Customer Reviews

Euro-Pro F1063 5-Liter Stainless Steel Deep Fryer

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

A lot of the bad reputation fried foods have is the result of pan-fried foods. Too cool, and the food comes out oily. Too hot and it is raw in the middle (or burned). Ah, that's the key! Temperature is everything in fried foods. To realy fry something you really need temperature control and you can't do that in a skillet. Frying is a universal cooking activity : even the most health-conscious of us have to fry Something every once in a while. So if you are serious about wanting your food as yummy as possible with as little fat as possible, you're going to have to invest in a deep fryer.

Here's the rub: home quality deep fryers come in two flavors. One is the plastic case, with a hinged lid, a sealing device, like a locking handle (sometimes built into the cover), and a metal bowl lying OVER a heating element and thermostat. The other, like the Euro Pro has a heating element that is immersed in the oil, as is the thermostat, a loose-fitting lid, and an immersible basket. This latter kind brings to mind a professional kitchen unit.

So which flavor is better? Unquestionably the Euro Pro fries better than all the plastic units. 375 degrees is really 375, and in frying, like I said, temperature is everything. The Euro Pro is easier to clean, and is a little larger than most of the plastic baskets as well. Foods come out crunchy on the outside but not greasy, and the inside is cooked perfectly. I can disassemble it for cleaning in minutes, and put the whole kebob (except for the electronics) in the dishwasher. So why not 5 stars? Do you sense a reservation? Read on.

No matter how you slice it (sorry for the metaphor), hot oil is hot oil. Having seen some rally bad burns from splattered oil, I'm terrified of all fryers. I have to say that the plastic ones, with their sealed lids, seem safer - I haven't had any of them spill, and they are easier to store, locking the lid down. The Euro Pro has a tendancy to slosh when you carry it around, spilling the contents. It also mangages to bubble over and spread hot oil over the kitchen counter if you have the oil level really high and put something wet into the fryer, as I to do with my French fries, since washing them before I cook them makes them crunchier and more yummy. You have to be really careful not to overfill the fryer. Either way, with both kinds, YOU MUST BE CAREFUL around a deep fryer. Kids out of the kitchen please!!!

So here's the bottom line. The Euro Pro is really a high quality machine that cooks beautifully and is easy to clean. Like all things in the kitchen, be they sharp or hot or electrical, it requires respect and presence of mind to run safely. That being said, I would recommend it heartily.

I waited several weeks for this fryer to show up on my doorstop. In the meantime, I had to contend with managing my excitement with every Emeril live show. Have you watched Emeril? If so, you know that he uses a great looking fryer that is built into the countertop. It looks hot judging by the speed at which it cooks, and the great looking food that comes out of it. Anyway, I wanted to be able to do the same thing without the inconsistency and waste of using a pot or deep frying pan.

So, the Euro-Pro shows up today and gets an immediate wash and dry. I opened a fresh gallon of corn oil and dump it in; set the thermostat to 370 F, and while it heats quickly mix a New Orleans beignet batter (ok, I cheated and used the Cafe du Monde mix).

Since I'd never prepared this dough before, I wasn't sure about the consistency. I simply followed the un, deux, trois, instructions. After cutting squares out of the dough I dumped them into my fryer. Ten seconds later they were floating at the top waiting to be turned over. In about 90 seconds I lifted the basket out of the oil and hung it on the provided basket hook to drain. It seemed to me that not much oil needed to drip off so I transferred the hot beignet to a plate and sprinkled sugar over them.

Here's the proof: They were perfect! Truly. No oil saturation of the dough at all. Puffy, light, golden brown and cooked all the way through. In fact, it was hard to tell they'd even been in oil at all!

This fryer rocks! Don't waste your money on this tiny little plastic fryers. This is the real deal: Stainless steel, beautiful to look at and 100% professional in operation. Dual safety thermostats, truly consistent temperature and with its large and deep basket, there is plenty of room to cook 3 or 4 good sized pieces of chicken or 1.5lbs of potatoes for fries.

Clean-up is a cinch because it all comes apart (you can put it all in the dish washer including the filter).

My opinion is this: Its first rate quality, it looks great, and it works like a charm. Five Stars from me.

