Customer Reviews

Waring DF200 Professional Deep Fryer, Brushed Stainless Steel

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

After months of begging, my wife finally gave in and gave the green light for a fryer purchase. I read reviews regarding various other fryers, checked technical specs, and finally decided on the Waring. Ironically, this is the only fryer which I could not find a review. So I'm rectifying that situation. The Waring uses the most wattage compared to any other fryers. This translates into less time waiting for the oil to achieve the desired temperature and a quiker recovery time. The design is functional as well as industrial. The elevated basket hanger allows placement of food into the basket and oil to drain prior to removing the food. With the window built into the lid the food can be monitored without removing the entire lid which helps keep heat in the fryer and grease off the walls. The break-away cord is genius. This feature houses a magnet in the appliance plug which holds it in place. If a slight amount of tension is placed on the cord it releases from the back of the fryer rather than pulling the entire unit, hot oil and all, off the counter...outstanding safety feature. The dials are easy to use, although the bell is a tad hard to hear when the timer is finished. The basket will hold enough food for our family of four. If more food is need the recovery time to reheat the oil to cooking temperture is minimal. The oil basin is stainless steel, easily removed and has a built in spout to facilitate emptying the oil. Cleaning the unit is simple. Remove the lid, then the heating element with controls, dump the oil, and wash the basket, oil basin in the sink. The heating element can be wiped down with a dish towel. Using the cooking guide included in the instructions results in crispy, fully cooked food with minimal grease. We were pleasantly suprised with not only the quality of the food but how often we use this fryer.

I've only had this a short time and only used it a few times, but here are my impressions thus far.

PROS:

Attractive, durable construction. Wire basket is excellent; handle folds inside basket for compast storage inside the unit.

Lid is well thought-out, with silicone lined notches on the handle end so it fits snuggly and you don't have to lift it to raise or lower the basket.

Cleanup is fairly easy. Toss lid and basket in the dishwasher, drain the oil reservoir using the convenient corner pour spout (use a large funnel if straining, because one gallon gets heavy after awhile) and put the reservoir into the dishwasher. Everything except the heating element is immersible. I put the element on a plate to let it drain and then wipe it clean.

Oil heats up rapidly. The deep reservoir keeps splattering to a minimum. Food cooks fairly close to times indicated in recipes or on boxes, so I assume temperature is accurate. Fries came out crisp, mozarella sticks were done perfectly.

Number one advantage: because this has an immersible heating element (it's big, not like one you'd attach to an electric skillet), the oil temp below the element is cooler; thus all the burned bits fall down there, so you can cook batches of fries without getting floating debris stuck to them.

Maximum temperature is 375, but the manual says it has a safety feature whereby it automatically turns off if the oil exceeds 525. The safety features are great, like the short magnetically attached cord. It's secure enough so that it doesn't come loose when you move the unit but if someone were to pull the cord, it would break away from the unit.

The basket hanger inside the unit is handy for draining.

Lid seems to catch the condensation.

CONS:

My cons are pretty insignficant.

My main one would be that the oil cools significantly when you add significant quantities of food (even unfrozen food) and takes too long to heat up. For example, I did a batch of fresh fries, and the oil cooled but didn't heat up to the correct temperature in the four minutes it took to cook them. When I did a very small batch of fries, the oil temp. never dropped.

When I set the timer for under three minutes, it never went off. Everything over that was fine, however.

If you make something like corndogs, lower basket first and drop directly into oil or it will definitely stick to basket. Sometimes it sticks to basket anyway. Then the basket is a little harder to clean. I had to use a fork to poke the crust out of some of the holes.

Biggest drawback: Filter in lid cannot be removed and replaced. The fliter in the lid isn't the greatest. It's not a charcoal one, for example, that would readily absorb all the cooking odors. It seems to be a steel mesh thing. It's welded in and although you can clean it through the "gills" on the lid, you cannot replace it. Being able to remove and clean/replace the filter would be better. This one doesn't seem to trap odors well.

