My husband declared these Air-Fried Hot Wings were a “10 out of 10!” when he came home from the gym and found them in the fridge. It was all I could do to save him some, I think I could have devoured the whole plate. I can’t wait to make more for the Super Bowl on Sunday. And to think they were made without a drop of oil!
Friends from Instagram have been listening to me go on about my exploration of the T-fal ActiFry for the past week. I’m pretty smitten with this versatile “healthier cooking” machine. Read on for the super-easy Hot Wings recipe (I’ve included an oven method too!), the french fries, risotto and granola I also made and the chance to win an ActiFry (a $250 value) of your own! [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED]
Continuing my pursuit of making healthier versions of some of my favorite dishes, I was intrigued by the ActiFry, which bills itself as the “healthy alternative to traditional deep fryers.” Hot air pulses into the ActiFry while a stirring paddle continually moves the food around for even cooking. It’s not “frying” as we traditionally know it, but the end result is food that gets evenly crisped with a scant amount of oil. It takes just one tablespoon of oil to make crispy french fries…that had me intrigued!
Naturally, the very first thing I tried in the ActiFry was french fries (in fact, I may or may not have made the fries within the first hour that the machine arrived at my house). As a french fry connoisseur, I was very pleased with how they came out. The fries were surprisingly crispy, despite the fact that they were cooked in such a small amount of oil. Were they as crispy as traditional fries? Well, no. I’d say they were more comparable to baked french fries, but more tender and with the added benefit of the continuously stirring paddle to keep them from sticking to the pan. These fries were a big hit in our house!
Yup, I made Saffron Risotto with Shrimp and Peas in the ActiFry too. At $250, this would be a pretty expensive french fry machine if that’s all it could do. But no…it has quite a range of capabilities and I set out to explore them. I adapted one of the risotto recipes I found in the recipe booklet to use the frozen cooked shrimp and peas I had on hand. If you’ve ever made traditional risotto you know there’s a bit of stirring involved. The ActiFry’s stirring paddle takes care of that work for you. However, I will say this recipe did begin to push the limits of the machine. The rice seemed to prefer to travel in a group around the ActiFry, rather than remain evenly distributed. As a result, the risotto didn’t come out quite as creamy as I’d prefer. But it was still a tasty one-pot dish that required little active attention.
This crunchy Cherry Almond Granola was another surprise hit. Start to finish, it took less than 15 minutes to make, even while wrangling my kids who were eager to help. They enjoyed measuring and stirring the handful of ingredients – then we poured it all into the ActiFry and let the machine go. Just like with the fries, I appreciated that the stirring paddle kept the granola moving so not one bit of it stuck to the pan (as can easily happen when you bake it in the oven).
** Win a T-fal ActiFry ($250 value)!! ** [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED]
The T-fal company would like to send one lucky Cooking On the Side reader an ActiFry of their own. (By the way, you can also find the ActiFry for sale on Amazon).
Here are four ways to enter, you can do any or all of them (please leave separate comments for each entry):
- Leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite football-watching treat.
- Subscribe to free updates from Cooking On the Side via e-mail or RSS
- “Like” Cooking On the Side on Facebook
- Follow me on Pinterest
The giveaway will close on Monday, February 4 at noon PST. [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED] I will use random.org to select one winner and announce the winner in this post. I will contact the winner via e-mail – if I don’t receive a response within 5 days I will draw another name. My apologies to international readers, the prize can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.
**UPDATE 2/4/2013: Congratulations to our winner, #57 Carole!
Hot Wings
ActiFry method adapted from the Chicken Wings recipe in the ActiFry recipe booklet. Baked method adapted from Bon Appetit.
Prep time: 1 minute (ActiFry); 5 minutes (oven) | Cook time: 30 minutes (ActiFry); 50 minutes (oven) | Total time: 31 minutes (ActiFry); 55 minutes (oven)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for the baked method)
- Buffalo sauce
DIRECTIONS:
ActiFry Method:
- Place the chicken wings in the Actifry and season them with salt and pepper. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Add 1 Actifry Spoon of Buffalo sauce (or more if needed) when there are 3 minutes left.
