PRODUCT REVIEW: Russell Hobbs Purifry Health Fryer

<p>The Purifry cooks by circulating & blasting hot air onto food. The manual suggests it cooks vegetables, meat, and even cakes. Hang on... this is sounding very much like an oven isn't it?</p> <p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4621251780.png" width="461" height="307" alt="" title=""/></p> <p></p><p>The cooking basket has a 2 litre capacity and requires no oil in order to cook food (some of their recipes suggest a teaspoon of oil). It can reach 200c and I found upon setting the heat, it was ready within five minutes - very quick, albeit noisy.</p><p></p><p>Firstly, I used the Purifry for sweet potato chips. Ready in fifteen minutes, they were marginally superior to those from an oven. They came out slightly charred, crispy but soft inside. Following the manual I made onion rings - appearing nothing like usual onion rings, but were crunchy with no grease.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Initial cake making in the Purifry was highly unsuccessful. It erupted coming out looking more Mary Scary than Mary Berry. I was already dubious when the recipe stated to dent the center of the batter- riddle me this, how can you make a dent in liquid?</p><p></p><p></p><p>Not one to be defeated, I tried again once I'd stopped sulking post-failure. Second attempt was just as awful, so abandon the cake making and in turn due to an overall underwhelming experience, abandon the Purifry altogether. </p><p></p><p></p><p>It sits on your worktop looking like Eve from Disney's Wall-E, with the name “Purifry” but essentially being an oven, even the product doesn't know what it is. The design wants to be “minimalist” but is chunky, not ideal for small spaces, and despite its price (RRP 149.99), looks cheap.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Chips and onion rings were a pleasure to eat from the Purifry, yes - but I hardly ever cook these normally.</p><p></p><p></p><p>The outcome is not substantially better for me to change my cooking dynamics and use the product any further, and my oven/hob method with meat & veg is already successful and healthy.</p><p></p><p></p><p>This product would probably benefit those that need chips and need them now. As a home cook I am uncertain of an instance I would require the use of the Purifry. Ever.</p><p></p><p></p><p>PROS</p><p>Minimal use of oil (0-1 tsp)</p><p>Faster heating & cooking than an oven </p><p>Safety timer with auto switch off </p><p></p><p>CONS</p><p>Identity issues (fryer or oven?)</p><p>Cake calamity</p><p>It's hideous.</p><p>http://uk.russellhobbs.com/ </p><p>RRP £149.99 (although available from £82 if you shop around)</p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://uk.russellhobbs.com/">http://uk.russellhobbs.com</a></p><p>RRP £149.99 (although available from £82 if you shop around)</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.thegayuk.com/JordanLohan">by Jordan Lohan</a></p><p> </p>