Philips AirFryer GIVEAWAY: Healthy Eating and Rustic French Fries

Name: Rustic French Fries AirFried
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 kilo red banana potatoes ((yellow interior, waxy variety), sliced in 4 lengthwise); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon Vegeta; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; Salt and pepper

September 14, 2016 by Valerie Lugonja 615 Comments

The Consummate Rustic French Fries: I had to see it to believe it!

A little slow on the uptake, I confess. How about you? Familiar with rapid air technology for the kitchen? Only one tablespoon of oil to fry a kilo of rustic french fries? Accomplished via Rapid Air Technology and this I had to see for myself. I had no frame of reference to wrap my head around such a concept. A vivid reminder of when I purchased my Thermomix machine over 10 years ago. I could not believe all of the features and functions that were claimed possible until I actually saw the machine in action. And, so it is with the Philips AirFryer. I was actually dumbfounded.

I did not expect to find the dense pile of sliced potatoes “crisp on the outside and soft on the inside”. Yet, these rustic french fries were….

The fry is simply broken by hand, and reveals the crisp outer skin created through the cooking.

Above, the rustic french fries are cooked according to the instructions provided with the machine. I have included my own recipe which browns them more and provides a livelier seasoned bite.

Receiving the machine was more of a curiosity as I was a very skeptical recipient. Curious, but skeptical. Forever curious. I could not resist the opportunity to give the Philips AirFryer a try, and the company kindly agreed to offer my readers an opportunity to win one as part of my contract to write a short series sharing my experiences using the appliance.

The agreement? If I liked it, I would do it. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t. Obviously, I cannot promote or endorse something I would not use, or something I am not personally passionate about. Confession: I like it! I like it! So, let’s start at the beginning….

What is Rapid Air Technology?

A heat element above the cooking chamber radiates heat from a close range directly to the food. Radiated heat penetrates deep under the food surface. A large fan above the heater pulls the air upwards toward the cooking chamber, creating a strong vertical air flow. While passing the heater the air is loaded with heat energy. The air is then transported downward through a double wall around the cooking chamber with a minimum loss of heat energy. The air is guided by a special starfish shaped air guide in the bottom that distributes the heat evenly and directs the airflow up in a vertical direction.
The food itself helps to distribute the heat over the contents of the basket. Only the bottom of the basket is open to the air so it has to pass over the food surface where it transfers the heat to the food. The heat reaches all parts of the food even when it is piled up. The combination of radiation from the top and convection from the bottom creates a heat transfer rate that is much higher than that of a convection oven. Simultaneous heating from both sides of the food eliminates the need to turn the food during the cooking process. This mimics the effect that come very close to that of a deep fryer but without the excessive use of oil or grease.

Smart. A little difficult to wrap my head around “frying-wise”. And, as Vanja loves my oven roasted potatoes, potatoes were the perfect first test.

Opening the box, quick instructions, and the scancode for the AirFryer app! I quickly discovered that there is an almost cult-like following for this machine. The owners share everything, are passionate and very focused on healthy eating.

Rustic French Fries: Preparation and Process in the Philips AirFryer

The ultimate potato at our house is the Red Banana Potato from Riverbend Gardens with the yellow waxy interior. They are so delicious roasted. I buy 4 kilos a week! Above is a full kilo.

A great homemade fry must be soaked for a minimum of 30 minutes to remove the starch, keep potatoes from sticking together, and enables maximum crispiness by eliminating sugars. Most will tell you that russet potatoes are the best for frying… which is what I do use when not making a “rustic, skin on” fry, as waxy potatoes don’t offer up the same soft pillowy interior.

After soaking, drain, and pat dry.

The recipe in the come-along-cookbook said one tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

Then, tumble the seasoned potatoes into the AirFryer basket.

And into the machine. The instructions also said 180ºC for 18 minutes, toss, and continue for 12 more minutes – which is exactly what I did.

Above is at the 18 minute toss point for the rustic french fries, and below is at the finish!

Even though the potatoes were piled together, they became crisp in between and were crunchy and delicious.

I do prefer my rustic fries, well – more rustic, so a little more on the overdone side. Therefore, the next time, I upped the temperature to 200ºC and followed the same cooking instructions time wise and was tickled with the results.

I don’t have photos of the darker batch as that isn’t necessary. What is important to note, is that once you follow the instructions, it is easy to adjust the time and temperature to suit your palate.

Look at that gorgeous fry! I also seasoned the second batch more rigorously to suit our palate and that worked, as well! My recipe to follow…. but, first, the giveaway!

The Grand Prize Philips AirFryer Giveaway from Philips Canada!

The giveaway includes the following…. mailed to your home (will take approximately 2 weeks to arrive) after November 25th, 2016!

The Deets for the Philips Viva Collection non-digital AirFryer September 16 to November 25 2016!

Contest closes at 12 midnight MST November 25, 2016 and the winner will be announced the next morning via facebook. twitter, instagram, SnapChat and in the last Philips AirFryer post published Friday, November 4, 2016.

