Tefal Actifry – a fabulous appliance to have

May 2013 – Linen Chest, a chain of store in Canada, is having a new contest.   Actually it is their first ever Pin It and Win It contest especially created to celebrate Mother’s Day.   The contest was simple.  All I had to do was to like their contest page, follow their Pinterest account, pin the items I really like from their Mother’s Day Contest, and voilà.    Since I had a Pinterest account, I pinned a few things in a board with my wish list of things I would like to have.   Once I was done I sort of forgot about it…

Mother’s Day came and went by.   Fast forward to two weeks ago and I realized that I have a message in my junk folder.   As I check it out I realized that I won the prize for the contest – a 250$ gift card at Linen Chest.  All I had to do was to let them know which store was closest to me.   I emailed them and waited for their reply.

Meanwhile, I wondered what we could purchase… New towels?  Costco has better prices on these.  New small appliances?   Our toaster is slowly dying on us but it is still working…   My husband told me about a small appliance that he had looked at and thought would be great to have – the Tefal Actifry.   That evening, we sat down, read about the Actifry and watched some videos on youtube of recipes done with it.    Let me tell you that the price tag on this specific item is high but after we saw what it was we agreed that we would get the family size Actifry with the gift card I won and pay the difference.    We looked at various prices online with Costco being the cheaper one.   Knowing that Linen Chest would match the price and give an extra 10% off on the difference, we printed the Costco page and planned to go when we get the confirmation that the card was ready.

The next day I received an email telling me the card was ready to be picked up.  That evening after supper time, my husband and I went to Linen Chest, picked up the card, went to get the Tefal Actifry family size and purchased it.   To top it off, the item was on sale (compared to their online price), the cashier brought the price down for the Costco print out and we got the 10% off the difference.   Let me tell you that I have never spent a gift card that fast before.   As we drove back home, I looked at my husband and asked if we would try it right away.   He agreed we could do a small batch of fries to try it.

That evening, we had the best fries ever…

What is the Tefal Actifry?

Actifry is a healthy multi cooker.   It can cook everything in it from meats to vegetables including desserts.     The best part is that it is low fat cooking at its best.  The best advantage of the machine is that it greatly reduces the amount of oil used.   With one spoonful of oil you can cook 1.5 kg of French fries.  It uses a pulsating heat system and a stirring paddle to make tasty homemade meals.   The Actifry also has a timer which can be set for up to 99 minutes.   And it is easy to wash!   The pan is removable, along with the lid, paddle, spoon and filter.   Each of these can be easily disassembled, wash and put back together for your next meal.

Since then, we have made stir fries and other creations with it.   Sometimes we follow a recipe from the recipe book that was included in the box, on the internet or on youtube.    Other times we are simply creative – like the time my husband decided to make turnip fries – turned out it was fabulously delicious!  Even my soon-to-be twelve years old son is able to use it…

Let’s makes French fries together.

Cut about 3 lbs of potatoes.

Put 1 spoon full of oil.

Close the lid

Program 45 minutes on the Actifry.

Let cook and voilà!  Delicious warm French fries that cost a fraction of the price of those you buy at a chip stand…  Besides you reduce you don’t have to use the propane on your RV to cook them!

This small jewel is definitively something we will bring with us while we go camping or go on a vacation.   It is simple to use, makes mouth-watering meals and allows us to have a bigger variety of food at the RV.   Between you and me, I must admit that we don’t use the oven in our RV often.  Why?  Well it is a bit small for a family of six to be honest.   We use the BBQ more often or sometimes cook on the stove but the space is limited and even the top of the stove is not the best.    The Tefal Actifry is opening new possibilities for us when we go camping or on vacations.   For example, sometimes during the summer we would send one or two kids with money at the restaurant at our RV campsite in order to get a French fries for a meal we are preparing.  But they charge quite a bit of money for a family size not to mention that the fries are cooked in a large quantity of oil.  Having this amazing small appliances with us will save us money, allow us to make fabulous meals like stir fries and fajitas and have the best fries on the campground when we fell like it.

I seriously think that this small appliance can have a place of honors in your RV.   As I mentioned the price tag can be pricey for some people but in the end I think you could save by using it on a regular basis.    Besides it has tremendous health benefits for people who deal with diabetes.  The product has been supported by the Canadian Diabetes Association which considers the Actifry as a better way of cooking.   There are two sizes available on the market, one smaller for 2-4 people and one bigger for up to 6 people.    You can find online distributors on the buy online page.

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptic at first because of how much it is priced.  But after watching youtube videos and using it numerous times in the past two weeks – it has a permanent spot on our countertop at home right now – I am very pleased with our purchase.  I have to thank Linen Chest for the marvelous gift card I won through their contest.   It was a blessing to be selected as their winner of their first ever Pin It and Win it contest.   The Actifry is definitively going to be part of our camping adventures from this day forward.