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89 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Temperature just right, in the long run, October 10, 2007
In light of Shelley Ryan's excellent report on the problem she had with her Presto fryer, I thought I should report my own experience. I filled my fryer with oil and let it come up to temperature on the highest setting. I checked the temperature with my own thermometer when the light went out, and indeed the temperature was only around 340 degrees rather than 375 as it should be. But, after simply mixing the oil around a bit with the drip baskets, I found that within a few minutes the temperature rose right up to 375 degrees, as it was supposed to be. The heating elements are very close to the unit's internal thermostat, and I think that you need to get the oil moving a bit in order for all of the oil to heat uniformly up to the correct temperature.
Of course, once the food gets frying there is plenty of movement in the oil to even out the temperature. And given the substantial amount of oil and the amount of power supplied by the unit's heating elements, I find that it does a much better, cleaner, and safer job of frying than I'd been experiencing on my gas stovetop with a deep pot. My experience has been that the temperature comes back up to the right level very quickly. The french fries, empanadas, and fried chicken I've cooked in it so far have come out great.
As some others have posted in reply to her review, it's possible that the thermostat in Ryan's unit was simply defective. For mine, it seems to be just right.
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128 of 142 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Big Fat Disappointment, May 29, 2007
I ordered this because of all the glowing reviews here. (And because I wanted to make better french fries at home.) I've grown to trust what other Amazonian reviewers say about products, and I try to be thorough and diligent in my own comments.
Here is why I am returning this deep fryer to Amazon: It's doesn't get HOT enough! All the recipes I've been reading about quality fried food -- yes, there *is* such a thing -- say that you have to heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. That's why I decided to closely watch the temperature of the oil by using my immersible digital thermometer.
According to the fryer's instructions, it takes the unit about 20 minutes to reach 375, and then the signal light goes out. My signal light went out when it reached only 330 degrees! That's hardly "ready" for frying, but I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't used my own thermometer. I waited a few more minutes, and it eventually reached 359. Naturally, the temp falls again when you lower any amount of food into the oil, but the heating unit never seems to kick itself back on. So the ultimate cooking temp of 375 degrees isn't possible, I guess.
The end result? Food that was not crispy enough and way too greasy. I'm just not willing to keep a kitchen appliance this big and bulky if it doesn't perform to its specifications. Thank you, Amazon, for making it so easy to RETURN this product. :)
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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
After Several Months of Use..., May 14, 2007
I can't seem to re-rate this review, but having had the thing for several months now, I've run across the same problem Shelley Ryan had with it: it doesn't actually get the oil hot enough!!! As it comes without a thermometer, you have to check the temps yourself, and I guess I'm going to have to try "Closer"'s approach of stirring the oil. As pointed out elsewhere, 375F is the recommended temp for frying, and some recipes call for a first fry at a lower temperature, which is VERY DIFFICULT with the ProFry's trial-and-error setting.
The Presto Profry requires a gallon of oil in it's square, removable reservoir. It comes with two mesh fry-baskets that fold up for easy storage. They'll sit side-by-side within the reservoir which is VERY convenient for, say, leaving the battered chicken to fry for 18 minutes while frying the onion rings for 5 and switching 'em out for some broccoli.
The temperature guage is indeed not accurate and one annoying note is that when it reaches its target heat the LED turns off, so at a casual glance you wouldn't know the fryer was on, containing oil at a temperature of 3??F. Once the oil has cooled it is RELATIVELY easy to lift the reservoir out of its housing and pour off the reusable portion of the oil. It has a lid with slots to accomodate the basket-handles when the lid is on the fryer.
I find the ProFry a LOT more convenient to use than the old deep fry pot on the stovetop, but obviously it takes up some counter space. If it turns out that there is some way of increasing the fry temperature, I'd rate it highly.
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