But these are small issues. I really like the deep fryer and it's a million times better than the old "Fry Daddy" my parents had growing up. It never splatters outside the deep fryer, it's easy to clean, and the food comes out far superior to any deep fryer I've ever used, which I believe is because the crumbs fall to the bottom of the unit.

Definitely worth the price--it costs my family $20 each time we go to McDonald's, so this will pay for itself easily. Last night my kids said "Mom, we don't ever have to go out to eat again because you can make all our favorite foods now."

Before purchasing this unit, I examined every other fryer marketed, in hand. Other companies offer quite similar units at first glance, but in the end, this one has no peer. While indeed one of the most costly, its combination of well-designed features is easily worth the additional 20-30 Dollars over competitive fryers.

It's very big and, at 1800 robust watts, is as powerful as most modern kitchens can accommodate... If your kitchen isn't wired with 20-amp grounded outlets within two feet of its resting place, you should consider a 1500-watt unit from another maker, as it may trip your breaker or work at less than peak performance. Better yet, have your kitchen wired accordingly.

It demands lots of space, but should fit on the average counter, though I'd recommend that it not be placed beneath cabinets, or within a foot from them, as they will indeed take a beating from vapor and grease. I placed it on a cookie sheet on top of my range, beneath the exhaust hood, but be sure you have no lit pilot lamps or burners, which would pose a serious fire hazard. Its well-designed magnetic breakaway safety cord will reach slightly more than 2 feet. An extension is NOT recommended, and any extension of less amperage capacity than a very short, 12-gauge cord would seriously deplete the wattage and cause a fire hazard, and overheat the appliance. Again, do it right and have a stout 20-amp receptacle within range.

The construction of the fryer is outstanding. The unit's mass and features evoked an involuntary guttural grunt from me when I looked at it in my kitchen for the first time, and my wife issued a concurring female grunt. Everything breaks down easily for cleaning in seconds. All parts except the heating module are dishwasher-safe. Even then, the elements can be sloshed in hot detergent and rinsed easily. The heating element is sturdy and suspends well off the bottom of the heavy gauge stainless steel tub, thus the tub bottom won't scorch and food particles remain an easily dissolved paste. The tub has a pouring corner that works well when recanting the nearly full gallon of oil it's designed to take. If allowed to cool and settle overnight, no filtering is required. As a hint, once used, oil should be refrigerated to prevent rancidity. The heating module has a reset button, in the event the element temperature exceeds 525° degrees, though I can't see why that would occur unless the pot was accidentally empty. It maintains the selected temperature very well and has two pilot lights that signify when the unit is on, and when temperature has been reached. The industrial On-Off stalk-type toggle switch snaps smartly, as one would arm a missile system. The two dials are solidly made and turn smoothly. The basket is very sturdy and has a fold-in handle for storage. The lid sits in a nicely designed collection ridge that directs all condensation or spatter to a removable collection receptacle... and it works. The design allows immersion and lifting of the basket from and to its solid resting hook with the lid on, though the manufacturer suggests that some foods be started without the lid. The glass window is large and easily allows inspection of the cooking progress without removal of the lid, and stays remarkable clear during cooking. Everything about this appliance is there for a reason, with no gadgetry, and nothing is lacking.

Anything I could say about cooking performance would be an understatement. In short, it fried a whole chicken in three quick batches, to crispy, juicy perfection, and not a single drop of fat landed on my counter during the cooking process. It can easily accommodate an undivided half chicken. It cleaned up fast and easily. Most highly recommended!

A few polite words about the cons in another review are in order...

The timer does function down to less than three minutes, very nicely. Just as my grandmother did with her old egg timer, simply turn it beyond ten minutes to catch the spring and turn it back to whatever suits.

The heavy gauge screen on top is NOT a filter, nor is it purported to be. It's designed to allow vapor to escape, while blocking spatter, and it works beautifully and washes beautifully. Odor control is the function of an outside emitting exhaust hood, which should be a standard fixture in any kitchen.