Oven Method:
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss the wings and the vegetable oil together in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Spread the wing out in a single layer on the prepared rack. Bake wings until cooked through and skin is crispy, 45-50 minutes.
- Toss the wings in Buffalo sauce.
This post and giveaway have been sponsored by T-fal. I received an ActiFry for review and I have been compensated for my time. My opinions are, as always, my own.
Football and hot wings are the best pairing!
I would love to try one of these . . . I have seen them advertised but the price was a bit steep for my budget. My favorite football-watching treat is popcorn!
I subscribe to your blog using RSS . . . loving it so far!!
I just ‘liked’ you on Facebook!
I am following you on Pinterest!
My Fav is cheese sticks and chicken wings, tracietrump@yahoo.com
chips and guacamole!
Email subscriber, tracietrump@yahoo.com
Like on fb as Michelle Trump and my email is tracietrump@yahoo.com
Follow you via pinterest as traciemt, my email is tracietrump@yahoo.com
What a cool giveaway Kathy! I’d LOVE to win this one 🙂
Is beer considered food? Actually, bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeno poppers are one of my favorite football foods, washed down of course with beer!
PS: I already subscribe to your blog, and I liked you on FB and am following you on Pinterest – you rock!
I love munching on homemade guacamole and chips!
I subscribe via Google Reader.
I like you on Facebook!
Um, now I feel like I need one of those in my life! I really like any kind of dip and nachos the best.
I love seven-layer dip!
I follow you on PInterest
Ooo! My favorite SuperBowl snack is jalapeno poppers!
I subscribe through Google Reader too!
I love munching on popcorn while watching football.
Wings are great and would normally be my preferred choice but I’m going with burgers and fries this year. The burgers will be simple: well seasoned ground pork patties, bacon, ketchup, and sweet relish on homemade french bread buns. The fries will be baked but I haven’t decided on whether they’ll be seasoned potato fries or sweet potato fries.
Ok, I’m really curious about this “air fry” method and I’d like to win the free one, please! 😉 Our traditional Superbowl food is Cajun – usually jambalaya and we often have Crawfish Monica shipped from NOLA, or Adam did some experimenting and googling to find a homemade substitute (it gets close). I guess I’m always rooting for the Saints so the big game will stick with our theme!
Wings are the best!
I subscribe to you on my Google RSS
I love nachos & a guacamole dip.
I Subscribe to free updates from Cooking On the Side via e-mail under kellywcuATyahooDOTcom
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WINGS, of course!!! When I saw this on your Pinterest (I was already following you), I was blown away. Being the foodie that I am, I have tried countless ways of making wings, healthy and not-so-healthy, not to mention countless football foods. From beer cupcakes, to French dip bites. I cannot WAIT to try this!!
I’ve turned into a popcorn fan because it’s more healthy than the potato chips I adore.
I love chips and guacamole with football!
I like Cooking On the Side on facebook!
following on pinterest, username jfong1130
Football and hot wings are the best pairing!
It’s gotta be hot wings for me!
I subscribe through google reader to Cooking on the side
I follow you on Pinterst
We used this in my nutrition program at college to make stew, rice pudding, mushroom stir fry and caramelized onions. It’s an amazing machine for sure. Enjoy your toy!
hot wings and chips and dips
Jalapeno Poppers!
This looks awesome!! I’m trying to keep up a healthier diet and this would be awesome to make our own wings with.
mmm now I want wings.
Popcorn is my favorite to eat during a game.
buffalo wings, always.
My favorite football treat is Cincinnati style chili dip with sour cream and cheese.
This is something new to me….
I LOVE pampered chef’s layered Mexican dip the best.
I love so many – but pulled pork is definitely up there!
I subscribe via RSS
I like you on Facebook.