Like many people, I always start the new year with the goal of eating healthier. I’m not necessarily referring to a “diet” (I don’t “do” diets), but rather making healthier choices. I’m not only doing this for myself, but also my family. I want to make sure I am feeling them healthy foods.
They way we cook is always a contributing factor to weight gain (or loss) and our over all health. When you cook with a lot of butter, oil or grease it’s getting into the foods you are cooking and as a result you are eating it.
Who doesn’t love French fries? I sure do. So does my family.
When my husband and I first got married we bought a deep fryer. We used it to make fries, chicken and a few other yummy foods. Once day I took a good look at the grease that was left over on a plate after I made a batch of fries and I realized that all that grease was going into our bodies. As much as we loved fries I couldn’t bring myself to serve them to my family anymore. We even stopped eating fast food because of the grease. I eventually gave away my deep fryer.
We continued to enjoy French fries, but I would bake them instead of frying them. They didn’t taste the same, but, it was better then going without ever having fries again.
I have seen products on television that allowed you to cook things that would normally have to be cooked in a bath of grease and oil with hot air. Air is certainly not going to add fat and calories to your diet. I’m all for healthier ways of cooking our favorite foods.
I never had a chance to try one of these devices until now.
I was sent to review a Philips AirFryer. The device does exactly what it says – it “air fries” whatever you cook inside of it.
So what exactly is air frying and how does it work?
The Philips AirFryer uses a Rapid Air Technology that circulates hot air at high speeds around the food you are cooking. Because the food is being cooked from all sides at the same time it helps to cook foods faster and you don’t have to worry about one side getting overcooked or undercooked.
Some of the foods you can make with the Philips AirFryer do require a smidgen of oil, but other foods do not (I use PAM cooking spray). A tiny bit of oil is much better than an entire pot of oil.
Basically the Philips AirFryer is like a cyclonic wind tunnel that swirls hot air around the food you are cooking.
The Philips AirFryer is easy to use. Simply plug it in, open the “drawer” to reveal the basket, place your food inside the basket, close the “drawer” and set the temperature. The part that the food cooks in can be removed for easy cleaning.
Naturally the first thing we had to try was French fries. 🙂
The Philips AirFryer doesn’t allow me to cook the same amount of fries that I would normally bake. Initially I saw this as a “bad” thing – however I have since changed my mind. When I bake fries I use the entire bag which means I have serving my family much more than a serving size. When I use the Philips AirFryer I am actually serving my family a proper serving size of fries. So aside from not cooking with oil, I am also reducing my family’s caloric intake. A first my kids complained, but after I told them to grab an apple or some baby carrots to make up for the portion size difference they were “OK” with it. Now they don’t even quibble about the portion size.
You can cook and even bake a lot of things in the Philips AirFryer. When I first received it to review I wanted to try cooking everything with it. I’ve used it to make chicken, beef and fish. My daughter especially loves to use it for fish. She’s on a fish “kick” these days and eats fish a few times per week (she loves Salmon). Since the Philips AirFryer is so easy to use my 16 year old can whip up a Salmon filet in no time.
You can even grill and roast in the Philips AirFryer too!
I haven’t tried it to bake with yet. I’m not a good baker to begin with. One day I’ll try baking something in the Philips AirFryer.
You can use a variety of foods in the Philips AirFryer including pre-made foods, foods make from scratch and fresh foods, like vegetables and seafood. Some pre-made foods (like chicken nuggets or chicken patties) seem to cook a lot faster in the AirFryer than in the oven. Other foods, like beef, seem to take a wee bit longer.
Almost anything that can be baked or fried can be prepared in the Philips AirFryer. You can also use it to warm food up (I have done that with leftovers). The trick is to figure out what temperature and time to set it on. It’s a “hit” or “miss” kind of thing that is easy enough to rectify. I start at a lower temperature and/or time and keep checking on what I am cooking and make adjustments when necessary.
Clean up is a snap and the entire device fits perfectly on top of our pantry. It takes up about as much space as a blender or coffee maker. In fact it’s about the same size as the deep fryer we used to own. There is a photo of it (below) next to some rolls of paper towels. As you can see it’s about as tall as a roll of paper towels (just rounder/thicker).
The Philips AirFyer is available in black or white. There are different versions too.
If you would like to learn more visit the Philips website. On the site you can learn about additional accessories you can purchase for your Philips AirFryer (they are not required – they are optional) as well as yummy recipes you can make with your Philips AirFryer.
If one of your resolutions or goals for 2014 was to eat healthier, a Philips AirFryer is certainly going to put you on the right path for healthier cooking.
The Philips AirFryer is available at many retail locations.
Have you tried the Philips AirFryer? Do you have a favorite recipe that you would love to cook in the Philips AirFryer? Feel free to share your comments.
Kimberly
*I received a free sample product in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
molly says
What a great alternative to a deep fryer. Sounds interesting and like you received great results. I may be buying one of these guys! Love kitchen gadgets.
melissa cushing says
Thank you for the fabulous post about this post about air frying! I am definitely looking to buy an air fryer becasue i LOVE fried foods and this is a healthier way to enjoy fried foods… so thank you!