As another reviewer wisely suggested, fries should be double-fried if crispiness is desired. Simply fry for about 3 minutes, then raise the basket for 30 seconds or so, re-immerse and continue until done.

Finally, battered or doughy foods should always be placed directly into the oil, with the basket submerged, or they will adhere to the basket. These are both well-known commercial frying techniques.

This is as good as technology gets for a home fryer. For more capacity or power than this extremely well designed appliance, one would have to obtain a 240-volt commercial fryer from a restaurant supply.

This is by far the best home deep fryer ever. I have owned a number of different deep fryers, and have never been totally satisfied with their ability to fry well. This Waring deep fryer does what many fryers can not - it holds its temperature when you place the food in it to be fried. Therefore, the food comes out crispy and delicious. Chicken nuggets come out crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Corn Dogs are a treat in this fryer. The basket is sturdy, the unit is well insulated, and the controls are easy to use. Clean up is easy as almost all the parts (except the heating element/controls) are dishwasher safe. The only negative is that the unit is big and requires lots of oil, but that is also a positive, as little units can't fry much, let alone even hold a corn dog or other large item. If you love deep fried foods, you'll love this Waring Deep Fryer.

I just got my deep fryer, pulled it out of the box and hooked it up. In about 5 mins the oil was hot enough to cook my fries. I have not had any problems with the unit at all. The unit heats the oil very fast and has an indicator light when its ready. It has several unique safety features built in. Food comes out great. The best deep fryer I have ever owned.

-Update

Had my deep fryer for about 2 months, and to look back I dont know how I got along without it. The Fryer heats up to a marked temperature of 375 degrees, and will shut off if its gets over like 550. I have gotten tremendous use out of this fryer and it has definently paid for itself from less power, and time saved. I am still very happy with the heat up time and, how fast it recovers its temperature.

Stop looking for another model and get this one. I read many reviews on other models, the pros and cons...and this one seems to have none of the "cons".
I used it for the first time this evening, and the unit was ready to go in minutes. It has a thermostat as well as a timer.
The exterior did not become hot, though there are handles on the sides nontheless.
Easy to clean.
Food was awesome....fried fish that I have had many times in other cookers...this was the best ever with this fryer.
I have never written a review before, but felt compelled to write one on this item as there aren't many available for some reason.
Hope this review helps someone with their decision.

After reading many of the online reviews here @ Amazon.com, and considering lesser models (a good friend of mine owns the Euro Pro), I splurged, and purchased the Waring Pro - which was a little more money, but well worth it! And, after cooking many meals (deep fried (lemon) chicken), sides (homemade onion rings, fries & buffalo wings), and deserts (deep fried twinkies), a few times, I felt compelled to share my experiences, so that I may help you make your decision.

I initially purchased the Waring Pro because it was "better" than my buddies = more power (insert tool man grunt here), 1800 watts vs. 1700, and seemed mroe stable/sturdy/better quality. Although it may lack the fancy "digital display," it heats up just as fast and seems to recover well, always turning out hot, crispy foods, but it also has a larger basket (wider) so it holds more - which is great for parties, or when I'm using it to entertain, which seems to be most of the time...

But, don't let it fool you tho', the Stainless Steel looks astonishing, but can be a pain in the ... to keep clean!

All in all, I thought the purchase was well worth it, and highly recommend it.... JOE

I prepare and eat healthy foods when I am at home, but always found myself gravitating towards deep-fried fare when I went out for a meal. I love fried chicken, fish and chips, buffalo wings, onion rings, and chicken-fried steak. And I could easily rationalize to myself that since I eat healthy at home, why not splurge. But after working in several restaurants while putting myself through grad school, I can tell you that 99% of all restaurants use partially-hydrogenated oils to fry, and that stuff will kill you. I figured there had to be way to solve this dilemma.

So I took it upon myself to learn the art of deep-frying. I asked for and received the Waring fryer for Christmas this past year. It has been well-used in the past three months. I have experimented with beer batters, breadings, panko-crusting, cornmeal-dredging, and the list goes on. I've had a few royal screw-ups, but for the most part, the results have been fabulous. Like most anything, success comes with experience.

