shippo225's Full Review: Presto 05411 Granpappy Deep Fryer
My Diet:Well, I didn't say it was a healthy one.
…..I've tried dieting before, but like most people, I was unable to hang on to it. The thought of hot, greasy, tempting fast food French fries has completely overpowered my own will. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Let's face it, it's just too impossible to resist the thought of these fresh fine foods. And it's all because of my Granpappy Presto fryer. I'm not necessarily dissing it, actually, I like living with it in my kitchen. I mean, after all, I need to be able to depend on it to supply me some of that good ol' artery clogging, stroke-inducing, cholesterol-raising stuff that will give me about twenty pounds to my gut and about twenty years off my life.
Head To Toe:
…..The Granpappy is built primarily from heavy cast aluminum for the body of the unit. The inside and out are both super non-stick for easy cleaning. The inside of the unit is pure black while the outside is an attractive shade of dark gray. On the top is a half-inch wide band of silver color.
…..The handle is shaped a little different than that of other models of the fry daddies. On other models, the handle is as wide as the unit and is squared off. On this model, however, the handle goes along the side of the fryer in a rounded motion. This way, the handle isn't sticking out and adds no more width to the unit itself, all but maybe a half-inch. On the top of the handle is a label that has the brand name and all. The handle swivels to either side of the fryer and remains at the side when not being held.
…..The base is connected at the bottom, obviously. It is solid black and composed of heat-resistant plastic. It is sturdy and can take a beating. At the bottom, where it sits on the counter are three rubber pegs the just pop right up into the unit. This is probably the only defect in the over-all design. Every time I use this fryer, I go to put it away and there is always one of these sitting on the counter, no biggie. It you have the deep fryer on the counter and you move it, you might leave a black mark, don't worry, it comes right up with a rub of the finger. Underneath the unit is a steel, silver color, plate. If you were to take this plate off with a flat-head screwdriver, there is only the heating element and the automatic temperature device. This gadget works much the same as a thermostat, once the metal gets hot enough to bend, the element shuts off.
…..The Presto series fryers do no come with a basket as do many other brands. With the Granpappy, along with most other models of the Fry Daddy, you get an all-metal, wide scoop, slotted scoop. It is designed to be used with the Granpappy. It is curved enough for easy scooping and gets everything out in one or two scoops, depending on what you are cooking.
.....With the Granpappy comes a detachable power cord. The cord is about two to three feet in length. This is a safety feature, in that there is usually no slack in for which a child might grab and pull down. But this also has a down fall; it has to be close to an outlet. The cord's terminals are magnetic and when you go to plug itin, the cord just attracts to it and you don't have to find any holes. Since fryer is non-polar, there is no definite way to plug it in.
…..And last, the lid. The lid is important because it keeps the oil good while it is stored away and allows for using the oil many a time. It is comprised of heat-resistant, flexible plastic that bends at will. It can get a little warped after a while of putting it on right after you're done with it, but I usually wait an hour or so to put it away. I like having the lid because I can sit the spatula on it while I'm using it instead of sitting it on the counter.
Six Batches And Six Cups Of Oil Later:
…..This is where the Granpappy differs from the rest. When you use the Granpappy for the first time, and any time you clean it thereafter, you only need about six-cups of oil to fill it. Inside the bucket, about two and a half inches up, is a line to show how much oil is needed. After a few uses, you oil line be far below the line. All I do is pour in a little from the bottle and I'm ready to go. The oil will stay good for long time, depending on what you use it for. There is no need to replace the oil all the time. We've been using ours every other day to fry a few batches of fries. The oil goes down slowly and stays fairly clean.
.....Using the Granpappy is a joy. I'll just plug it in and let it preheat while I'm preparing the fries (Yeah, the real ones, not those fake, frozen ones). It doesn't take very long to heat up and is ready to use when I'm ready, if not, earlier. I can't put as many fries in it as I would with other fryers, but it does hold a good bit for it's size. The grease is nice and hot enough to cook the food as a fast rate to avoid excess oil from being absorbed. An average batch of fries takes about three minutes, about five for some chicken strips out of the freezer and four minutes for some frozen scrumptious cheese sticks, or fish sticks. When I'm ready to pull them out, I just grab the trusty spatula and scoop them out in a single scoop. I can put another batch in right away. I usually use my hands to put them in the grease, but I'd advise using the spatula, considering that the grease will splatter if you drop them in the grease. Once you have a few in and the grease is starting to rise with carbonation, you can just throw them in without to much of a splatter. And because the hot grease cooks them fast, the food doesn't absorb as much grease and cuts down dearly on the fat and calories, not that it makes too much a difference with us, pertaining to the fact that we use it all the time.
.....When supper's over and I'm out doing dishes, I just put the lid on and put 'er in the cupboard 'til tomorrow (yep, tomorrow).
Splish Splash, I'm Giving This Thing A Bath:
.....There comes a time, or two, in every deep fryers life when it has grown it's fair share of black oil and greasy skin covering. The non-stickness of the Granpappy makes for effortless cleaning, for the most part. Dumping the oil and washing the inside of the fryer is a breeze. However, if you want to clean the outside, you might need some off that good ol' elbow grease and a brillo pad. Or you can just clean the inside.
.....To clean the inside, you have to empty the grease. Since this is a small deep fryer, there isn't much oil. I just pour the dark oil into an empty butter container, or coolwhip. The container can be thrown away in the trash, or preferably a dumpster in some apartment complex (as long as they don't know it was you). And that takes care of the grease. Now you can clean the inside. For this, I put a little DAWN in the empty bucket and fill it with a little hot water. Using a rag, all you have to do is just wipe it around to get all the oil off the side. No grease builds up on the inside so it's easy to clean. Once your done, just dump it out into a sink and rinse it out. Then just take a paper towel over it to dry it. It'll be so clean that you can rub your finger in it and not be greasy.
.....Cleaning the outside can be a tad bit more complex. Over time, grease builds up on the outside, even if you try to keep it clean. Oil drips down the side as you scoop the food out. It's not meant to stay spotless. You can use some type of degreasing agent to break up the grit to make it easier, or you can use a brillo/SOS pad with a touch of elbow grease. The bucket should be standind while cleaning the outside because there is a gap where the bucket overlaps the base. This will avoid getting any water or cleaning agents in it and short-cicuiting it. After all the grease is cleaned off, just take a clean, wet rag over it to make sure all the cleaning stuff is off.
.....And that's the4-0 on how to clean the Granpappy. When you're ready to start using it again, just pour a nice, fresh bottle of artery clogging Crisco oil to the oil-fill line and you're ready to start using it again.
All's Well That Ends Well: Shakespeare
.....Fancy name for 'conclusion'. I find the Granpappy deep fryer to be my favorite one of them all. It cooks great, is easy to clean and makes ordinary fries into extraordinary fries. The over-all construction has it built to last a lifetime. It has my highest rating at seven out of five. I'd recommend it to a friend, helI, even an enemy. This series of fryers really does deserve the name 'PRESTO'. If you're going to go out and buy a deep fryer, make the right chose and get a Presto Granpappy deep fryer.
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