Philips Airfryer Viva Collection - Tried and Tested

I have always wanted a Philips airfryer! Although I have never used one before, I have heard of its ability to fry food using minimal oil, cooking through the circulation of hot air. Moreover, no oily mess would be created throughout the process. It just sounds like the perfect equipment to have in the kitchen for easy and healthy food!

The day has arrived as I finally purchased one for my mum as a Mother's Day gift. This particular model is under the Viva collection (HD9623) which is smaller size with a 0.8kg capacity (as compared to the XL with 1.2kg capacity). Generally, it can serve food for 3 - 4 people. Since my kitchen has limited space, its compact size is perfect for us. We chose the manual knobs control for the temperature and time instead of the touchscreen one. The salesperson has feedback that this manual design is created after several users complained about the touch screen and buttons becoming faulty after some time. 

The airfryer was purchased at Best Denki at a $299 special price. In addition, it came with the complimentary grill plate, baking tin, recipe book, carrying trolley and weighing machine. The weighing machine is part of their promotion upon spending a certain amount on Philips branded items. It is probably good to weigh myself regularly since I would be having more good food cooked by the airfryer!

PRODUCT DESIGN

 
The reason why we hesitated on purchasing a Philips airfryer was because of my mum's complaint that some parts cannot be taken out fully to clean. The problem is solved because for the viva collection, the whole part can be detached for convenience of washing. Even the handle is detachable so you can just wash the oily parts. The base of the frying basket can also be taken off for an easier scrubbing process. 

You may also coil the wire to the back hook of the airfryer so that it does not look messy. The only concern I have is the rather short length of the wire. The wire is so short that I have to either place a stand below my airfryer or use an extension cord. I am not sure whether there is a reason for the short wire but if there isn't, it could be made longer for better ease of use.

THE TRIALS

Homemade Fries`
 

With all the anticipation, the first dish I wanted to try was homemade fries. I did it according to the Philips SG recipe.

     1) First try fries

I used 3 medium size potatoes and sliced them like fries (I believe the fryer can accommodate about 4 and still ensure it has sufficient space). The potatoes were soaked in water for about 40 minutes (at least 30 minutes as instructed). I wondered why this step is required, so I googled and found out that this is done to remove the starch from the potatoes and prevent them from sticking to each other. I read about how it may also affect the crispiness. The slices are then dried with paper towels (but I realized I was not thorough enough) and placed in the frying basket. The airfryer has been preheated at 160°C for 3 minutes. I placed the fries in it at 160°C for 16 minutes. After which, I adjusted the temperature to 180°C for a further 12 minutes. During the 6 minutes mark, I opened the fryer to toss the fries to ensure even cooking

Results:

The potatoes smell really good! But the taste is disappointing because it is barely crispy. After a little while, the fries turned soggy. I felt that this must be because of my half hearted attempt at drying the potatoes.

     2) Second try fries

Using two medium potatoes this time, every step remains the same except that I used a drainer and ensured the fries are pat dry to the best that I can. The fries may turn out better with more space too, I thought. 

Results:

The crisp is definitely better this time but I realized it looks a little too brown. It might be overcooked.

     3) Third try fries

I soaked two potatoes this time but only used half of it for the third try. Dried the potatoes to the best, even airing it for a while. Preheated the airfryer for 3 minutes at 180°C and placed the fries inside for 20 minutes. At 10 minutes mark, I opened it up to toss. The directions are found in this Philips Youtube video. 

Results:

Crispiness is about the same as the second time. I think the duration is better this time as it is less brown with no burnt taste.

    
     4) Forth try fries

The other half of the potatoes were placed in the fridge for another 30 minutes or so. According to the video, she recommended the soaking process in the fridge. Hopefully, with a longer soaking duration and cool water, it may have a better effect on the crispiness. The temperature was set at 180°C and cooked for 20 minutes, just like the third try. 

Result:

Almost the same as third try! Relatively crispy and cooked just right. I guess there is no way to make very crispy fries unless you use frozen fries or deep fry homemade fries? And I suppose there is no need for longer soaking time or cooled water. But for hygiene purposes, it may still be better to pop that soaking potatoes in the fridge.

Best Homemade Fries Recipe- 

Soak sliced potatoes in water for 30 minutes 

Dry potatoes as best as you can

Preheat airfryer 180°C for 3 minutes 

Place potatoes inside for 20 minutes (open to toss at 10 minutes mark) 

Frozen Onion Rings`

     1) First try onion rings

I preheated the airfryer at 200°C for 3 minutes. According to the Philips instruction guide, it states that frozen snacks can be cooked at 200°C. I placed the frozen onion rings, without defrosting, into the frying basket for 10 minutes. After half the time mark, I always open it to toss the onion rings for even cooking.

