Waring DF200 Professional Deep Fryer, Brushed Stainless Steel

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."

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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.

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