All-Clad Electric Deep Fryer with Basket and Lid, Stainless Steel Deep Fryer for Home Use, 1700W, Dishwasher Safe

My son is absolutely addicted to french fries, and since he's a picky eater and that's just about all he'll reliably eat I end up cooking them a few times a week at least. This fryer does a pretty great job on them and can cook two servings of fries in its basket, although more than that would probably be overcrowding and they wouldn't cook as well. It heats up reasonably quickly (far more quickly than a dutch oven on a stove top) and even when I add very cold fries it still either maintains its temperature or very quickly returns to temperature. However, by FAR the best feature of this fryer is how easy it is to clean up. You just turn the lever to "automatic oil filtration" and then walk away, and the oil is filtered and stored for you. The filtration is pretty good; I'll easily get a couple of weeks worth of regular frying out of a single batch of oil although it depends on what I fry, since some things get the oil a lot dirtier than others. Once it's drained, literally everything except the heating element can get wiped down and put in the dishwasher. This fryer could not possibly be any easier to clean up.There are only a few negative things about this fryer, none of which are really a big deal. The biggest complaint I have is that the timer isn't great. It works fine, but as far as I can tell you can't cancel it or change it once it's set, so if you're using it then hopefully you set the correct time the first time or you'll have to wait for it to go off before you can change it (if there's a way to do that then I haven't found it yet). Also, the magnetic plug does tend to fall out rather easily if it's jostled at all but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. As I mentioned, I wish that the overall temperature range was greater as it tops out at around 385 degrees, but that's still plenty hot for most things. The last negative is that the vent on the top cover is towards the back of the unit, so any condensation as it's cooking will come out closer to the walls. This means that if it's even slightly under any cabinets, then those cabinets are going to get saturated with steam so you really need to use this somewhere with nothing overhead.One thing to watch out for also is that the oil storage container's top comes off easily, so if you aren't careful when you're pouring it you could end up with the top falling off and spilling oil everywhere. Just hold it together with your hand as you're pouring and it'll be fine.

This fryer is extremely well made and gets to 350 degrees with no problems. I owned a T-Fal Ultimate EZ-Clean fryer before this one. They look the same but they are so different. The T-Fal is so flimsy compared to this unit. The walls are a much thinner metal, no bottom to the main body and the heating unit never got the oil hotter than 290 degrees. Because of the low operating temperature, the preheat and reheat back to cooking temp took a while. The side handles felt cheap and flimsy when carrying the unit full of oil. After years of use the heating element could only heat the oil to around 220 degrees. The only replacement part available is the magnetic power cord. So, it was time to get a new one.I was interested in the All-Clad when I bought the first one but couldn’t find any difference in the reviews other than the price and they looked like the same thing.Right out of the box I was impressed with everything I saw. The built quality was so superior than the T-Fal. The body and handles are strong and secure. I have a real confidence carrying this full of oil. The cooking bowl and basket are basically the same. The bowl is stainless steel and the fry basket is a cheaper chromed metal that will rust in the dishwasher. That’s right my T-Fal basket rusted. I ruined my basket in the dishwasher. Don’t believe the dishwasher safe line. Hand wash for the maximum life. It really doesn’t take that long to clean this unit up.That’s another thing, after several washes the bright chrome finish will still have oil smudges and smears. My solution, after washing it with soap, was to wipe the unit down with full strength vinegar, rinse and dry. It cut off all the oil and made it shinny again.The heating element is a superstar compared to the T-Fal. It got to 350 degrees effortlessly and reheated amazingly fast back to 350 while cooking.The plastic oil box is basically the same, though the T-Fal box doesn’t fit in the All-Clad. Hold the oil box with both hands when you’re pouring the oil out of it. I hold it a little lower than half way, closer to the drain port, with my thumbs holding the top on. Yes, failure to do this will cause a massive cleanup. The lid broke free and oil spilled everywhere my first time.I did call T-Fal about the low cooking temp when I first got it. They weren’t much help. They said only the elements get to 350 not the oil. Yeah, I didn’t get it either. I used my Thermoworks Thermopen MK4 so I know my readings were good and I never got more than a 290 degree reading. I guess the heating element turns off when it hits 350. I don’t know. I learned to cook with it.I’m very happy with this purchase and wished I’d went with this All-Clad the first time.