verdict……
Love it, love it, love it.I can be creative, or when I have a busy day just chop whatever veg I have and set it to cook while I get on with other things.
There is no danger of a pan fire so the safety aspect is excellent (I’m known for burning pans!).
Cleaning the Tefal Actifry is easy, apart from the niggle mentioned above.
Hot air fryers are excellent for anyone on a vegan keto diet, despite the advertised “low fat” benefits. You can add more fat after cooking to your meals in other ways.
You can buy the Tefal 2 in 1 Airfryer here for a good price.
If you’re on a budget, the Tefal has cheaper single layer air fryer model which I’m sure will work just as well. You can remove the paddle for “non stir” cooking.
Let us know in the comments if you have an air fryer, which model and the things you like to cook.
