Several years ago, we purchased a Waring DF200 Professional Deep Fryer. It is a large unit that holds an entire gallon of oil! However, there came times when we wanted to deep fry either small amounts of food, or food that would in essence "ruin" the oil, for example, deep fried Oreos (not kidding), and samosas (where the oil would get the flavor of Indian food).

The concept is simple: this is a small fryer, which is essentially a small bucket. No controls, no basket, just 4 cups of oil and you're ready to roll. "ou don't need a 6- gallon oil vat to enjoy deep- fried foods at home--this petite deep fryer makes four big servings with just 4 cups of oil. A compact 7 inches in diameter, the fryer features easy controls for precision frying."


The Presto FryDaddy Deep Fryer

This fryer runs about $25 in stores, and I believe we got it at Walmart or Target. It is currently on Amazon.com at $24.99 with free shipping.

The fryer looks like a bucket and comes with a snap-on lid that seals in the oil (and seals out dirt etc). There are no controls, you simply plug the unit in with the short break-away cord. The bucket measures approx 7.5" x 8" x 8.5".


My Thoughts

I love our big deep fryer; but I dread the cleanup. We're talking a gallon of oil, and cleaning different parts. Not to mention that I worry about setting the right temperature and so on.

The Presto FryDaddy is about as "dumbed down" as you get with a fryer. Fill with oil. Plug in. When it heats up (there is no indicator light for this), drop in your food. It comes with a spatula for lifting out the food when ready. We use a splatter screen rested on the top of the fryer if the food spatters.

Cleanup is about as easy as it gets. If we are going to save the oil, we just pop the top right on the bucket and store. If we are discarding the oil, we pour the oil into a container and just wash the interior of the FryDaddy. It is a non-stick surface, so it washes easily and wipes easily as well.

I like that if we make something messy, it's not a big deal to throw out the oil - it's just about 4 cups. We really did try making fried Oreos (worked out not too bad!) and then some fried Snickers, both of which made a melty mess in the oil. I wasn't bothered by throwing out the oil, or that there was cleanup involved, because it was minimal.

I like that this doesn't use a ton of counter space, that it is small and compact, and even that it has a handle on the bucket! Sometimes I store this in the basement, so I can just run downstairs, grab it by the handle, and run it upstairs and put it on the counter without robbing too much counter space. This could even fit in a kitchen cabinet!

And if I ever don't want to deal with cleanup right away, I can put the lid on the bucket to seal in any smells or risk spilling the oil. I can get back to cleaning it any time.

Although there is no temperature control or temperature indicator, we have not had any problems with frying. We generally save this fryer for simple, small projects, like mozzarella sticks, poppers, samosas, and generally other small batches of premade foods, instead of things like homemade fries (which we would get out the big fryer for).


Any Downsides?

There are absolutely no controls on this fryer. There are no temperature controls and no off or on. I don't care about the temperature controls, but it might be nice to have an on-off switch, or also an indicator light to show that the fry oil has heated up.

The spatula is nothing fancy. It might be nice if it were designed more like a ladle, so the handle was bent downwards a little more, but we never have any problem scooping out the food anyway (since stuff like mozzarella sticks, etc. all float anyway).

You do have to be careful when cleaning the unit, so that you do not get water in the bottom, but I have never had a problem. You can easily pour out the water, wipe the inside clean, and swish with some soap and water, then rinse.


Overall

I love how this fryer makes deep frying an easy project, instead of a big production. Grab the bucket, plug it in, fry your foods, and you're done. I would never, ever have considered making, let's say, 10 mozzarella sticks to go with dinner. No way I would haul out the big fryer and go through the hassle. However, the FryDaddy is so fast and convenient and non-messy that it has opened up many opportunities for making fried foods.


Presto: http://www.gopresto.com/

My review of the Waring DF200 Professional Deep Fryer:
http://www.epinions.com/content_143678475908

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 25