Bolognaise and Chips in the Tefal Actifry Family Express XL

I've been using my Tefal Actifry for a few months now, and I have to say that it's one of the most used small kitchen appliances that I've ever owned. We regularly enjoy eating healthy chips, wedges or roast potatoes that have been made completely fuss-free. It's so easy to use that the kids can use it too, and when I take Jack for his swimming lesson I ask one of the older children to set an alarm for 5.45pm as a reminder to turn it on so that we have chips ready for when we get home.

Up until now we've only had the 1kg machine, which I do have a tendency to overload to make sure there is enough to go around the hungry brood. Recently Ideal World got in touch to ask if I would like to try out one of the Tefal Actifry Family Express XL machines, as part of their Easter celebrations.

This machine is ideal for our family; with it's 1.5kg capacity I can cook more than enough chips for all of us without overloading it. For a midweek dinner I decided to try something that I haven't tried in the Actifry before, but something we love eating - bolognaise. The advantage of making it in the Actifry is that you can add all the ingredients at the beginning, set the timer for 25 minutes and just leave it, without the need to keep stirring.

As far as I can see, Tefal have made a few improvements to this model that differ from the 1kg Actifry that I had previously :

• the bowl no longer has a hole in the middle and is instead raised up in the centre, which means there is no risk of leakage into the base of the fryer if it's used without the paddle
• the paddle has just one button to release it easily from the bowl, whereas previously it was necessary to hold it on both sides, which could be a little fiddly, especially when hot 
• the lid has a large transparent viewing window making it easier to view the food cooking without needing to open the lid
• the Express Technology means that chips take around 5-10 minutes less than previously - which makes all the difference when you have hungry kids!
• Once the programmed time has ended, cooking stops, unlike the older model that keeps cooking - if you don't hear the alarm your food may overcook

Beef Bolognaise in the Tefal Actifry - serves 4/5

1 tbsp olive oil

500g lean beef mince

100g onions, chopped

100g peppers, sliced

100g mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 400g can of chopped tomatoes

• Add all the ingredients to the Actifry
• Set the timer for 25 minutes and turn it on

The dish isn't as saucy as it would be if you cooked it in a pan, but it's no less delicious ,and is great served with freshly cooked pasta.

I also cooked a batch of chips (using just one spoon of Olive oil for the whole pan) in the new Actifry in just 30 minutes, and doused them in plenty of salt and vinegar, just for research purposes of course.

These dishes are also suitable for Weight Watchers filling & healthy, if you use 5% fat beef mince, and take the olive oil from your daily allowance.

The Tefal Actifry Express XL is available from Ideal World TV

Their  ‘Great Easter Giveaway’ launches on the 2nd April - #Easters4Sharing

Pancake Stacks

Did you know that it's Pancake Day next Tuesday? I can't really miss it, there are pancakes everywhere, everyone is going pancake mad, and if you can't beat them then why not join them! There are so many pancake possibilities, both sweet and savoury. 

We prefer our pancakes stacked, with lots of sauce and toppings. Here are two flavours that we've enjoyed this week - Rocky Road and Maple Cinnamon.

They were supposed to be buttermilk pancakes but unfortunately Asda let me down with the online shop and substituted the buttermilk with whole milk! Instead I added a little lemon juice to semi skimmed milk which thickens it up a little.

 

Rocky Road Pancakes - makes 4

125ml semi skimmed milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 egg

100g self raising flour

2 tsp cocoa powder

mini marshmallows, chopped nuts & chocolate chips

1 tbsp Nutella

• Add the lemon juice to the milk and mix well, leave for a few minutes until thickened up
• Beat in the egg
• Add the flour and cocoa powder to a large bowl
• Whisk in the liquid ingredients until just combined (small lumps are ok)
• Heat some oil in a pan (not necessary if you are using a Tefal Jamie Oliver Fry Pan like me)
• Spoon some batter into the pan & cook until air bubbles start to appear
• Sprinkle a small amount of marshmallows, chopped nuts & chocolate chips onto the pancake
• Spoon some more pancake batter to cover the toppings
• Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for a minute or two
• Repeat with the remaining mixture
• To make the chocolate sauce mix the Nutella with a little boiling water & spoon over the stack of pancakes - serve by cutting slices

Maple Cinnamon Pancakes - makes 7/8

150ml semi skimmed milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp Maple syrup

1 egg

100g self raising flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Maple syrup for serving

• Add the lemon juice to the milk and mix well, leave for a few minutes until thickened up
• Beat in the egg & maple syrup
• Add the flour and cinnamon to a large bowl
• Whisk in the liquid ingredients until just combined (small lumps are ok)
• Heat some oil in a pan (not necessary if you are using a Tefal Jamie Oliver Fry Pan like me)
• Spoon some batter into the pan & cook until air bubbles start to appear
• Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for a minute or two
• Repeat with the remaining mixture
• Serve a stack of pancakes with maple syrup

I was provided with the Tefal Jamie Oliver pan to use for my pancake recipes

Tefal currently have a Pancake Selfie app - why not bake yourself into a pancake - try it out here.

Pancake Day with Tefal

Yes, yes, I know it's not Pancake Day just yet but when Tefal sent me some fab new frying pans to try out they were crying out for pancakes to be made in them straight away.

I received three different pans :

26cm Tefal Jamie Oliver Anniversary Frypan 

With a 10th anniversary pattern on the base of the pan and Thermo-Spot heat indicator, hard non-stick surface and durable enamel exterior.

24cm Tefal Superior Frypan

With an Intensium non-stick surface, anti-warp base, Therno-Spot heat indicator, comfort grip handle, safe for metal handles and designed to last up to 2 x longer.

28cm Tefal Ingenio Frypan

With a removable and interchangeable handle making the pan suitable for using on the hob, in the oven, on the table and in the fridge. The removable handles make these pans easy to store. They also feature the Thermo-Spot heat indicator and are suitable on all heat sources including induction.

I wanted to make some American style pancakes as Jack had his friend around for tea and thought the Ingenio pan would be more suited to this due to the large flat surface. The Thermo-Spot turns to solid red when the pan has reached temperature and is ready to cook and due to the Titanium non stick coating it wasn't necessary for any oil to be added to the pan and the pancakes cooked beautifully, and I was really impressed with it.

Afterwards the pan just needed a quick wipe around to clean it, although it can be cleaned in a dishwasher if necessary (however this isn't recommended to prolong the life of the pan).

American Style Pancakes

225g SR Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

300ml milk

40g caster sugar

25g butter, melted

• Mix all the ingredients together until smooth
• Heat the Tefal non stick frying pan (no oil required for cooking)
• Drop large spoonful of batter into the pan (I made 3 pancakes at a time)
• Cook for a couple of minutes, until golden brown, on each side

We'll be putting the other pans through their paces before pancake day and in the meantime you can get some pancake inspiration from the Tefal Pancake Pinterest board.

I was sent the pans for the purpose of review