The Deets:

arrangements will be made for the prize package to be mailed to your door by Philips
contest will close at 12 midnight November 25 2016
the winner will be announced November 26, 2016 via email and the winner’s name will be at announced with CONGRATULATIONS at the bottom of the last Philips AirFryer post published Friday, November 4, 2016
all names will go into a hat (this is the way we do it at our house) and my husband will draw the winner; each name will go in for each entry as outlined below
yes, you can enter your name more than once (read below)

To enter the contest, you must do #1 or #2 or #3; the other ideas are opportunities for extra entries:

Write a comment about your healthy eating plan or regular diet on this post, or either of the other two Philips AirFryer recipes that I will be writing (one in October 7, and one November 4, 2016)
OR write a comment about a great recipe you would like to make from this Philips AirFryer Recipe Book instead. (Check it out; there are some incredibly inspiring recipes there.)
OR write a comment about a great recipe you would like to make from the Philips AirFryer Pinterest Page instead
Follow me on Twitter: has to be a new follow to count, sorry
Follow Philips Canada on Twitter @philips, also has to be a new entry to count
Tweet the contest and include @acanadianfoodie and @philips in the tweet so I can count it as an entry in the draw; you can tweet daily (each tweet counts as an entry into the draw): sample tweet (you can use) here: GIVEAWAY: Philips AirFyer Viva @philips by @acanadianfoodie VALUE 250 CA! #healthyeating #healthyholidays http://wp.me/p2OMxc-hSq ENTER NOW
Like my Facebook page: (and I am talking the page, not this post) has to be a new “like” to count, sorry
Like the Philips Facebook page: has to be new to count
Follow me on Pinterest; has to be new to count OR follow one of my boards on Pinterest
Follow me on Instagram; has to be new to count OR comment on the post about the Giveaway on Instagram by referring it to a friend
BONUS: You can get another entry if you share the link to this post and this contest on your own personal Facebook page and include “Valerie McKinney Rodgers Lugonja” in that post with the link; you can do the same with posts Oct 7 and November 4, as well
BONUS: I am NEW NEW NEW to SnapChat, so if you follow me there, that will be worth 1 entry and a comment on the giveaway snapchat will be worth another

NOTE: please make sure you leave an e-mail with your comment below so that I can reach you to let you know if you are the winner, otherwise, you will not win!

That’s an opportunity for A LOT of entries. I hope you take advantage of this opportunity as I KNOW this prize is definitely worth it.

The Short Series of Philips AirFryer Giveaway Posts from A Canadian Foodie Fall 2016

September 2016: Philips AirFryer GIVEAWAY: Healthy Eating and Rustic French Fries
September 2016: Philips AirFryer GIVEAWAY: Healthy Eating and Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Chimichurri Vinaigrette
November 4: 2016: Philips AirFryer GIVEAWAY: Healthy Eating and Tiger Shrimp with Glass Noodle Vegetable Salad

Disclaimer: Have you figured out that this is a sponsored post, yet? It is. Thanks to the Philips Canada for the opportunity to test the AirFryer and introduce my readers to Rapid Air Technology.

Rustic French Fries: My Opinion

Next, I will try the oven fried potatoes I make in the oven. Really, exactly like this, but with the potato cut in half only, instead of quartered. I will need to adjust the cooking time, but have complete faith after my two experiences thus far, that I will master the over fried potatoes in the AirFryer, as well. That will save a lot of oil. The claim is 70% at least less fat on these fries and it is easy to believe once using the machine, yet the taste and eating experience is exceptional. I am, surprisingly, all in. I don’t endorse many appliances or products on my site. I don’t advertise on my site to have control over what is presented here, and do want my readers to have a calm and edifying experience when sitting down to read a post. So, I do have a few other endorsements coming up this holiday season that I hope you will enjoy along with the recipes my family loves. This one is an old standard, and the healthier version is needed as is the conservation of energy as turning on the oven for 30 minutes does use more energy than the AirFryer.

Have you tried one? Do you have one? Do you want one? Are you curious? Of course, I would love to hear from you. That is why I do what I do. To meet like-minded people passionate about the food they feed their families!

4.83 from 35 votes

Rustic French Fries AirFried

The recipe is in the cookbook that comes with the machine, but this one is different and made according to my palate. Like any cooking appliance, if you know how to cook, you make it work for you.

Course Side

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 1 kilo fries

Author Valerie Lugonja via Philips

Ingredients

1 kilo red banana potatoes (yellow interior, waxy variety), sliced in 4 lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Vegeta
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for a minimum of 30 minutes; drain and pat dry
Add oil and seasonings; toss to coat
Place the potatoes in the AirFry basket; set the AirFryer temperature to 200C and the timer for 18 minutes
Toss fries at 18 minutes; reset timer for 12 minutes and continue to fry at 200C
Season, as needed; serve immediately