Tower Deep Fat Fryer with Adjustable Thermostat, 2L, 1500W, Black, T17001

This is a review after limited use but may help if you are considering purchase. To be clear it applies to the small 2 litre fryer as these reviews cover some very different products. First off we were not expecting miracles. This is a cheap fryer bought as we now mainly use an air fryer but there ares still occasions when deep frying is a better solution and the big fryer we have been using took too much space and too much oil. As others have noted it does have a limited capacity. That is what we bought. A small 2 litre fryer. If you need to cook for a family of four you don't want this one. Now some detail. The first impression came up to our expectations. A small, neat and quite smart device which is not taking up too much space on a work surface and is light enough so that when full it can still be easily lifted into a cupboard. No assembly required, just remove the packaging, fill with oil and plug it in. The 2 litre capacity takes it to the top of the min and max marks on the pan so is exactly correct. The lid is hinged which is better than some which have removable lids which then need somewhere to put them down when checking/removing food. There is a small filter in the lid which looks possible to clean but is simple filter cloth so should be easy to replace if needed. The only controls are a button to release the sprung lid and a temperature control. It turns on when you plug it in as there is no separate on/off switch. When plugged in there is a rather dim green light to warn you and a red light which shows it is not up to temperature. I always feel this is the wrong way round and the light should show when it is up to temperature but many cooking devices do it this way so it seems some sort of standard. The temperature knob does seem rather flimsy but as already noted I don't expect super quality at the price and it does its job. Checking the temperature with a probe shows it is about right.. I can't comment on the instructions as it is such a simple device we have not opened them. One thing we like is that the element is under the bowl. Many of these have the element inside the bowl which can make them quite hard to keep clean. The bowl itself is fixed but the whole thing is small and light so I can't imagine there would be any problems in cleaning in place. The pan is quite small but enough for a meal for two or snacks for more. It drops into the fat when the handle is folded and lifts out as the handle is pulled horizontal. We noted that it was too small for single large items like poppadoms but really that is zero problem as we just took the pan out, dropped the popadoms in the fat and lifted them out with tongs which we would have done if they were in the pan. Easy. I always try to relate my reviews to the price paid and I was looking for a small, cheap, reasonable looking fryer for occasional use for two people. On that basis it ticks all the boxes.

This is quite small (can do chips for two at a time) fits in a cupboard if required but is fine for our needs as only two of us and do not eat chips ( or Frys as also known) often a few heat levels so can do a few things so good.

I looked at a few fryers before settling on this one. I live alone and didn’t want a massive fryer cluttering up my work surface, this is a perfect size for 1 or 2 people. It’s not perfect but for the price you really can’t complain. The temperature doesn’t seem to go high enough at first, so when I put frozen chips in the oil doesn’t really bubble up at first. I don’t mind that as I don’t need to be careful and can just dunk the basket straight down and leave the chips to cook. Frozen skinny fries cook to perfection, crispy but not oily and I can fit enough to satisfy 2 people in there. The viewing window does steam up and even when I followed the tip in the booklet to coat it in oil I still couldn’t really see inside. I found this happens even with the expensive fryers so it’s no big issue. Fill to the maximum level and the oil will cover everything that’s in the basket when it’s lowered down, which you can do with the lid closed if that’s what you prefer. It only takes a few minutes for the oil to come to temperature, the indicator light doesn’t click when it goes out so you need to keep checking on it. Anyone who complains about not being able to remove the inside bowl to clean it needs to consider that this is a basic fryer at a very reasonable price and as long as you have a jug you can pour the used oil into it’s really no big deal. Clean it out at regular intervals and it won’t be any harder to clean than one that’s at least double the price. From past experience I recommended washing the basket as often as possible as this is always the part that gets really yucky if left too long, I do mine after every use, takes a few seconds with your washing up. As a basic, small fryer, no frills, it’s highly recommended. Hope you found my review helpful

Lovely chips very good and delicious better than a Air Fryer

I'd give it a big, fat, zero if I could! What an absolute piece of cr*p. 1. Says 2ltr oil capacity but is supplied with the smallest of baskets imaginable. 2. Takes the absolute pee to heat up, then never really gets to, or holds the proper temperature, whether the lid closed or open. Food just soaks up all the lukewarm grease. 3. Lid is incredibly flimsy and is likely to drop off if you forget to put your hand on top when you press the open button. 4. The temperature dial wobbles when you turn it, and to be fair, I've no idea whether it actually switches the fryer off without unplugging at the wall, as the power light is always on, making it potentially hazardous. 5. After taking over 10 minutes to fry off one small, 300g bag of chicken nuggets and ensure they weren't still frozen in the middle, I decided that the first time using it will be my last. Packing it up and sending it back for a refund. £45 is an absolute joke. Don't waste your money on this product, go down the market and buy yourself a good, old fashioned chip pan for a fraction of the price!

Bought for a 86 year old, No built in timer which I should have picked up on before buying, only noticed after filling with oil. Probably better for less!!!!

This is a really nice compact fryer, it cooks really well I made chips in it they were really good. i would say its more a 2 person fryer though unless you are a small eater. I have to say i feel it feels a bit flimsy compared to others i have owned but its a good price and isnt too big. It comes with a 3 year guarantee so we shall see. The lid comes off for cleaning it has a filter which helps to keep things cleaner, but it isnt Cool Wall. as you can see from the photo it isnt very big the basket is quite small (Knife to show size) but it only needs about 2 litres of oil, and I made more than enough chips for 2 people :) Probaly would serve 3 if small portions needed. All in all I am happy with it but i was not sure it would make enough seeing the size of the basket, it is very quick to cook, so chips were ready in the basket filled to top in about 10 mins. They were crips and golden brown and tates really good :)

Some nice touches (like being to raise and lower the basket from an outside control, and the push-button lid opening), overall does a fine job (so far) of frying (French Fries style of chips were perfect as were onion rings), but yet to try out anything more elaborate (such as tempura or battered chicken or fish — am planning on doing some calamari tonight, so perhaps should have waited till after that!). One thing, at 2-litre capacity, it is a tad on the small side — OK for just the 2 of us, but no good for a family wanting all their 'goodies' done at the same time. Also, I wish designers would put more time into thinking how these things are maintained and cleaned... how best to empty the oil for straining and cleaning; perhaps a spout would help, or a totally detachable oil container (that's also dishwasher-safe)! Overall though, quite decent, little frier.

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