Results:

Very crispy onion rings! Almost no soft parts. There is a slightly burned taste though.
 

     2) Second try onion rings

I wanted to try cooking it for 8 minutes but have accidentally set it to 180°C instead due to the confusion with homemade fries. So the second batch of onion rings was put in for 8 minutes at 180°C. I am estimating you can put about 15 - 20 pieces each time, without overcrowding.

Results:
It turned out quite crispy, less browned, and rather soft and puffy inside. You can taste the onion more distinctly.

     3) Third try onion rings

This time, I tried 8 minutes at 200°C.

Results:
It is more crispy than the second try, but no longer puffy in the middle. This is not the best taste yet.


     4) Forth try onion rings

Reduced time to 6 minutes at 200°C.

Results:
The crisp is similar to third try, but the inside is slightly puffy and soft.

Best Frozen Onion Rings Recipe-

6 minutes at 200°C (at 3 minutes mark, open to toss)

No defrosting required

Wholemeal Bread Toast`

It does not make sense to use an airfryer to toast your bread but I tried anyway!

     1) First try toast

First, I broke the 2 pieces of bread into halves. They fit just right in one layer if you arrange them properly. The airfryer was preheated to 180°C for 3 minutes first. Then I placed the bread inside to toast for 5 minutes.

Results:
Over crispy - like biscuit.

     2) Second try toast

This time I just place two pieces of bread overlapping each other at the sides. Placed the bread inside to toast for 3 minutes at 180°C.

Results:
The toast is just like how I like it. Well-toasted, crispy and hot enough for the butter to melt on it. However, the overlapped parts are soft. Therefore, it is really not efficient to use an airfryer for toasting because of space constraint.

Best Toast Recipe-

3 minutes at 180°C.  

BENEFITS

What I really like about the product is definitely the convenience and ease of use it provides! You can just put your food in and there's no mess created. No more tough cleaning and mopping of oily floor after every cooking session.

Now you can get to indulge in fried food with little to no oil usage! This is healthier in a sense (although fried food/frozen food is still not the best option). They are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Of course, you have to experiment and get the best timing and temperature.

Other than this, you can have so many creative possibilities of food cooked with the airfryer. Just like Dable Kwan, her love for Philips airfryer inspired her to create dishes and eventually have her own recipe book. Her book features manageable cooking recipes for non professional cooks like me. The process of cooking is much simplified through the use of airfryer.

I will try baking with this airfryer someday. This is sufficient experimentation for now!
I love my (my mother's) Philips Airfryer 💓.

Chrono Trigger - The best game ever

Spoiler Alert!

I am going to write about some interesting aspects of Chrono Trigger and why I love it so much. If you want to experience this game with no prior information, do not continue reading 😆!

I was first introduced to Chrono Trigger by my bf. He has played it 4 times and proclaimed that it is his favourite game! I can see why that is so now. Chrono Trigger is a Japanese created 2D RPG which features cute characters and a fabulous storyline. The graphics of this 16-bit game is beautiful and so retro. The soundtracks created wonderfully complements each theme in the game.

I started the game with no prior knowledge last year August but there were delays in between before I finally completed in March. The game could have been completed faster because it is really addictive when the story starts to unfold!


STORYLINE

The unique storyline is definitely the number one reason that I got hooked on to the game. It starts off with just Crono, the spiky-haired main character (who reminded me of Dragon ball), in the team. At the Millennial fair, he bumped into Marle, who turned out to be the princess. As they checked out the teleportation device created by Crono's friend, Lucca, Marle got sucked into the portal after it reacted with her pendant. Crono then went into the same portal in the attempt to save her new found friend. This is when I realized the surprising element of the game; TIME TRAVEL! The implementation of time travel in the game is so unique and adds a mysterious element as you move along with the narrative.

Traveling from the present (1000AD) to the past (600AD), Marle was found pretending to be the queen because the people mistook her identity. She is, after all, the descendant of the royal family. However, this spells big trouble if the real queen was not rescued because Marle would then not exist in the present. Together with Lucca, who created a gate key to travel through portals at will, and a frog knight, they formed a team to save the real Queen Leene.

Back to the present, things got really funny when Crono was captured for his crime of kidnapping the princess and he went through the trial. That's when I realized how I played my game had an impact on the trial verdict. Apparently, eating the chicken for HP would make Crono a thief, and more likely that he is guilty of his crime. Eventually, Crono escaped prison and together with Marle and Lucca, they entered another portal and arrived somewhere dilapidated and abandoned. Initially, I did not know the exact era until it was displayed on the map (2300AD). NO NO NO the future is a ruined piece of land?? This is the start of the big discovery about the truth.

