Fry in the Sky with the Optimum HealthyFry: Air Fryer Review

It’s a new year and I have a new piece of equipment in my kitchen. It’s an ab fab air fryer: the Optimum HealthyFry. What a great way to Jumpstart January.

I like a plate of chips as much as anyone else, but I’ve never had or used a deep fat fryer. There are a number of reasons for this: I don’t like the mess or the waste of oil and I prefer my home cooked food to be as nutritious as possible. So an air fryer sounds like an intriguing way around the problem.

The Optimum HealthyFry

The Optimum HealthyFry is a rapid air fryer and uses pressure-cooking technology to cook food quickly and seal in the goodness. Hot air circulates to heat the ingredients from all sides to ensure speedy and even cooking at lower temperatures than you might otherwise use. It may not be frying in the sky exactly, but the fryer is raised a little which helps the hot air to circulate and heat the ingredients from all sides.

Key Specifications

• 2.5 litre cooking capacity
• digital screen with touch screen interface
• time and temperature control up to 60 minutes and 200℃
• automatic shut-off
• basket and drawer are aluminium with non-stick coating.
• 1400 watts
• dimensions are 310 x 270 x 326 mm and weight is 5.45 kg
• includes easy to use manual and 15cm non-stick cake tin

Can It Really Fry?

The air fryer needs little in the way of oil to make fab chips. I’ve tried it, er, a few times now! A scant two teaspoons of olive oil for two bowls of, crispy on the outside fluffy on the inside, chips and only eighteen minutes from start to finish. CT reckoned they tasted as good as the chips at our local chippie and they make particularly good ones.

You can also add whatever flavourings you like. Watch out for my upcoming post for rosemary chips. They are so good. I’ve made sweet potato fries too. Just don’t mention the acrylamide!

Unlike frying foods conventionally, this air fryer feels very safe to use. No spitting hot fat, or even worse, forgetting you’ve left the chip pan on a hot stove. Many a house fire is started by such an oversight. The timer switches off the appliance at the end of the cooking time and the heating element turns off automatically if the cooking basket is removed. I can safely get distracted by something else – phew!

I made a very quick video to show the digital display whilst chips are cooking. It’s my first youtube video ever, so please be gentle with me 😉

Can You Use The HealthyFry As an Oven?

Don’t be fooled by the name HealthyFry; there is far more to this piece of kit than a means of frying food in a healthier way. It also acts as a mini oven. You can use it to defrost, grill, roast and bake. It even comes with a cake tin. Strangely, making a cake in it was one of the first things I did. The resulting chocolate banana cashew cake was one of the best cakes I’ve made and it was vegan too.

Because I don’t like having to heat up a large oven to cook small items, this is one of the main benefits of the Optimum HealthyFry for me.

It compares well with other leading air fryer appliances, although no recipes are included. As well as cooking foods quickly, the air fryer is easy to use and even I figured out how to use the touch screen digital display quickly. There are some pre-set programmes for such things as chips, but time and temperature can easily be adjusted or even set from scratch.

A Fabulous Piece of Kit

I’m rather in love with my new Optimum HealthyFry air fryer. This is because it’s not only easy to use, it’s easy to clean too. The inner basket detaches easily and can be washed in the sink or dishwasher along with everything else. You can just wipe the drawer with a damp cloth, unless any food has stuck to it. In this case, soak in warm soapy water for ten minutes with the basket inside it.

The only downside I can find, apart from the lack of recipes, is trying to find some space for it in my kitchen. Like many appliances, it’s unlikely to get used if it’s not easily accessible. Having said that, it comes with an attached handle for easy portability.

Recipes Using The Optimum HealthyFry Air Fryer

• Baba ganoush
• Carrot falafel
• Chocolate lime cake
• Lavender honey cake
• Roasted oca
• Rosemary chips

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you have an air fryer, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

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If you’d like more equipment reviews, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.

Choclette x

 I was sent a Froothie HealthyFry to try, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for your support of the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.