I first saw the Tefal Actifry on one of the shopping channels, and I thought it was over priced (around £200 at the time) for something that just makes healthy chips. However, I went to the Good Food Show and they had a stand showing the other things you can cook with the Actifry and I was enticed.

So what is the Actifry? It is an alternative to the traditional deep fat fryer, it requires just one small spoon of cooking oil and it will cook your chips with the heat it provides as well as mixing them to ensure they are evenly cooked.

I paid £120 for my Actifry and had it just cooked chips I don't think I would have bought it but it can also be used to cook chicken, I tend to throw in the chicken some chopped onions and mushrooms and a few spoons of creme fraiche and in half an hour my tea is ready. You can use it for pretty much anything you would normally fry and because of the little amount of oil required it provides the healthy option should you want it.

The Actifry has a removable tray which unclips for easy washing. Far less messy than a chip pan and it also smells a lot better!

The only negatives I have found are firstly the noise and when cooking small items (e.g. chopped bacon) they often stick together.