Customer Reviews

DeLonghi D895UX Cool-Touch ROTO Electric 1-1/2-Pound-Capacity Food Fryer

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

This is a great little fryer, but because of its limited capacity, it would be difficult to use for a family more than 2, in my opinion. The fryer works fantastic and I only have one complaint. There is an area on the rear of the fryer that collects oil and is difficult to clean. Imagine opening the lid and having all the moisture run to the back hinge of the lid. The oil that collects doesn't get into the rear hinge, but it collects in a small crevice that should be easier to clean. It's a small nuicance though since the fryer really works great; it wouldn't prevent me from purchasing it again. Also, the top does detach from the base which makes it very easy to clean, I just throw it in the dishwasher after I clean around the rubber seal. You can also throw the basket into the dishwasher and it comes out looking great as well.

This is in regards to the reviewer who said the fryer has poor performace with battered foods. If you put your battered items in the basket and then drop it in the oil and don't stir it, then yes, you will have a mess as he says... However, this is easily worked around with one of two methods...

1. In order to cook battered foods successfully, you need to drop the basket in the oil first, and then place/wade your battered foods in the oil. This may sound a little dangerous, but if you're gentle, it's no problem at all. Emeril uses this method all the time on his show when he is frying a battered item. I've done it many, many times and have never had a problem, and I batter A LOT of foods. Now, with this process they will still stick to the wire basket as he mentions, but it is MUCH less. Once the item is in the oil you can use steel tongs to move it a bit to keep it from sticking. As long as you do this in the first few seconds, it won't stick at all and the rest of the frying goes flawlessly. If it sounds hard or like a lot of work, it isn't; it's actually quite easy. I batter shrimp, veggies, & oysters, and even though they do get a little stuck sometimes, it's nothing major, and it certainly does not "destroy" the food as he mentions.

2. The other method that I've used a lot is to not use the basket at all. Sometimes when I want to make a Blooming Onion I will need to remove the basket so that I have enough depth to the fryer so the oil will cover the onion. I am able to fry a medium onion that is battered, but it is a tight fit. In order to get the onion out, I use an "All-Clad Stainless Skimmer" that I bought here on Amazon. It works perfectly for fishing stuff out of the oil when you're not using the basket, but any similar device that isn't flimsy would work well too.

One other thing regarding the oil. If you've never purchased large quantities of oil in the grocery store, look to see the prices...it tends to get expensive very quickly. Before I purchased this fryer, I read the reviews about it saving oil and how great that was. Well... that wasn't a big selling point for me at the time, but now, whenever I have to fill up my fryer and buy more oil, it's the feature that I love most. I really does save A LOT of oil. You can even drain the oil into the included container and put it in the refrigerator to reuse later on.

-------4 years of use update--------

I can't believe I've been using this fryer for 4 years! Now that I look back on this purchase, I can firmly say that I'm a VERY satisfied customer. The fryer still performs flawlessly, and it continues to see a lot of use. It's really a well-built unit, unlike some of the less-expensive models I've seen. I had some friends that wanted to buy a fryer after they saw what things I was able to cook in mine. They didn't want to pay the price for this fryer, so instead they purchased a less-expensive model. Well, the one they ended up getting was less money, but it broke after about 18 months; they are now on their second fryer. So, not only have they now spent more on fryers, but they also spend more on oil because their model does not have a tilted basket.

I have to admit, I had wanted to get a deep fryer to make my own french fries for a long time, but had the fear that sometimes goes along with one, such as the fear of cleaning up and the fear of safety. After buying the DeLonghi Fryer and using it for the first time, my fears quickly went away. This must be one of the easiest fryers on the market to clean and it's not a chore to bring it out to use it, knowing that you're going to have to clean up the mess afterwards. I've done quite a bit of frying in this fryer - french fries, sweet potato fries, donut bits, fish and battered veggies. I have not been disappointed with anything that I've made. The quality has been really good. If you're like me and you're afraid to get a fryer because of the cleaning factor - this is the one to get. You can't get anything easier to clean than this one. I also love the fact that this one uses less oil. Let's face it, deep frying isn't exactly health food, but the tilt system they use on this fryer to use less oil does help to eleviate the guilt a tiny little bit. :)

I recently purchased this fryer from.... I am very pleased with the fryer. This is the Cadillac of deep fryers!

