Few people dislike deep-fried food – it’s crispy and delicious. The appeal can’t be denied, but neither can the simple truth that deep frying isn’t an especially healthy choice. What if there were a better way? As it happens, there is – the Tefal Precision EY5058 air fryer fries food quickly, consistently – and uses little to no oil, and in this review, we’ll explore everything this leading air fryer has to offer.
Tefal Easy Fry EY5058 Key Features
- Requires up to 80 percent less oil
- Ideal for families and large groups
- High capacity in a compact design
- Wide temperature range of 80° to 200°C
- Fries almost anything
- Includes 8 presets plus manual control
- 60-minute digital timer for worry free cooking
- Air Pulse technology cooks food evenly
- Easy to clean
- Auto-shutoff cuts power when fryer is opened
- Sleek, modern design
- Made by Tefal, an established name in kitchen appliances
Tefal Easy Fry – Healthier Cooking at the Touch of a Button
The Tefal EY5058 typically uses up to 80 percent less oil than a conventional deep fryer – and it’s possible to air fry many foods without any oil at all. That provides a big advantage: less oil means fewer calories, and significantly decreased exposure to unhealthy compounds formed when food is deep-fried. Air fryers are safer, too—there’s no risk of splashing yourself with hot oil. And when you’re done cooking, the TefalEY5058’s basket and grid can be lifted out of the fryer, letting you drain any excess oil away.
Tefal’s Small Footprint, Large Capacity
With a 4.2-litre capacity, the Tefal Easy Fry Precision EY5058 is a step up from the EY201840, and can air-fry up to six servings of food at a time, making it the ideal appliance for feeding families, large groups – or simply preparing meals ahead of time.
Better yet is the relatively compact design: a footprint of only 27.8 cm (less than one foot) allows the fryer to fit on even a cramped kitchen counter. Perhaps Tefal took a cue from modern urban design, and decided to build up, not out.
Preset Menus and Manual Control
With 8 preprogrammed menus, in addition to manual control, the Tefal EY5058 (previously EY401840) is the little fryer that could. Actually, it’s the big fryer that could—but we digress. Choose from fries, cutlet, shrimp, cake, pizza, fish, grill and roast settings, or dial in your own temperature and cooking duration. For the most part, the 60-minute digital timer and 80 to 200-degree temperature range make this a set-and-forget appliance, though some foods require a bit of shaking halfway through the cooking cycle.
Presets make air-frying simple, but if they don’t work for you, just dial in the settings, using the touch-sensitive, top-mounted buttons. Some people prefer tactile, analogue controls, but the advantage of the EY401840’s flat buttons is that they can be easily wiped down—there’s nowhere for dirt or grease to hide.
Tasty Fries When You Want Them—Cooks Quickly and Evenly
At the heart of the Tefal EY5058 is 3D Air Pulse technology, which optimizes airflow and heat to consistently and evenly cook perfect fries, pizza, roast potatoes, fish, and much more. “Air Pulse” sounds complicated, but is simply a refinement of a time-tested design, utilizing a top-mounted heating element and finely tuned airflow that circulates hot air throughout the cooling chamber. Think of it as an especially efficient countertop convection oven.
Easy to Use, Easy to Clean
Operating the Tefal Easy Fry model EY5058 couldn’t be easier. Preheat if desired, set the temperature and time (or choose an automatic cooking mode), and add food to the bowl. Hit the start button, and wait. Food can be shaken part-way through by pulling the bowl out by its handle.
To clean the Easy Fry, unplug the air fryer and wipe down the outside. Allow the bowl to cool, and clean it, and the grid, with hot water and washing-up liquid. Rinse and dry. If necessary, clean the heating element with a dry brush. That’s it! Great performance and low maintenance make this air fryer a winner in our books.
Easy Fry – Safer Than a Deep Fryer
The Tefal Precision Digital Air Fryer eliminates almost all the risks associated with frying food – there’s no tub of hot grease to get spattered by, no submerging a frying basket in an open vat of oil, no scraping away at a pan. Everything is self-contained, and clean-up is a breeze.
Tefal EY5058 Digital Fryer: Pros and Cons
It’s time to quickly recap what makes the Tefal EY5058 a great buy, and how it could be even better.
Pro’s
- Very reasonably priced for a kitchen appliance
- Large capacity, but doesn’t take up too much space
- Versatile and fast
- Provides consistent results
- Safe and low maintenance
- Cooks a wide variety of foods
- Built by a trusted appliance maker
Con’s
- Requires space between fryer and wall
- Control backlighting could be brighter
- Gets hot to the touch
- At a tad over 33cm in height, it can be too tall for some kitchen cupboards
- Some people find it a bit noisy in operation – but all air fryers made a little sound.
The Tefal EY5058 Easy Digital Fry is a great, cost-effective air fryer, providing good value for the money. It performs well, and is an ideal solution for big families and small spaces. Combining the convenience, versatility and performance of a microwave, convection oven and deep fryer in a single, affordable unit, the EY5058 is, despite a few flaws, a worthwhile addition to almost any kitchen.