From the future, Lucca repaired a robot and he became part of the team. When 4 characters travel through the portal, the path to End of Time opens! It is a peaceful place where time is endless. That is also where the characters got to learn MAGIC!

As you continue to play on according to the story, the team travels through other time and places. The Zeal Palace is an era when magic was created and let me tell you, it is an absolutely beautiful place on top of the world! Eventually, you would realize you have an ultimate mission in the game to save humanity. What would that be? Find out yourself 😃. This is also the reason why time travel can happen. Some parts of the story can be quite confusing but it would all fall in place soon.

To fulfill the final mission, the team needs to be strong so you have to continue to upgrade and level up. This is where the side quests can come into play. Each side quest is a small story that enhances the whole plot with more depth and meaning. Since it is free and easy here, it might be harder to figure out what to do (Hint: definitely need to Era-hop several times). But it is also the fun part when you have to think. What happens in the past would impact the future :). There are also interesting mini-games such as car racing with Johnny (2300AD) and drinking contest with Ayla (65 mil BC).

Depending on how you play your game, you would have different endings! According to other online sources, there are 13 different endings! For first time players, I feel that it is better to fully explore the game before you check out how you can get those other endings. One of the endings - Beyond Time, has 5 different variations. I got the one called follow the cat and it is amusing.

GAMEPLAY

In RPG games, there are definitely different kinds of monsters. There's a mushroom monster named Hetake, as in you know, Shitake mushroom! By defeating monsters, you gain tech points and experience. You can choose to use general attack, techs or magic attacks. Tech includes different forms of technique attacks which utilize mana. Both magic and tech attacks are unlocked as you level up. The best part here is that the characters can combine their techs and formed a whole new level of attack.

Some attacks also allow damage on all surrounding monsters (saves time!), hence you can strategize on how to best defeat the enemies effectively while saving on mana. The monsters can move freely in a battle so the time of attack is also crucial for techs that hit monsters near to each other or in a row. Each character can only learn a specific element of magic. For Crono, he learns all lightning magic and I think it is quite linked to why he has sharp standing orange hair.

I also love how the characters have healing and revival skills. This is the reason I must have Marle in the team. At the final battle, my characters died several times due to my lousy gaming skills 😝. If it wasn't for the heal and life power, the game would have been tougher for me. Also due to my weak gaming skills, the option of "wait" battle mode makes it more manageable for me to plan and think of the next step of attack.

Monsters ~
There are no random encounters of monsters! Yay! That can be quite irritating, especially when you are trying to save on health potion and on the way to the inn to rest instead. Also, the monsters generally do not respawn. This is good for people like me who can be really confused about finding the way and ends up returning to the same places.

Among the common monsters lie the big bosses. They are more difficult to defeat but each of them has their own weaknesses and strengths. For me, the fun part is really trying to figure out how to defeat a certain monster by trial and error. That is if you do not read the wiki for Chrono Trigger beforehand (the temptation is strong man). Here is where you may need to swap your characters for their unique abilities to counter the different weaknesses of the bosses. I actually did not realize that I can arrange my team anytime until the next half of the game. One of the stupidest boss is Ozzie! It is a hilarious element of the story, and you get to meet him twice.

Items ~
Treasure chests are everywhere for you to open. Do also look out for twinkly blue stars to get special tabs which you can give to your characters for enhancement. Crono is more of a physical attack person, so you may give him all your power tabs.

The items in the chests include all the types of equipment which the characters may don to increase their power. Some special gears like the Gold Erng can increase health and the Gold Stud can cut down MP usage per attack! I especially love the reduced-MP-usage gear because I can then spam tech or magic attacks! There are also other potions and revival items to be collected for the final battle.

Other than the general wooden chests, there are some black chests along that way that are sealed with a mysterious force. Feels a little scary. It is really interesting when I found out why those chests are sealed close. You may find out why yourself as well!

MUSIC

The best soundtracks for a game are found here! Each track just fits perfectly to each theme. The upbeat tune of the battle theme songs really makes you more excited to fight those monsters.

In the midst of the game, I was amazed by this soundtrack which gives off a serene and blissful feeling! I went to youtube to search for Chrono Trigger songs and I found it; CORRIDORS OF TIME <3. Subsequently, I realized it is the theme song of Zeal Palace. Coupled with the beautiful visuals, I get immersed in the mesmerizing background music!

As I am writing this, the Chrono Trigger playlist on Spotify is playing in my ears. It includes all the remixed versions of the original soundtrack and they are equally perfect.

This sums up all the elements that I liked about the game. It is basically everything - the visuals, the music, the narrative and how the game is supposed to be played. I do not have much experience with other RPG games but Chrono Trigger is a groundbreaking (and forever special) game for me. It has changed my view on games and makes me want to explore more of such games!

Pictures: Screenshots from the game