Healthy eating is very important to my family. Sure we like to indulge – I mean come on who doesn’t love a basket of french fries or some fried chicken every now and again. But like most moms, I want the best for my two growing boys. I recently got the new Philips Avance XL Airfryer, which makes cooking homemade meals quick and easy.

The Philips Airfryer is designed to be an all-in-one “Five Ways of Cooking” appliance. Many of the advertisements for the Airfryer show “french fries” and “chicken nuggets” being cooked with no oil, however the Airfryer can do so much more! Yes, my kid’s do eat their fair share of fries and chicken nuggets, but this is usually reserved for Birthday parties or a special McDonald’s outing – we rarely eat that at home. Now that I have the Airfryer I decided to put it to the “SuperMommy test” with some of my own creations and see if these “five ways of cooking”  with just “air” and “no oil” really are legit.

Method 1: Air-Fry

Being very health conscious (and not to mention still holding on to a few post-pregnancy pounds) we rarely fry anything in our house. The Phillip Airfryer’s unique “Rapid Air” technology enables you to fry food with air so that it is crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. Using the Airfryer I decided to “air-fry” some homemade Spicy Chicken Spring-Rolls.

Air-Fry Results: I air-fried the spring rolls at 200 C° for 8 minutes. Since these were air-fried, I did not use my traditional wok with “oil” as I normally would to fry spring-rolls, hence there was no smoke or oil smell permeating through my house (I hate that lingering smell)! The spring-rolls in the Airfryer came out crispy and golden brown on the outside. The taste was good, not as good as eating those greasy restaurant spring rolls (guess I like the taste of oil), but definitely healthier and something I will make again in the Airfryer at home.

Method 2: Air-Bake

We do bake a variety of foods in our house, both main dishes and yummy desserts. Now why would you use the Airfryer when you have an oven? Well for starters, the Airfryer requires less energy and doesn’t heat up your entire kitchen – we all know Singapore is already a tropical climate, the last thing we want is to make our house any hotter! Also, you can make much smaller portions in the Airfryer. I usually feel very guilty when I have to turn on my huge oven to make just one tiny quiche or baked dish for the kids.

I decided to use the Airfryer to “air-bake” a one serving portion of baked Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese.

Air-Bake Results: I air-baked the mac & cheese at 140 C° for 15 minutes in a 5 inch dish. The cheese was melted on the outside with a nice brown layer, but the inside was still gooey and soft. The taste was exactly identical to using my oven. The 5 inch dish was the right amount (with a little to spare) for my 4 year old son’s dinner. I am definitely going to use the Airfryer, instead of my oven to make this again.

Method 3: Air-Grill

We grill a lot of things in our house using a small stove top grill pan. I decided to use the Airfryer to “air-grill” something really simple and that most people might actually eat at home, a Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwich.

Air-Grill Results: I air-grilled the ham & cheese sandwich at 200 C° for 5 minutes. The outside came out very crispy and toasted with a nice all over brown color. The inside ham was thoroughly warmed with the cheese melting – exactly how it should be. I didn’t have to flip, turn or rotate the sandwich. It was the same color on both sides. I was quite impressed with how quick and easy it was to make a toasted sandwich in the Airfryer.

Method 4: Air-Roast

We don’t really roast many things at our house. But for purposes of this SuperMommy test I decided to get creative and “air-roast” a Tandoori Style Whole Roasted Chicken.

Air-Roast Results: I air-roasted the whole chicken, wrapped in foil, at 180 C° for a total of 1 hour and 10 minutes. Since the Airfryer Avance XL has a 1.2kg capacity the whole chicken fit neatly into the basket with still a little room to spare. I did open the Airfryer a few times to check and see if the chicken was cooked – opening the Airfryer in the middle of cooking was easy and did not effective the digital timer or cooking temperature. The chicken came out AMAZING! It was crispy on the outside and very juicy and tender on the inside. I will definitely roast a whole chicken in the Airfryer again. It was very simple to make, took very little effort and looked impressive when finished.

Method 5: Air-Gratinate

Gratinating a dish is basically cooking food in a savory juice or sauce until it is absorbed and a crisp surface forms. I decided to “air-gratinate” Creamed Spinach Gratin (one of my husband’s favorites).

Air- Gratinate Results: I air-gratinated the spinach dish at 180 C° for 15 minutes in a 7inch dish. It was nice and brown on the outside. The inside was still cheesy and moist. Using the Airfryer to make this dish was quick and easy. I will be using the Airfryer to gratinate my food in the future.

SuperMommy’s Overall Impression of the Philips Airfryer Avance XL:  To start with, when I first got the Airfryer I wasn’t really sold, I thought “Do I really need another device to clutter my kitchen? I don’t even eat fried food!”  But honestly speaking the Philips Airfryer Avance XL is great! It serves so many purposes. It is easy to clean in the dishwasher and you are able to cook a variety of dishes quickly and with little effort and micromanagement. Also, the big 1.2 kg capacity is just the right size to make a meal for my family. It is also really easy to use, especially with the digital screen for time and temperature. What I like best about the Airfryer  is that it helps me make healthy, but still delicious food with less oil and very little effort. Definitely a good appliance to have in my kitchen!

This product was received at no charge to review. No compensation was paid for this post. All opinions and comments are 100% my own.

-xoxo-
SuperMommy