The Deni 9301 Mini fryer sorta works but not really.
On the plus side, the product is nicely styled, compact, has an adjustable thermostat, heating indicator light, fry basket, lid that can be placed on the oil tank while the fryer is still hot, and after a fasion it does function as a deep fryer for one or two people.
On the minus side, the thermostat only goes to 375 degrees which is not hot enough for crisp frying. The fryer is very lightly built so there is not enough mass in the oil tank to hold the heat when you emerse food in the oil. If you emerse a half basket of frozen french fries at an oil temperature of 375 degrees, the oil temperature will quickly drop to around 250 degrees and not recover much beyond 300 degrees before the fries are done. This results in soggy french fries. The fryer is slow to recover oil temperature between frying batches which makes cooking a second batch of something a protracted event. The handle on the fry basket has to be removed for storage rather than just folded. The oil will not pour out of the fryer without dripping because of the design of the oil tank lip.
Overall I would rate the Deni 9301 as a step in the right direction but it is in need of significant redesign to make it an effective product for its intended use. I wish I still had my 26 year old Oster mini fryer that finally gave up the ghost after many years of faithful service. The Oster was a far better product than the Deni 9301. Given how lightly the Deni 9301 mini fryer is built, I seriouly doubt it will be around very long. In good faith, I cannot recommend this product to anyone. The Deni 9301 is an improvement over nothing but it does not perform its intended mission very well.
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I knew that this was a 1.25 quart deep fryer when I purchased it, but I was still very shocked and surprised at how TINY it was when I removed it from the box. Once I got over my initial shock, I was pleased at the compactness of the unit and how very little room it took up in my small kitchen.
The box states this is a snack size deep fryer and they weren't lying. It's the perfect size for one person. The unit itself is a nice compact size and shape and holds a substantial amount of oil but the fry basket is itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny. You can fit about a cup of frozen french fries or one breaded, boneless chicken breast in the basket comfortably. Anything more than that and you will have issues with even browning and cooking and you will still have to flip the food to achieve it. This happened to me when I tried to fry two medium size chicken breasts cut into four pieces all at once. You will have to fry large batches of food in smaller batches and keep it warm in the oven or upgrade to a larger fryer.
Outside of that, the unit heats up quickly and frys nicely. Crisp and golden brown on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside. I was not disappointed with the results at all. Clean up is also fairly simple: wait for the oil to cool and remove from the unit; fill the unit halfway with warm, soapy water; cleanse thoroughly with a sponge; rinse and dry. Of course you never want to immerse the unit in water. The only disappointment I found was not being able to store the oil in the unit with an air tight seal like the Fry-Daddys from the 80s.
Overall, a really nice but very small fryer that performs well and gives excellent results. If you're thinking of buying one and plan on frying large batches of food I would suggest purchasing a larger unit. But if you're single or live by yourself and plan on frying small batches of food for yourself then it's perfect.
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I bought two of these. One for myself and the other for my Mother. We loved their convenience. The size is Perfect for small family dinner cooking. Efficient, and they do not use lots of oil like the big ones. Unfortunately, they both broke in a matter of weeks, perhaps months of weekly use. My mother used hers perhaps twice a week. It broke in weeks I rate it low therefor. Great concept poorquality. Eoropro makes the identical unit sold as their mini fryer. It is the same poor quality parts, labour and manufacture.
Euro-Pro 2L Deep Fryer Stainless Steel (F1052)
Honest reviews on Deni 9301 Mini 840-Watt 1-1/4-Quart Stainless-Steel Deep Fryer
Perfect size, just what we were looking for to make snacks quickly. Love that the basket comes out, love the steel, love the fact it has a thermostat. Doesn't make a mess. Absolutely hate the stupid magnetic plug. More than once I've dropped a basket of food only to realize the plug had come loose (I think the lightest breeze loosens it) and I was soaking the food in cool or lukewarm oil. So you gotta pay attention to that. Unfortunately it just stopped working after less than a month. Now that I read the reviews, I see we're not the only ones that happened to. Willing to give it another try, sent for a replacement. If that one dies too we'll be looking at a different manufacturer.
UPDATE: DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE. The replacement stopped working as well, only this time JUST after the window to return it expired. But if you want a greasy $44 doorstop, by all means send your money in.
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It works great, but it's really hard to clean since you can't wash it. I wish the Pot area would be detachable (like a rice cooker). I love how this machine is so easy to use, and it's perfect for really small batch of food. When it's time to clean the machine though.. it takes like 30 min.. Pouring out the oil.. trying to scrub the inside.. etc. Using wet cloth to wipe since you can't wash it.
