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I've had one of these little fryer appliances since they first became popular in the seventies. The current model is the second one I've had, being larger than the original model that came out.
For someone not needing to fry enormous amounts at one time, this little machine is ideal. It requires only a very small amount of vegetable oil. I've used it to fry chicken wings, quickly, to do french fries and onion rings, to do other smaller chicken parts, and it works beautifully. There is no thermostat; you just plug it in, wait 10 minutes, and the temp is 375. Having such a small amount of grease, it recovers heat more quickly than an electric skillet.
When you are through, if you plan to reuse the grease you can simply let the machine cool, snap the plastic top on, the put the whole thing in the fridge. I don't fry that often, and when I do, I tend to fry a lot, so usually I just discard the oil. Such a small amount is used (usually no more than 3 cups starting out) that I don't feel bad about discarding the oil.
The sides on this appliance are quite high, and splatter around the machine has never been a problem. I used common sense, though, when I fry, whether it's here or on the stove.
I'm sure the all-enclosed auto-fryers that are out on the market are nice, and if I fried a lot I'd probably get one. However, I only fry once or twice a month, and for that, this little machine is perfect. I'd recommend one to anyone--durable, simple, and does exactly what it's designed for!
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After spending more money on 2 faulty deep fryers (Rival is hit-or-miss for quality), I've finally settled on this little beauty.
Pros:
1.) Cheap and simple, a very compact and minimalist package overall. It is nothing more than a steel bucket with a heating element underneath.
2.) Fries at 350 degrees, 25 short of "ideal" but safe for cooking with lard and lower smoke point oil. Try lard if you never have, you can still get it in supermarkets.
3.) Milled steel bucket, cast aluminum base. Inside has a permanent synthetic non-stick surface. Clean up and changing oil is simple.
Cons:
1.) This fryer isn't for families with young children or dumb people. Hot oil is always dangerous to work around and this unit is a STEEL BUCKET FULL OF OIL. The outside is hot. The inside is hot. It's hot.
2.) Doesn't have a lid to stop the occasional spatter.
3.) The bottom and healing element are shielded, but it will still warm up your synthetic countertop. I have mine on an old wooden cutting board to avoid warping the plastic.
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I fry things about 1-2 times a week, and I liked my fried things to be very crispy yet not laden with oil. I wanted something that would truly get to a hotter frying temperature, to make my frying quicker and more "healthful"...(healthy frying....is that an oxymoron or what?) Because I don't fry THAT often, I just needed something simple.
I like this fryer because the heat-up time is very quick, and there is much less splatter then if you were frying in a pot. When I fry, I usually do your typical fried foods: fries, onion rings, wontons, etc. I have not tried to do anything else in it yet.
If the oil is fairly clean after I use it, I will put it in the refridgerator, but not keep more than a week. This is a very simple fryer. If you are a more heavy-duty fryer, then you might want to look into a fancier one. The exterior is not cool-touch, and there is no basket. If you only do small batches of things, and don't really fry that much, or even if you do, then this will be a great fryer for you.
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This machine is really easy to use...I fried dough to make funnel cake and donuts, and it was simple. All you have to do is put in your oil, heat it up, and add the dough. The number of things you can fry is endless. My personal favorites are the funnel cake, chicken tenders, and french fries. Depending on what you are making, cooking time can vary from mere minutes to a half hour. Experiment, create your own recipes, it's easy.
One word of advice is to make sure to clean the fryer and change the oil regularly. Nothing is worse than frying with old oil. Keep the fryer very clean! Enjoy!
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This 'review' is actually just a 'heads up' for anyone considering buying an electric fryer that has both the heating element(s) and the thermostat in/under the bottom of the fry pot.
This design relies on the fact that 'hotter' oil rises up and away from the heat source, and up and away from the thermostat. This works very well when the oil is clean and clear.
But you *might* have an issue getting your oil back up to temp after frying a few batches of breaded 'items' (ie: breaded fish or chicken pieces).
Even a relatively thin layer of fried breading crumbs on the bottom of the pot creates an insulating 'blanket'. So when the heating element turns on, the relatively small amount of oil in the blanket heats up quickly, and can't move up thru the crumb layer quickly enough, and the thermostat senses the 'blanket' is up to temp, and shuts the heating element off. The thermostat does a great job of keeping the oil in the crumb blanket at the proper temp, but the main body of oil above the blanket takes a LONG time to get back up to the proper temp (since the thermostat is constantly turning the heating element off). And if the blanket is heavy enough, ambient heat loss will cancel out the small amount of heat escaping the blanket, and the oil will NEVER get up to proper temp!
This can be compensated for by scraping the bottom and stirring the oil between batches, OR by sifting out all the crumbs after every few batches.
But you can avoid the issue by using a fryer with side mounted and/or immersed heating elements.