The fryer unit is excellent. I do not usually fry frozen items, so keeping the oil regulated is never a problem. I can fill the fryer fairly full with no significant drop in temp. Once again, as in anything, use common sense. If you are frying frozen wings, obviously the fryer will not be able to handle as much at one time as if they were fresh. The temperature gauge on my unit is extremely accurate. And the overall build quality is excellent.

Cleanup can be somewhat of a pain, but once you've done it a couple of times, it really isn't that big of a hassle. Straining the oil seems to take more time and patience than anything else. But there is nothing inherently problematic with the Waring unit, it is a general deep-frying annoyance. The Waring breaks down quickly and the top, fry basket, and oil pan can be loaded in the dishwasher for thorough cleaning. Overall, I can't think of a better design for deep-frying. My hardy recomendation is in order!

Before purchasing my 4th fryer, I researched. I completely agree with reviewer "Hilditch" on Jan. 5, '05, so I won't repeat that person.
I've owned the Sunbeam fryer from Target. It lasted 2 months and the company replaced it for free. 2 yrs. later, I got whatever fryer they sell at Costco. 4 yrs. later, it just didn't turn on one day. I used a Fry Daddy which is TOO LITTLE unless you're making a doughnut! Fed up, I turned to the web for something better, no, I wanted the best this time! My husband and I were prepared to do some rewiring for a commercial fryer, but this model had such great reviews, we figured we'd try it. I should've bought this Waring years ago! Everything has a better flavor that my other machines had not produced. I've made: fries, fish, fish sticks, chicken tenders, chicken patties, corn dogs, Schwan's foods, tater-tots, shrimp, coconut shrimp, tempura, my list is endless.
Honestly, if you love fried foods, look no further than this quality fryer for your home.
Oh, and I noticed someone was annoyed with the timer not going off after setting it for 3 min. Most of you cooks out there are aware that on turn knob style timers, you need to turn the timer setter beyond 15 min. then reverse to whatever time under 15 min. you want. Then, it WILL go off. And, yes, it has a low "ding" sound. But, for 3 min., I think you'd want to stay near your food so it doesn't over-fry.

I am a Southern girl, so a deep fryer and cast iron skillets are a requirement. This is my first deep fryer and like others, I did a some online research. My conclusion was that price does matter. If you aren't looking for a top-of-the-line product or if this is something you will use just twice a year, buy another brand.

I purchased mine from Williams-Sonoma, so my model has three fry baskets; everything else is the same. It heats evenly and accurately because of the submerged heating element. The timer is a nice feature. However, it does not turn the unit off when the timer is up. This is a plus for me because I am still experimenting with times. Rule of thumb -- when it floats, it's done.

I've done chicken, fish, shrimp and French fries in mine and it has been impressive each time. Food was crisp and not greasy. All of the oil is self-contained, so it's not as messy as pan frying. Another reviewer mentioned batter sticking to the basket. The instructions for batter-dipped foods are to put the basket in the oil first and then add the the food while the basket is submerged to avoid sticking. When I make tempura, I'll update the review if this doesn't work.

Any time you fry, expect to smell like you work in a kitchen. I use this unit on top of the stove with the vent on high. It doesn't completely eliminate the odor, but it is better than my brother's Fry Daddy and when I fry in skillets.

I was surprised by the large amount of oil it uses, but that may be because I've never owned a deep fryer before. I use peanut oil because it withstands higher temperatures better. Whip this out for large batches of stuff or if you know you'll have French fries every couple of weeks. The instructions say that you can use the oil for up to six months -- eight to ten uses for items that don't contain a lot of protein.

I like the safety features: breakaway cord, automatic shutoff at 540 degrees and what Waring calls a safety interlock -- the heating element must be installed properly or the unit won't work.

No problem with cleaning. The baskets, lid and oil container are dishwasher safe. The housing can be hand washed. Just wipe down the heating element and the controls.

I am very pleased with my deep fryer and recommend it to anyone who is serious about frying.