REVIEW: PHILIPS AIRFRYER HD9216/81

I bought this unit last year – in an attempt to eat more healthily. But all I use it for was to prepare frozen food such as French fries and pizza. LOL! But thanks to Movement Control Order (Started on 18 March 2020) which forced everyone to stay home and eat-in, I rediscovered this piece of amazing cooking appliance again! 

I started to cook poultry, meat and fish. And before I know it, I joined almost every airfryer recipes groups on FB available in Malaysia and global. I am amazed by how the airfryer changed the process of frying, using a little oil as possible. Philips unique Rapid Air Technology lets you fry with air to make food that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. 

Like everything else you purchase, you get what you pay for. I chose Philips, a brand that I am familiar with and has a good track record for making quality appliance. After comparing prices on online shopping platforms, I settled with Philips Airfryer HD9216 for RM399 during a sale from Lulu Hypermarket KL. I wanted something “branded”, entry-level and affordable. As a bonus, it came with two baking tins – 6” and 4” free of charge.

A chicken chop ready to be grilled! 

After using the Philips Airfryer HD9216 extensively for two months during the MCO, I can conclude that I am very happy with my purchase. The more I cook with it, the more that I fall in love with what it can do. 

Here are some of the things I like about it:

1) The size is perfect for me since I am cooking for myself. I think this model is suitable for singles or a small family. If you have to cook for more than 3 persons, it is advisable for you to get a bigger model.

2) Easy to use. There are only two dials on this appliance – the manually adjustable time and temperature control. Pop your food into it, set the temperature, set the time and go do the things you want to do while waiting for it to cook. Once the pre-set time is reached, it will be automatically turned off along with a "ready" sound indicator. Ding! Gone were the days where you must stand next to the hot stove slaving over your food. 

3) Versatile – you can fry, grill, roast and even bake. Simply a space-saving one-stop solution for all of your meals.

4) Deep-frying redefined. It saves time and allows me to enjoy some deep-fried snacks like keropok lekor and hashbrown without a mess. Don't have to deal with a wokful of oil after cooking.

Cons: 

1) The only downside that I could think of it, there is no OFF button. If your food is overcook before the pre-set time is reached, you have to cut off the electric supply by turning off the switch, take your food out and let the timer goes by itself.

2) There is some fried food that it can’t handle well like food with batter – causes dripping and food get stuck to the wire basket; small and light food like ikan bilis – the Rapid Air Technology will send them flying in the unit; and keropok / fish cracker – other than flying in the unit for being too light, it just won’t expand like how it should when you deep-fried it in the oil. You just have to go back to the conventional deep-frying method. 

VERDICT: Fried food with less oil is not a myth anymore. What a great invention. The Philips Airfryer HD9216 really makes cooking simpler, better and more enjoyable! I am very satisfied with it. Impressive ease of use and versatility. Two thumbs up!

For more info about PHILIPS Airfryer HD9216/81, please click HERE.

Note: This is not a sponsored post.