Gadget Post – Presto Deep Fryer

DSC_5203 [1600x1200]I’m a little tardy with this post.  I teased it a while back and took this photo sometime after that.  This is the Presto ProFry™, it also comes in a smaller single basket model.  These have good reviews on Amazon although there are a few bad reviews mixed in.  So far I like it although the build screams “made as cheaply as possible “.  All the metal is thin, the outer stainless shell and the enameled inner tub are very lightweight.  The temps do reach high enough to do proper frying, my digital thermometer was showing 380 degrees when the indicator light blinked out with the dial set all the way up.  (The index mark at the max limit reads 375.)

It is fairly easy to clean, all the parts just lift out and the inner basin comes out so that the oil can be poured out of it through a filter.  It holds in the neighborhood of 5 quarts.  I poured in a gallon and that took it to a level midway between the min/max markings embossed into the side.  There is a lid that fits over the top although they warn not to use it when frying high moisture foods.  I’m not sure why, perhaps it will not stand up to a lot of steam.  I give it 3 stars out of 5 overall, works fine so far, not happy with the build quality.  I would gladly pay more for a more substantial appliance.

Spring Rolls

I was in town today for an appointment and took the opportunity to walk through the giant supermarket, looking for some odds and ends on the grocery list.  I’ve been meaning to use the tofu I bought the other day and was thinking hot and sour soup ingredients when I spied the spring roll wrappers and grabbed a package.  It’s been a little while since I did some.  The hot and sour soup will just have to wait a bit.

These have chopped shrimp and chicken breast in them, along with bean sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, green onions, and a bit of grated carrot.  Some oyster sauce and soy sauce flavored the fillings.  These are the first batch I’ve made in the counter top deep fryer and I can report that it worked well.

Deep Fryer-Gadget Post

I decided to finally get a counter top deep fryer the other day.  I think it was the breaded onion rings that tipped me into it.  I did some research on line and came across this one.  It was rated as the best by one of the online groups and the reviews I read didn’t contradict that assessment.  After a couple of frying sessions with it I’m comfortable recommending it.  I doesn’t hold a lot but if you use the oven as a warmer you can get around that.  Large families may want to look for more capacity

Unlike every other fryer I’ve seen, this one has a tilted, revolving, basket.  The well holds about half the usual amount of oil and the revolving basket dips only a portion of the food into the oil at a time.  Because the basket and the well are tilted, the oil covers the food only at the bottom of the circle.  It seems to work well.

Tonight we had an all fried dinner-shrimp breaded with panko, onion rings breaded with some stale bread crumbs, and broccoli tempura.  Everything came out nicely and the big baking sheet with wire rack was perfect at keeping everything warm in a 200 degree oven.

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