This revolutionary accessory prepares 10 crispy samosas without oil: a gem at €17.99 at Boulanger

Harriet Pemberton • April 28, 2026 02:16

Hosting friends is a joy right up to the moment you’re marooned by the hob, trying to manage spluttering oil, a pile of greasy pans and snacks that are crisp on one side and underdone on the other.

French electrical retailer Boulanger is currently promoting a small fix for that very problem: a compact Princess samosa maker that turns out 10 crisp triangles at a time with almost no fat, priced at €17.99. It’s aimed at busy home cooks who want street‑food‑style nibbles without deep‑frying or firing up a full‑size oven.

Princess samosa maker: what it is and what it’s designed to do

Made by Dutch brand Princess, the appliance resembles a slim sandwich press, except the cooking surface is shaped into triangle moulds. With the lid shut it’s roughly 25 × 28 × 8.5 cm, which makes it easy to tuck into a cupboard or leave on a small worktop.

Inside, a fixed plate measuring about 24.5 × 19 cm is split into ten triangular cavities. The process is straightforward: place pastry sheets or dough into the moulds, add your filling, close the lid, and the machine shapes and seals 10 samosas in one batch.

Up to 10 samosas in a single batch, without switching on the oven or heating a pan of oil.

Heat is distributed across the plate to help avoid the familiar issue of scorched edges with a pale middle. Thanks to the non-stick surface, you can cook with no added fat at all-though brushing a small amount of oil onto the pastry can give a slightly richer finish.

Why “oil-free” samosas matter to many home cooks

Classic samosas are deep‑fried. That’s part of their appeal, but it can also make them feel heavy. This gadget is trying to preserve the crunch while reducing the grease.

Choosing baking over frying brings three immediate upsides:

Less oil absorbed by the pastry and filling
No hot oil spitting at your hands or hob
Far simpler clearing up, with no pan of spent oil to dispose of

You still get crisp pastry, but your kitchen won’t smell of frying for hours.

For anyone keeping an eye on fat intake-or simply fed up with handling frying oil-that compromise can be attractive. The bite is closer to an oven‑baked snack than a street‑stall deep fry, but for weekday dinners and relaxed get‑togethers, many people are glad to make the swap.

Price at Boulanger: €17.99 instead of the usual €30.29

In France, the Princess samosa maker is typically listed at around €30.29. Right now, Boulanger has it at €17.99, which puts it firmly in “why not?” territory for kitchen kit.

At this cost, it competes with mid‑range sandwich toasters, but it has a much more specific job: producing neat, portioned, finger‑food snacks. As with any discounted gadget, it’s worth thinking about how often you actually serve nibbles, brunch bits or party food-because the best value only appears when it gets used.

Dropping from about €30 to €17.99, it’s pitched at anyone wanting to try homemade samosas without spending much.

How it behaves day to day

Simple controls with automatic temperature

Temperature is managed automatically. There’s no thermostat to adjust, keeping the routine uncomplicated: plug it in, wait for the indicator, fill the moulds and close the lid.

Two lights show power and preheating. When the preheat light switches off or changes colour, the plates have reached working temperature and the heat has stabilised-useful if you’re juggling other dishes at the same time.

A latch locks the lid shut, maintaining pressure so the pastry seals properly and reducing the chance of the top lifting if the filling expands a little.

Handling and safety

The handle is heat‑insulated, so you can open it without oven gloves. That may sound obvious, but for an appliance likely to be used around children or guests, it lowers the risk of quick contact burns.

Because it’s a closed unit with no exposed element, there’s no visible flame and very little chance of splatter. The casing can still get warm, so it needs a steady, heat‑resistant surface-but in practical terms it’s closer to using a waffle maker than dealing with a frying pan.

Beyond samosas: other foods you can make in the triangular moulds

Although it’s marketed as a samosa maker, the triangle cavities lend themselves to plenty of savoury and sweet ideas-think of each triangle as a miniature tin.