Pros: Cool touch sides. Digital timer. Rotating fry basket. Uses about ½ of the oil of other deep fryers with same results, giving it considerable advantage: save money on oil. Quiet operation. Easy cleanup: simply slide out the oil container tray, slip in the container with filter and drain the oil from the drain spout. Inside the fry basin is Teflon so it simply wipes clean. Window on the top lid allows you to see your food as it cooks. Odor filter in the lid reduces cooking odors.

Cons: Fry basket did not engage the fryer and would not rotate. However this was simple to fix, just bend the bottom of the basket slightly and the problem is fixed.

To summarize, I have done a lot of research on deep fryers on the market and I found that this fryer was the best pick. The instructions that come with the unit are easy to read and understand, they explain the operation of the unit thoroughly. There is also a temperature and cooking time chart that is helpful. I found that the food cooked a bit faster than the chart stated. If you are looking to buy a new fryer, I would recommend this fryer!

We purchased this fryer and we were so pleased with its performance and features. The food fried up so nice and crisp and used very little oil. The unti is easy to clean and has many thoughtful features -- drain hose, the lid removes for easy cleaning. But then the problems started, after only 4 months of use. The timer stopped working -- but we figured fine, we could use it without it, but then the power would go off, right in the middle of frying. Amazon referred us to the DeLonghi, they referred us to their "authorized" service center. That center had the machine for two months, they claimed it was fixed. Brought it home, same problem. Called DeLonghi, they said it has to go back to their service center. Did that. Same problem. So now I have been dealing with their customer service, and they keep referring me back to the service center. Meanwhile, the service center is getting very surly. Each time, they take weeks to get back to me, they insist it's working fine, we try it out and sure enough, the same problem returns. It has been 7 months, my request that DeLonghi send me another fryer is that it has to go back to the service center first. Even though I have done that three times already. No one that I have talked to, starting with Amazon, will stand behind this product. I will never buy a DeLonghi product after this experience.

I think this fryer is terrific. It uses less oil than others, heats up quickly, lets you reuse the oil, and is pretty easy to clean (even for us lazy folks). My favorite things to fry up are vegan fried chicken (wheat meat) and vegan chicken-fried steak, as well as falafel, tofu, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. It's not hard at all to get everything cooked to perfection: if you don't like the way it looks when you raise the lid, just close it again and drop the basket back down. The digital timer is very convenient.

One recommendation for reusing oil after frying something battered: when draining the oil into the container, definitely use the yellow filter basket. Monitor the oil by keeping your fingers on the red rubber outlet hose. If the filter basket fills up too high, the oil will flow through the overflow holes into the container and miss the filtering. Just squeeze the tube closed until the oil drains through the filter, and let more out when the filter has emptied. This way the oil will be clear and free of batter, and will work much better the next time you use it. Also, if there is a great deal of "sludge" left at the bottom of the fryer after the oil has been drained, you can scoop it out with a paper towel before rinsing the non-stick basin with soapy water.

For home use, this fryer simply cannot be beat. We're on our second, after my mother-in-law convinced us to give her our old one. The first roto-fryer we picked up, some 10 years ago, is still in operation at the in-laws house. Of course we're even more pleased with the newer fryer as they added teflon to the interior for easy cleanup and a drain tube, which makes cleanup a cinch.

This will cook about the healthiest deep fry around. We have had several deep fryers over the years, and none are as crisp and grease free as the roto fryers. It is no gimmick; it really works.

Some here have complained it is too small. It doesn't take that long to cook items in there, so if huge portions are your thing it won't take that much longer. It is average size and will easily cook servings for 4...or should I say recommended serving sizes. Some have complained about liquid batters getting stuck in the basket. As a fast food worker in my teens, this will be true of any backet I've ever seen. Easiest way around this is to pick up a piece of stainless steel screen from your local hardware store to place in the basket, and any basket will cook all the tempura you can throw at it. Or you can pull the basket, although the whole purpose of this fryer is to move items in and out of the oil and it doesn't really contain that much oil.

So if plugging up your heart and huge portions are your thing, I'd look elsewhere. If you want a healthier choice in deep frying, easy cleanup, save on your oil use, etc., give this one a try. You will not be disappointed in the final product.

I purchased the DeLonghi Rotating Deep Fryer F-895 after reading the excellent reviews in magazines and on line and liked the fact that you didn't have to use as much oil as the traditional fryers. I don't tolerate reheated oil very well so I only use the oil 2/3 times before dumping. There is NO ODOR while the food is cooking which was a plus since I don't like to smell food odors after I've eaten. I intended to only use the fryer once a week, but found myself using it 2/3 times a week - LOVE THOSE FRENCH FRIES!