Unlike the reviewer from Lexington NC (Short Lived, July 9, 2003), the fryer I received did not take six months for the circuit breaker to start popping. It started with the very first use and did it again on each of the next two uses. Fortunately for me it was within the first week after receiving the unit and I returned it.

I received the fryer, and immediately invited friends over for a "fry fest". The oil heated up, I placed food in and within 20 minutes, the oil was no longer hot. The control panel was lit, but the oil did not maintain the temperature and did not heat up. RUINED FOOD!! So instead of returning it, I called Euro Pro - they promised to send me a new control panel immediately. 8 weeks later I received it. The control panel was not the same one that was originally in the fryer, and the magnetic break away cord did not fit on the "new" unit sent. So I called back, and was promised the new cord would be shipped within 48 hours. I still do not have the cord (it is STILL on its way - 2 1/2 weeks later). The woman at Euro Pro was very rude to me, and refused to refund my money if I were to return it. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!! I HAVE BEEN WAITING 3 MONTHS FOR THIS FRYER TO BE USED!

The Euro-Pro fried excellently and the electronic panel was very easy to use. But after 3 months, the electronic panel failed and it rendered the fryer useless.

I USED THE FRYER 3 TIMES. I CALLED: WAS TOLD TO PUSH THE RESET BUTTON. IT DID NOT WORK. CALLED BACK TRYING TO GET MY MONEY BACK
TALKED TO SOMEONE WHO COULD NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. I SENT IT BACK
INSURED, 1ST CLASS FOR $18.05 WITH A $14.95 CHECK FOR RETURN POSTAGE. CALLED HSN TOLD THEM, THEY SENT ME A SERVICE CONTRACT
I BOUGHT. (DIDN'T REMEMBER) SAYING POSTAGE WAS PAID BOTH WAYS
AND REPAIRS. NOW I'M TRYING TO GET MY $33.00 BACK.
I WILL NEVER BUY EURO-PRO JUNK AGAIN. JHH

This Fryer cooks much better than the plastic enclosed ones. The 1700-Watt element makes crispy food. We had several problems on the first use. Battered items stuck to the basket and were very difficult to remove. Dropping them into the basket sitting in the oil resulted in my Wife almost getting her eyeball burned from hot, spattering cluster bombs. We tried to break up the stuck pieces of chicken nuggets at the bottom of the basket. They were very moist inside and not cooked yet. We placed the basket back into the fryer and it erupted and overflowed lots of hot oil onto the counter! It was a scary moment. The heating element is very hot and height of the Fryer is not high enough to prevent high-moisture boil-overs. Afterwards, as my Wife tried to clean the individual parts, she cut her finger on some sharp edges. It looks like a knife cut. This Fryer has some very sharp edges! Despite these serious problems, we like this item because, used with extreme caution, it kicks butt compared to other electric fryers and cuts down on the stovetop mess. But, the bad aspects include, great danger and it consumes nearly a gallon of oil to the full line. Use with extreme care and very careful common sense!! This is not a Toy!

Unit would not hold any temperature settings. When checked with accurate thermometers, 350 degrees F read 220 degrees F, 375 degrees F read 230 degrees F. Unit was not functioning from very beginning. Unfortunately, wasted a bit of food, till I discovered it was taking "forever" to fry the simplest of foods. Food was so saturated with oil, I decided to check the digital read out with thermometers. The unit goes back tomorrow. Luckily I bought it from a local retailer. I cannot imagine paying postage to and from for defective merchandise. One mail order vender advertised this unit as "non returnable". Wow! <br /> <br /> The unit looks great, is easy to clean, but is a lemon ... would not trust Euro Pro ... too many negative reviews.

My Euro-Pro fried wonderfully for 3 months. The panal has now failed and I am in the process and trying to get a new one. The problem maybe that the steam rising right into the control panel. This is a known problem with electronic controls. The later models have the control on the front - that might be better.

Excellent product when first received. Food fried quickly,tasted great and the oil lasted longer. After about six months the circuit breaker on the fryer kept popping. I quickly discovered that the thermostat had gone bad allowing the fryer to overheat and trip the circuit breaker. Item is still under warranty but the postage to mail the item back for repair and back to me would equal half as much as the fryer cost. Think I will dispose of fryer and buy some thing different.