Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have kids with serious food issues/allergies. In order to cope with all of the things they cannot eat, we always eat at home and I always cook from scratch. As a result, I am always in the kitchen. I firmly believe in using the proper tool for the job whenever feasible so I purchased T-fal’s FR8000 EZ Clean 3.5 Liter Oil Capacity Stainless Steel Deep Fryer with Professional Immersion Heating Element and Unique Filtration System for deep frying things like French Fries, Chicken, bread and taco shells. This fryer replaced the old model of the same thing I had purchased in 2005 and worn out. WHAT IS IN THE BOX: The T-Fal deep fryer is a rectangular box shaped fryer with handles on either side. A fairly large rectangular stainless steel “box” holds oil and the removable heating element. An immersible stainless steel basket fits in the “box” over the heating element. The heating element attaches to a plastic unit which houses the electrical components and the knobs that allow the temperature to be set. Acting like a drawer under the stainless steel box is a plastic holding bin for oil after it goes through the filter when filtration has been utilized. A removable cord is also included as well as instructions. WHAT I LIKE: Everything on this fryer, except for the heating unit component (and the cord) goes into the dishwasher!!! This is absolutely awesome for keeping the fryer clean!!! I think everything should be dishwasher safe in the 21st century, yet too few things are. Great job T-Fal!!! The plastic storage bin for oil now comes apart (the lid lifts off). This is definitely an upgrade from the last model I owned. I discovered the lid on my last one was not removable when I stored some filtered coconut oil in the plastic holding bin in the winter and it solidified. I was unable to remove the oil until summertime. I am so glad to see this design change since coconut oil is the healthiest oil for frying and it is all I use. Now if I need to remove solidified coconut oil from the plastic holding bin, I can pop off the lid and scrape it into the fryer. It is much more hygienic to store oil in a closed container rather than the fryer “box” itself so I am grateful for the design change. This fryer holds a lot of oil and a lot of food. I can easily fry 2 potatoes worth of French fries per batch with no issues. I love the removable basket that can be hung on the side to drip. It looks like the ones seen in restaurants and functions the same way. Thus I am not dumping as much oil onto my plates with the food. It doesn’t take a ton of oil to fill this fryer. I bought 2 large bottles of coconut oil from Costco and it only took 1 ½ to fill the fryer. I can store and reuse the oil over and over and over with this fryer so I can use the healthiest oil and not feel like I have spent too much. The temperature readings on the dial are now etched into the plastic. On my last one the numbers were merely painted on and they came off within the first few months that I owned the fryer. I am glad T-Fal fixed this issue with their present version of the fryer. WHAT I DON’T LIKE: The actual frying space is not very deep. I tried to fry homemade tortillas into taco shells the other day in a mold that I own. I had to fry one side and then the other because I did not have the 3 inches of oil necessary to plunge the entire thing under the surface. I really think this fryer could be deeper. A couple more inches of frying space depth would make this a 5 star appliance. The cord falls out of the fryer too easily. I suppose it is a safety feature, but it is a pain in the neck. I purchased T-fal’s FR8000 EZ Clean 3.5 Liter Oil Capacity Stainless Steel Deep Fryer with Professional Immersion Heating Element and Unique Filtration System at full price and am reviewing it of my own accord. All in all, I think it is a great fryer and would definitely recommend it.