When we moved from California to Virginia we decided to get rid of some of our older appliances and replace them when we got here. One of the appliances was our beloved Fry Daddy (see review here:
http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-review-73FF-F9D9586-398F6A71-prod1 ). We figured we would replace it with a larger model.
When we got moved and settled, it was shortly past my husband's birthday. He asked for Sears gift certificates. He usually hits the Craftsman section. Armed with $60 in gift cards I wandered around the store behind my husband while he shopped. At the end of an isle was a display of deep fryers, the
Presto CoolDaddy Deep Fryer was one of them. He asked if I would like to get a deep fryer instead. Zacky loves French fries and they aren't the same in the oven, so I said sure, if he was sure that was what he wanted to do.
We looked thru the selection. It was fairly limited. We wanted to find something in our price range, as well as having features we liked. It wasn't a Fry Daddy, but we hoped it was just as good.
When we got it home we decided to try it out. We opened the box and cleaned the removable pot and the basket before we used them. While I was doing this my husband sat the
Presto CoolDaddy Deep Fryer on the counter. At roughly 11" wide, 11" tall and 12 1/2" front to back, it takes up a fair amount of space. It was quite a bit bigger than we had expected.
Once we got the unit on the counter, we attached the magnetic power plug. This is a nice feature in that if the unit is bumped or is knocked off the counter, the plug comes right off of the back of the unit. It is a safety precaution to help prevent fire.
Once we had it set up, we added the oil to "MAX" level mark inside the removable pot. There is also a "MIN" marking, as well. The oil must be somewhere between those two marks when the
Presto CoolDaddy Deep Fryer is used. The "MAX" line would be eight 8-ounce cups of cooking oil or four pounds of shortening. Since we had to preheat the oil, we closed the lid and waited. According to the book, this can take up to 20 minutes to heat the oil to 375 degrees.
The outside unit is nice because it remains cool while the
Presto CoolDaddy Deep Fryer is used. Our unit is white. The lid flips open on hinges and the lid will rest straight up. There is a small window on the top, but I am not tall enough to look in over the top of the unit while it is in use. My husband is and said he couldn't see anything using the window. On the lid, on the back side of the window, is a vent. The vent opens and hides a mesh charcoal filter that is supposed to "help absorb unpleasant frying odors".
As a side note, I have issues with that filter. Number one, it didn't seem to work, in my opinion. Maybe if you're frying fish or something you might notice it, but since all we use ours for is French fries and nuggets, and an occasional mozzarella stick or three, there weren't ever any odors to absorb. My other issue is that I didn't see anywhere on the box the mention of the fact that this filter needs to be replaced after about every 10-15 uses. We use ours quite a bit. I went to the
Presto website and the filters are $4.99 (plus 30% for shipping and handling) for three. It wouldn't take long for that to add up. If I would have known, no way would I have purchased this unit.
Back to the unit. Right in the front, middle, is where the basket handle is stored when it is folded down. After you set the basket of food over the oil, you close the lid and then fold the handle down. This lowers the basket into the oil. The lid locks when it is closed. To open it, you have to raise the handle, which raises the food out of the oil to drain, and then push the button next to the handle to release the lid.
Under the lid release button is a small, red light. This light will go out when the oil is hot. At the bottom, center, is the temperature control. You can adjust the temperature from less than 265 degrees to 375 degrees. There are four actual markings. 265, 300, 340, and 375 degrees.
After we used our
Presto CoolDaddy Deep Fryer, I noticed there was quite a bit of grease around the lid. I wiped it up as much as I could, but I was careful so I didn't get anything in the oil. You can store the used oil in the
Presto CoolDaddy Deep Fryer for later use, but it is recommended that you strain out any bits of food and such.
After using it a couple of times, we decided to do a complete clean. We dumped the oil and my husband washed the removable pot and basket by hand, even though it states that they are dishwasher safe. Since he had to go to work, I said I would tackle the lid. The lid is easily removed by opening it and lifting straight up. I then removed the charcoal filter, per the directions, and set it aside. The vent and the lid itself was nasty. Since we had waited for the whole thing to cool, the oil had cooled and hardened. Since it didn't want to easily wipe clean, I filled the sink with hot, soapy water and removed the gasket that seals the basket closed to keep the oil and heat in the basket when in use. I placed the lid, the gasket and the vent cover in the sink and let it soak for over 30 minutes.
When I went back to clean the lid it still didn't want to come clean. The little window was contoured, so getting a cloth up inside and along the edges was near impossible. I never did get all of the grease from in between the metal vent fins. I did almost cut my finger open with one, though, when my cloth slipped and my finger went along them. They're sharper than I had figured. They say to clean with mild soap and non-abrasives, so using my SOS pad was out, but just a cloth wasn't working, either.
After a while, I gave up. I had removed maybe %75 of the grease and such, but it still wasn't as clean as I had wanted, but there wasn't much more I could do. I placed the parts in a dish strainer and let them air dry. The gasket has to be completely dry before you put it back on the lid, so I left them over night.
While the
Presto CoolDaddy Deep Fryer has some neat features, and it does work, the work involved in cleaning the unit and parts, as well as the cost of the replacement filters, just makes this unit not worth it. It takes up more space on my little counter top than I can really afford to loose. Since we're due to buy replacement filters, the unit only came with one, we're just going to go ahead and buy a new Fry Daddy instead.
www.gopresto.com
