Customer Reviews

DeLonghi D406DZ Dual Zone Deep Fryer, 3-Pound Capacity

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I originally had my eye on the T-Fal 3378100 Maxi Pro deep fryer but a recent series of bad reviews lead me to consider other options. Before buying a deep fryer I did a lot of research on the Internet and narrowed my focus to the following criteria:

Most capacity. Have you seen the inside of the small deep fryers? You'd be hard pressed to get even one potato worth of fries in those things. I really don't like working in batches as it makes it hard to time the meal so I wanted something that held A LOT. With over a gallon of oil capacity, it is the largest I've seen short of commercial models.

Temperature recovery. Once you drop the cold food into the deep fryer the oil temp will go down. How quickly the unit recovers makes the difference between soggy and crispy golden brown. With an exposed heating element I felt I got faster recovery and when I cooked fish the drop was only about 20 degrees and for a very short time.

Easy clean up. The frying vessel is stainless steel and goes inside the aluminum exterior you see. This is removable and has corners for easy pouring. It is also very nice that the cover, fry vessel and basket can be put in the dishwasher. The only part that gets dirty and needs to be cleaned by hand is the heating element.

HOT HOT HOT. Well, this is the only area where the unit let me down. The company says the maximum tempeature is 360 but I couldn't get anything over 345. The temperature is a little low but the food I made came out just fine. You may need to fry things for a bit longer but this is less hassle since the machine is automatic compared to an open pot on the stove.

I honestly think the only way to do better than this unit is looking to commercial equipment which is not feasible given a home environment. The unit performs well even when pushed to the limit (yes, I tried loading the thing up with a full 3 pounds) and is more convenient than a pot on the stove. I will admit that the unit is *very* simple. No electronic doodads, timers and the like. This is a good thing, however, since there is less to break and in the end the unit works for the reason you bought it.

This product fell apart a little at a time. 1st was the heating element where it enters the plastic housing. Second was one of the plastic feet. Third was the plastic part which holds the heating element to the fryer. Notice a theme here...plastic. Plastic does not hold up well to heat.

Don't get me wrong this fryer worked great despite the broken plastic parts. The final part that broke was an internal switch which allowed no power at all. This switch could not be replaced since Delonghi uses special screws requiring special tools to remove them.

I was very happy with the cooking results from a unit that was produced by a competitor of DeLonghi, and it was very similar, however from the reviews that I have seen for the DeLonghi device it is evident that the same basic flaws were never corrected. I had to send my fryer back becuase the plastics used in the main control housing cracked and opened up the electrical areas to hot grease " just waiting for a sudden fire". As an engineer and an avid cook I would say do not risk your safety. I would say BUY a similar product only if the company ever stops trying to save a few bucks by using "plastic". I wish they would realize that customers would pay even twice as much for a GOOD and SAFE product.

I looked at many different deep fryers. Many claim to be a Stainless Steel Deep Fryer. The difference being the tub is stainless and the lid is made of plastic.The baskets are different grades of steel and chrome.

The DeLonghi offers a fryer tub and lid in stainless with a high grade steel and chrome used in the basket. You can check if it is stainless by using a magnet. It will not stick to stainless. The outer shell is made of high polished steel. This all makes for good heat transfer. Clean up is a breeze. You can clean the item with a rub and not a scrub. The filter is metal and requires no replacement.

The unit holds a gallon of oil and I prefer corn or vegetable oil rather than peanut. Tip ! Use the old container for storing oil.

The heating unit sits in the oil and offers a cool zone for food particles to fall below the heating unit. This allows the particles not to burn and ruin the oil. Easy clean up when oil is cold. Particles stay on bottom and not in the oil when pouring used oil in container.
The extra large capacity baskets will allow you to easily put 3 lbs of chicken with room to spare.

The max temperature of 360* is not a problem. 350* is more than adequate to cook any items for deep frying. Recovery time is excellent. The heating element of 1650 watts is more than adequate. Be aware a higher temp may brown or burn the outside while leaving the inside uncooked. Especially in thicker foods. Not to mention the higher the temp, the quicker the oil breaks down. Most food establishments operate their fryers at 350*. Higher wattage may cause your circuit breaker to blow where 15amp. breakers are used. Some require a 20 amp breaker. There is also a pressure switch to assure the heating unit is installed properly in the fryer in addition to having it's own safety breaker built in and can be manually reset.

There is a slot to hold the basket over the oil to drip excess oil off the item cooked. Tip ! Do not leave basket full of food over oil for an excessive amount of time since steam or heat from fryer oil may reduce crispiness.

There is minimal contact with metal regarding the plastic.
DeLonghi comes with a one year warranty and inside each box is an envelope with DeLonghi offering an additional 2 year warranty for only $12.00. Making a total of three years.

The manual is well detailed regarding use and care but very poor regarding cooking times. I guess since this is a commercial style fryer for the home , they feel the cook will determine when the food is finished. Keep in mind the food will continue to cook when it is out of the oil.

The electrical magnetic disconnect can only be inserted one way. The connection is also well protected in back of the unit and is raised off the counter.

I also like the high sides of the frying tank allowing adequate room for the expansion of the oil especially with fries. Not a problem with oil running down the sides!

I also like after cleaning the unit there is no after smell of oil compared to the plastic lids and side models.
The details regarding this unit can be reviewed in Review Details.

In addition customer service is readily available with a simple phone call offering a toll free number. Waiting times not an issue. Very responsive to e mails as well.If your looking for a high quality fryer with a excellent warranty and easy clean up this is for you.

