One of the most versatile and multi-purpose kitchen appliances

Why a 15-inch electric skillet? It is always easier to prepare food in large quantities than to continually have to prepare small amounts of the same dish at every meal. I am a big fan of cooking in bulk. "Once a month" cooking is easy via a good size freezer, some high quality freezer bags and, of course, this jumbo electric skillet by Presto.

Even if you don't cook in bulk, anyone who lives alone or hates cooking might as well get it all done in one fell swoop. Cooking more than you need and just refrigerating the excess portions, to be pulled out and later reheated when wanted, eliminates the hassle of constant preparation of small portions.

I've long loved electric fry pans. And, as far as I am concerned, it's the only sensible way to fry.

PAN FRYING VS. DEEP FRYING: What makes electric skillets better than traditional deep-fryers? You have more control and convenience by having better access to the food while pan frying, as opposed to having to open a lid and lift the basket of a deep fryer. My pan-fried chicken (See my own legendary recipe on epinions last year) always tastes more tender and juicier than anything I would get with one of those new-fangled, contraption-like deep fryers.

Anybody that plans to invest in one of those modern deep-fryers should instead consider a Presto-jumbo electric skillet, which has a larger capacity than the largest basket of a jumbo deep-fryer. You are getting more for your money with an electric skillet than with a deep-fryer because an electric skillet also sautes, braises, quick-browns, and simmers as well as frying! This all-purpose "everything pan" does everything a normal skillet would with exceptional temperature control -- holding a constant temperature, further eliminating the hassle of constantly having to fiddle with the stove turning the heat up and down.

Anyone who hates to watch a pan, or who has problems with even heating, hot spots, or burnt food will want to use an electric skillet with the even and constant temperature control.

I SAY, ALWAYS USE FRESH OIL EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU FRY!!!!! Listen, I know that the best of the deep fryers have fabulous filters that don't allow even the slightest whiff of old oil. And, a lot of these filters filter out all the bits making the oil ready to use again, even on completely different food--supposedly. However, once an oil has been heated it is never the same.

I choose to use completely fresh oil, that has not been heated, every single time I fry. I never re-use the same oil for a different batch, ever. Isn't this expensive? Not with the 15-inch Presto which can hold a dozen medium chicken pieces or 8-10 large pieces at a time. With two Presto Jumbo Electric Skillets, or by bringing out another electric fry-pan you may have, you could easily have almost two dozen pieces of fried chicken all done at the same time, all fried in fresh oil!

WAY BACK WHEN....My first electric fry pan was a good-looking round stainless steel one by Farberware with a stainless steel lid and a huge black handle coming out of the side. For years, I was in electric fry-heaven with that pan. Back in 1997, I was looking for a companion electric fry-pan to use with my Farberware one when I realized that it was easier to fry in large quantities.

Unfortunately, Presto is the only one making an electric skillet this large. Again, I would have preferred something along the lines of my treasured Farberware round, stainless steel electric fry-pan.

Yes, the teflon nonstick coating on the Presto does tend to warp. This is why I don't like teflon or nonstick!

And, there is some assembly required which really scared me at first when I got the Presto home. It turned out to be nothing, really. You basically just get a screwdriver and screw on the side handles and the lid handle. I felt like a major mechanic after I assembled it all on my own.

I really recommend using the deep lid, made out of a material which Presto calls EverNu, every time you use this pan. The reality is that the lid is made of a sort of hardened plastic, which seems and feels like almost a sort of faux porcelain. But, it's the dome shape of the lid that traps the steam up high and seems to seal in the moisture and flavors of foods, unlike more shallow lids.

WASHABILITY, DURABILITY, AND DROPABILITY: Well, yes, nonstick basically wipes clean. Still, for all the clean-up benefits of a non-stick teflon coating, any little bang or drop degrades the integrity of the non-stick. That is why, even if you always use wooden or plastic spatulas, nonstick-teflon will warp and peel-off no matter what.

Still, this 15-inch Presto might even be bigger than my large, round Farberware electric skillet that I love so much. So, I give Presto a lot of credit for coming out with the idea of a huge 15-inch electric skillet, and I still say an electric skillet, because it does so many things well, is the most versatile, multi-purpose appliance of the kitchen. However, because Presto has constructed this basically of cheap materials and plastic which are not indestructible like stainless, I can only give 3 stars.