Options include:

Mini stuffed breads with cheese and herbs
Small enriched, brioche‑like buns
Chocolate cakes with a soft centre
Bite‑size meringue‑style treats
Leftover vegetable parcels wrapped in filo or brik pastry

It functions more like a multipurpose snack press than a one‑trick “samosa only” machine.

Because of the non-stick coating, most recipes need very little grease. A light oil spray-or a thin brushing of butter on pastry-usually helps with browning and makes release even easier.

Cleaning and storage (the boring bit that matters)

Once you’ve finished cooking, you’ll need to let the plate cool before cleaning. A soft sponge or damp cloth is normally enough to lift crumbs and residue. Avoid abrasive scourers, as they can damage the non‑stick finish.

The plates aren’t removable. That helps keep the price low, but it does mean wiping it down in place. For most people it’s still manageable, especially compared with cleaning up after deep‑frying.

Its compact shape is a genuine advantage: it can be stored upright, slipping into a narrow cupboard gap-handy in smaller kitchens where worktop and storage space are always under pressure.

How it fits into a modern kitchen

With air fryers, multi‑cookers and compact ovens already competing for space, a samosa maker can look like a niche purchase. Here, the size and price change the calculation: it’s more of a small specialist tool for frequent snack‑makers than a big investment appliance.

Feature	Benefit for users
10-piece capacity	Makes enough for several people in one batch
Non-stick plate	Lower-fat cooking and quicker clean-up
Automatic temperature	No settings to tweak, fewer misfires
Locking lid	Better sealing and more secure handling
Vertical storage	Uses very little cupboard space

If you regularly host pre‑dinner drinks, family brunches or children’s parties, being able to produce batch after batch of uniform bites without fuss can be genuinely helpful. It also keeps your oven free for the main dishes.

One extra practical angle is energy use: heating a small sealed plate for a quick batch can be more efficient than warming a full oven for a handful of snacks-especially if you’re only making a dozen or two.

“Healthy-ish” snacking and portion control

The message behind this device taps into a broader trend: lighter spins on comfort food. “Oil‑free” samosas are still pastry, and fillings can be rich-but removing deep‑frying can reduce the overall fat load.

Portioning is another quiet benefit. Because each triangle is a set unit, you can decide how many to cook and serve, rather than putting out a big tray that encourages seconds (and thirds).

For parents, that makes snack planning easier: two or three small samosas alongside salad or raw veg can look generous while staying within sensible energy levels.

Small trade-offs to keep in mind

There are limitations. With no manual temperature control, you’re fully dependent on the factory programme. Cooks who like to fine‑tune browning might find that restrictive.

The non-stick coating also needs gentle treatment. Metal utensils and harsh scrubbing can scratch it and shorten its lifespan-so anyone used to cast iron or stainless steel will need to adjust their habits.

Texture is the other consideration: baked samosas tend to be crunchier and a touch drier than deep‑fried ones. Some people prefer that; others miss the flaky, blistered finish. A light oil brush on the outside before cooking can narrow the gap.

Practical use cases and recipe ideas

The 10‑slot layout practically invites experimentation beyond the usual spiced potato. A typical weeknight shortcut could be leftover roast chicken, a handful of peas, grated cheese and a spoon of soured cream, turned into quick mini pies.

For brunch, you could line the cavities with thin bread or tortilla, add beaten egg, chopped vegetables and a little cheese, then close the lid briefly. You end up with tidy omelette triangles that are easy to serve and eat without cutlery.

Desserts work too. A basic chocolate batter in the moulds makes small cakes; adding a spoon of chocolate spread or caramel in the middle creates a soft, molten centre. Because cooking is enclosed, fillings are more likely to stay put instead of leaking onto a baking tray.

A final tip if you’re using thin pastry: don’t overfill. Leaving a small border helps the lid seal cleanly, which reduces leaks and makes cleaning easier afterwards.