Recommended
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 99.00

If Delonghi has two engineers designing their fryers, the one who designes the functions deserves five stars while the other who engineers the product gets no stars. From reading other reviews, the problem always seems to be where the power comes in. Our case also. The plastic module to which wires attach burnt not only itself but also made a good black hole into the table. A letter to Delonghi failed to provide us with a new part, but we like the fryer functions enough to have bought a new one. This one is on a marble base. But please note that Delonghi does not send a marble block with this unit ...

This has a detachable cord which is great for people who has small children, but it is also horrible to get the deep fryer to work. I bought my first one and I end up returning it to the store because there was no power. I bought another one that was on sale. I was happy because the second one worked and it fried great; however, the second time there was no power. They asked me to send it back and will provide a replacement. I hope the defect in the power source is corrected in the replacement because I love greasy food.

I looked at many different deep fryers. Many claim to be a Stainless Steel Deep Fryer. The difference being the tub is stainless and the lid is made of plastic.The baskets are different grades of steel and chrome.

The DeLonghi offers a fryer tub and lid in stainless with a high grade steel and chrome used in the basket. You can check if it is stainless by using a magnet. It will not stick to stainless. The outer shell is made of high polished steel. This all makes for good heat transfer. Clean up is a breeze. You can clean the item with a rub and not a scrub. The filter is metal and requires no replacement.

The unit holds a gallon of oil and I prefer corn or vegetable oil rather than peanut. Tip ! Use the old container for storing oil.

The heating unit sits in the oil and offers a cool zone for food particles to fall below the heating unit. This allows the particles not to burn and ruin the oil. Easy clean up when oil is cold. Particles stay on bottom and not in the oil when pouring used oil in container.
The extra large capacity baskets will allow you to easily put 3 lbs of chicken with room to spare.

The max temperature of 360* is not a problem. 350* is more than adequate to cook any items for deep frying. Recovery time is excellent. The heating element of 1650 watts is more than adequate. Be aware a higher temp may brown or burn the outside while leaving the inside uncooked. Especially in thicker foods. Not to mention the higher the temp, the quicker the oil breaks down. Most food establishments operate their fryers at 350*. Higher wattage may cause your circuit breaker to blow where 15amp. breakers are used. Some require a 20 amp breaker. There is also a pressure switch to assure the heating unit is installed properly in the fryer in addition to having it's own safety breaker built in and can be manually reset.

There is a slot to hold the basket over the oil to drip excess oil off the item cooked. Tip ! Do not leave basket full of food over oil for an excessive amount of time since steam or heat from fryer oil may reduce crispiness.

There is minimal contact with metal regarding the plastic.
DeLonghi comes with a one year warranty and inside each box is an envelope with DeLonghi offering an additional 2 year warranty for only $12.00. Making a total of three years.

The manual is well detailed regarding use and care but very poor regarding cooking times. I guess since this is a commercial style fryer for the home , they feel the cook will determine when the food is finished. Keep in mind the food will continue to cook when it is out of the oil.

The electrical magnetic disconnect can only be inserted one way. The connection is also well protected in back of the unit and is raised off the counter.

I also like the high sides of the frying tank allowing adequate room for the expansion of the oil especially with fries. Not a problem with oil running down the sides!

I also like after cleaning the unit there is no after smell of oil compared to the plastic lids and side models.
The details regarding this unit can be reviewed in Review Details.

In addition customer service is readily available with a simple phone call offering a toll free number. Waiting times not an issue. Very responsive to e mails as well.If your looking for a high quality fryer with a excellent warranty and easy clean up this is for you.

Recommended
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 99.00

Fryer is engineered wonderfully, always reliable, always ready. Very easy to clean up. Everything except the element goes into the dishwasher! With a small funnel and strainer (one piece) the oil is cleaned and recycled quickly and easily. The unit doesn't come with a timer, so a reliable timer is also required.

Bought our unit with the intent of having it around for a while. Liked the seemingly unique design and functionality. WOW! WHAT A BUST!!!! Same problem as the other good folks in previous reviews. Powered it up one day, and the burners were INOP? Huh, must be the reset eh? nope??? Maybe the burner switch was not engaged? NOPE! Maybe an internal glitch or loose wire? Grrr! Couldn't pull the screws out do to the manufactures "theft proof" style design. Ended up cooking fresh halibut on the range. Sooooo I tried in vane, (written and verbally), to contact the company without any luck, (I'm still trying to figure out why it's called customer service?)
My advise in short is to run from this product and don't get lured in by it's shiny design!

Much of what is said in the previous is true and are the good points to this fryer. I will avoid repeating all of the nice features of this appliance and only argue with one point. The highest available cooking temperature of 360 degrees is an issue if you cook fries in two stages. 375 degrees are necessary to obtain that crispy outer coating and flaky interior. If all you do is toss frozen items into your fryer for cooking, then you'll have no problems. If you're a from-scratch cook, then this fryer will come up inadequate to your needs.

There is one other major downfalls (and the reason I will be shopping for a replacement soon). That is the difficulties encountered when cleaning it. I know that friers by nature are hard to clean, but DeLonghi didn't make it any easier. They must have run out of ways to bend the metal lips any further than they already did. There are so many angles around the lip of the lid that it is impossible to get any grime completely out and, when the fryer gets hot, the lid sticks to the fryer. Oven cleaner does a fair job though, but even after I thought I had it spotless I swear more crud leached out of the seams. Also, there is a spot between the basket and the piece of metal used to attach the handle to the baset that is impossible to get to with any cleaning implement. Again, oven cleaner will help, but anything short of a power washer is not getting all the gunk out. One last problem is the basket itself; the corners are created by bunching up the mesh into an almost solid mass. This tight mesh loves to catch particles and no amount of scrubbing, spraying or soaking will get food particles out of it.

For light use, I recommend this product. For a serious home cook, I'd steer clear and look for a model with a higher maximum temperature and one that is easier to clean.