Weekly Daily Giz Wiz – Week of April 2nd, 2012, Netcast 1359

The International Home and Housewares Show took place in Chicago, March 11^th to 13^th this year. For those reporters who couldn’t attend, a PR agency arranged for a local NYC event that featured many Housewares that were shown in Chicago.

T-Fal’s ActiFry has been around a while, but sells very well. (New, however, is being able to get one in black, as shown at the left.) ActiFry cooks food evenly thanks to the stirring paddle and the pulse heat system. It's best known for using very little oil, about a tablespoon, and cooking up to two pounds of food while evenly distributing the oil on each piece. No pre-heating is required and it's hands-free cooking. To make French Fries in ActiFry, place 2 pounds of freshly cut French fries into the removable pan. Then drizzle 1 tablespoon of your preferred oil over the potatoes (which is up to 200% less oil than might be used), and set the timer. The ActiFry does the rest. A spokesperson said it takes 25 to 35 minutes for the French fries to cook, depending on how crispy you want them. Set timer and wait for the alarm to signal the end of the cooking cycle. You'll have real French fries that only contain 3% fat, vs. 16-18-percent fat in a regular fryer. Plus, there’s no oil to store or reuse. It's also makes a variety of dishes such as meats, poultry, risotto, seafood, granola, & desserts. At the Housewares NYC event, I had chicken with cut asparagus, fava beans and sprouts. It was delicious and healthy. ActiFry has a steam free lid and viewing window so you can keep an eye on your food while it's cooking. The automatic lid opens at a push of a button and clean up should be a breeze because the removable pan, lid, paddle, and tablespoon are all dishwasher-safe. MSRP is $249.99, but do a web search for the best price. You should be able find it at many places for $50 to $70 less.

http://www.tefal.com/All+Products/Cooking+appliances/Fryers/Products/ActiFry/Actifry.htm

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1359