The only problem I had with it was size. I have a family of 4 and found that I could only cook small portions of food at one frying. By the time I had dinner ready, I would end of cooking about 3/4 portions which took me 35/45 minutes to complete. If I cooked chicken legs, they had to be small. If they were on the large side, it took longer and sometimes the chicken would toughen in the process. Overall, this is an excellent fryer if you keep to small boneless pieces. French Fries were delicious as well as fried vegetables.

The DeLonghi Rotating Deep Fryer makes an excellent wedding gift for couples; however, I would not recommend it for families larger than 3.

After watching a QVC advertisement, I ordered a cook's essentials 3.5qt cool wall stainless steel deep fryer and am anxious to see how well it fries food. This is a large fryer and hopefully I will be able to deep fry everything in 1 or 2 fryings. As far as odors are concerned, I'll cook outside.

I will do a review on this fryer in about 3-4 weeks.

This is my 2nd Roto Fryer. The first had the same problem as I read about in other reviews and which a friend also experienced with hers. The rotating button seemed to lock in place, often in the middle of a frying session. My warranty had expired, and I decided to get a new one, because when it is good, it is superb. I highly recommend the Roto Fryer, but keep your receipts in case it has a problem. (I also bought the extended warranty - this time I am prepared) My friend's fryer was still under warranty and the motor was replaced, which seems to have solved the problem.
Jerry Allford

I thought the idea of the food not staying in the oil for the entire cooking time was a good idea; and maybe it is. However, our deep frying is mainly batter fried foods like coconut shrimp, fried oysters, etc. With this unit the batter will flow through the wire basket and stick to the basket. This makes it impossible to remove the food without practically destroying the food in the process. It seems to me a nonstick basket would be an excellent idea; I guess the DeLonghi engineers never thought of that. It may work just fine for french fries or breaded food; I don't know. If batter fried foods are your preference, stay away from this unit.

I bought my Delonghi roto fryer about a year ago, and it is one of the best purchases I have ever made. So far it has been dependable and easy to clean, and I am LAZY when it comes to cleaning up in the kitchen. The mechanism for draining and filtering the oil is easier to use than even Delonghi's marketing materials indicate. This same mechanism makes cleanup a snap. I just squirt some dish washing fluid (I use Dawn) in the bottom, pour in a couple of liters of hot water, let it sit for 5 minutes, then just wipe with a paper towel and drain the water through the oil drainage tube, right into the sink. A couple of rinses and a quick wipe down to dry the inside, and the fryer is ready to go. And this is after using it 6 times without cleaning it, and letting it sit for a month (I told you I was lazy).

An accident prompted me to look into getting a deep fryer in the first place. I was really craving chicken wings one night, and decided that I could use my wok-shaped stove-top pan to heat the oil and cook the wings. This worked fine the first couple of times (except for the huge mess it made), but the third time, the oil boiled over and caught on fire! It went out by itself, but I had the WORST mess to clean up. Of course, it could have been much worse, and I decided that a wok is just not a good choice for deep-frying. Safety and convenience became top priorities in my search for a "real" deep fryer.

I use my fryer primarily for cooking wings. The only problem is the small capacity; it will only cook about 7 wings at a time. You have to lay them flat; if you pile them up, the ones on the top won't be in the oil long enough to cook. I also have had difficulty with the rotary mechanism not catching the basket. At one time, I almost always had to "assist" the mechanism by pushing and pulling on the basket with a fork while it was down in the oil until it would catch. However, this problem mysteriously vanished about 6 months ago, and it works perfectly every time now.

Many people still believe that frying foods in oil is inherently unhealthy. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am a big proponent of low-carbohydrate eating. I have lost 50 pounds so far, and have more energy than ever before in my life. This fryer has really helped me stick to my low-carb regimen, which has lowered by blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Contrary to popular belief, you are NOT what you eat. Sugar and simple carbohydrates (white flour is the classic example) are converted into fat MUCH more readily than dietary fat, which must be broken down and assimilated before it can be converted into storable fat. The notion that foods high in fat cause heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity is actually a myth (a lot of research supports this statement). A high-fat-high-carb diet on the other hand is a KILLER. Get the carbs out of your diet if you want to be healthy and avoid the "diseases of civilization". There are lots of sites with detailed information and references on this topic, so I will not say anything more about it here, other than the Delonghi roto fryer has saved me from temptation many times, because it is just so easy to use, and the results are delicious.