Presto 05466 Stainless Steel Dual Basket Pro Fry Immersion Element Deep Fryer

I’ve been searching for a good deep fryer for years. I love fried foods, especially chicken wings. I can’t get great wings where I live so I started the adventure of making my own.There are TONS of deep fryers to choose from, but this caught my attention because of its size. I’ve fried foods using the stovetop before so I knew I needed something that can fit more than 3 chicken wings at a time. Also, I needed a fryer that was durable. I am clumsy and break stuff all the time so I needed it to be tough, durable, and easy to use.Setup was a breeze. Not too many sharp edges or anything I can hurt myself on. The cord is super short, maybe a foot long. It’s magnetic so I needed to make sure I had a power supply close. I mounted a surge protector on the back of a table in my garage. This allowed me to not cook in the house so it doesn’t stink it up, but I can easily plug and unplug the unit with no issues and it’s not in danger of getting pulled out.The thermostat actually lies in the oil so you get a good idea of the oil temperature. It’s extremely easy to put on an take off. There is even a safety function so if it’s not on correctly it shouldn’t power the unit on. MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR OWN DIGITAL THERMOMETER TO ENSURE EXACT OIL TEMPERATURE!!!One the fryer is set up, just dump your oil in and it’s ready. Heat up time is about 20 minutes. I would fill it more than 4 quarts if you are planning a lot of frying or doing real big fried chicken. Great thing about this is you can take the baskets out and just use the fryer alone and it frees up some room. Plus batter doesn’t stick to the basket. You need some fryer tongs or a strainer if some sort but the option is there. I’m looking forward to making donuts this way.I used this fryer 6 times before I had to change the oil (I use peanut oil. It has a low smoke point and tastes identical to restaurants. I’ve been able to find it by the gallon for as low as $12 on sale, Wallymart usually sells 3 gallons for about $35 which is a great deal.)Cleanup was much ‘easier’ than I expected. I saved the old oil bottle so I had a place to put the used oil (just use a funnel). I had no idea if any of it was reusable so the whole 4 quarts were dumped and sent to recycling. I’m not sure how us regular folks strain oil to reuse it. Restaurants have big machines they use to filter it again and again.Once oil was out just wiped it all down, rinsed the baskets (the handles even fold in for easy storage) and filled it back up with fresh oil to the fill line on the oil container. And done.I’ve had the product for about a month and a half and have used it well over 10 times. It doesn’t get too hot anywhere on the unit that I have noticed. The cover is great because it helps with splashing and spitting of the oil. When the unit is full and turned on, ALWAYS BE CAUTIOUS OF THE BASKETS IN THE FRYER!!!! It’s easy to get a sweatshirt or something to pull the basket while frying and then you will have a giant bad accident to deal with. BE SAFE AND SMART! READ THE DIRECTIONS! If you do this you shouldn’t have a problem.I am successfully making chicken wings, fried shrimp, mozzarella sticks, fries and more with ease. I’ve started making most of it from scratch and the food is definitely restaurant quality. some of it is very tough and it’s a trial and error process but the reward is delicious!!!

Many people have a little Fry Baby (probably got it as a wedding or house warming gift), and might have even tried making more than just finger food with it and weren't impressed (like me). Well, this fryer will completely rejuvenate your cooking experience and get you all the WOWS at the table that you want.With the included dual baskets, you can fry 2 different food items at the same time without them mixing with each other. No, there isn't a separate temperature for each basket - it is all in the same vat, so just one temperature, but lets face it, you are going to set it on high (or just below) and probably never change it.The absolute best part of having a fryer like this is that it is always ready to go. Just plug it in and 20 minutes later your are ready to fry. When done, just move the fryer out of the way. No more pouring oil out of your frying pan (down the drain or into another container) each time you want to fry something.I use peanut oil as it's not quite as bad for you, and it smokes less, and the after-odor doesn't smell fishy like vegetable oil does (to me).I've had mine for 2 years now, and it has completely transformed my menu variety.Foods that will love you for cooking them the right way:French Fries - almost the same as your favorite fast food placeLeftover Fries - no more dry/burned/soggy fries from toasting or microwaving.Leftover Chinese - to reheat their deep fried chicken/pork/shrimp.Onion RingsBattered (or breaded) mushrooms or cauliflower (and other veggies I haven't tried yet).Cheese SticksCorn DogsBattered/breaded FishSouthern Fried Chicken or Pork - OMG! So tender, hot, juicy! You won't believe how great these are.Chicken NuggetsPizza Rolls or Puffs- you haven't lived until you've had them deep fried.Deep Fried Calzone - also called Frittelle in southern Italy. Think pizza fritter - OMG!!!Any kind of tempura.Funnel cakesOkay - so cleanup isn't great. Every couple of months I'll drain the very used oil into an empty container to put in the trash, then clean up the vat and surrounding surfaces as best as I can. The first few times I was meticulous about it. Now, not so much. I have my fryer housed inside of an unused side oven (that I slide out when I use it and slide back in when done), so I (and others) don't see it when not in use, so I don't care that it looks, well.... yucky. But who cares! The food that it produces is fabulous!

The picture is the new one that I bought a bit ago. It is the same one I got many years ago and it was time to replace it as I couldn't get it as clean as I wanted but it still worked, after years of use. We used it hard too. My grandson showed up and asked can I have the old one and now he has it at his place and still using it. This one is just as good, it is the same one to a Tee. I thank them for making a great product that I was scared before I got this one. Has two baskets and can make a lot of fried food fast. It does take a few minutes to get to 350 degrees, but after that it is on.I do hope this helps as I search this one out and couldn't believe it was still around.