For the love of French Fries

I never met a French fry I didn’t like — even the little soggy guys at the bottom of the bag are fair game. Despite my obsession, I’ve limited my membership in the fry fan club because I know how unhealthy they are — but all that oil is what makes ‘em taste good, right? Wrong. Starting this fall, T-Fal is laying the smackdown on the French fry franchise with the U.S. launch of the ActiFry.

Already popular in Europe, the ActiFry is a “fast-slow cooker” designed to make healthy meals while minimizing the use of oil. Its claim to fame is that it can cook two pounds of fresh-cut French fries using only one tablespoon of oil, which effectively brings the fat content down to 3%, as compared with 9% in a conventional oven, 14% in a standard deep fryer and nearly 16% at fast food chains.

Jed