Presto 05442 CoolDaddy Cool-Touch Deep Fryer

Cooks great still like my 10 year old cook daddy., but the cool daddy does a great job hope it lasts 10 + years like my cook daddy

Great self-contained deep fryer for small-medium batches. Closes at the top before lowering the basket so it keeps your cooking area relatively spatter free--great design. Not too troublesome to empty out clean up. Probably encourages me to eat more of wrong kind of food than I would otherwise, but that's a personal problem.

The original Fry Daddy with no temperature knob was much better, but after having kids I needed a safer larger option. For those having the problem of the oil not getting hot enough the secret is to make sure there is no sludge on the bottom. If there is a build up of flour on the bottom, it will get overheat the layer of flour near the sensors without heating up all the oil. This is a safety feature and I would not hack it. The flour on the bottom would burn making the food taste burned and it would be a safety hazard. Another thing that can affect the temperature is adding too much oil. Do not fill it over the maximum line. Unfortunately the line is low that it renders the basket almost useless. If I am frying chicken I will often not use the basket. I wish the temperature gauge got hotter than 375 degrees. I usually use an oil with a high smoke point so heating the oil to 400 before adding a dense food then lowering the temperature to 375 would be my preferred method. For the price I think this is a good purchase. It cleans easily, the lid prevents splatters and filters some (but not all) of the smell. Purist should stick to cast iron on a gas stove with a thermometer because when I have used a thermometer with this machine it sometimes reads 350 when it is on 375 when I have cooked a few batches, probably because flour is building up on the bottom. It still cooks chicken without being too greasy and it can cook all the way through without burning which is a plus. If I am making something more delicate like seafood or donuts, I often prefer the stove top. If you want something convenient and easy to clean and want to make a bunch of fried chicken or french fries this is good fryer, a time saver and very consistent. 15-20 minutes for legs, 20-25 minutes for thighs. I can walk away set a timer and not worry about it burning.

I bought this just for me and my son, but it's the perfect size fryer for 3-4 people (in batches). The lid closes over the frying basket, eliminating splashes, and the built-in lid filter reduces that frying oil small. I recommend this item!

This fryer is so awesome for the price. This is the first I've owned and glad I finally purchased one. Weve done chicken wings, mushrooms, fries, chicken strips. cheese sticks, chimichongas, and on and on. I like this design, I like the fact that you can lower your food after the lid is closed. We use the oil about four to five times. I also sift the crud out of the oil befor each use, not a big deal and easy to do. The clean up is very easy. Now just so you know... we dont over do it with this thing cause its not the healthiest food on the planet, but it sure is good. I've never had any problems with it getting up to temp to cook all that I have tried so far. Yes, the outside of the unit does get hot but its a fryer with plastic housing so its going to get hot. Its very well built and have never had any issues with it. I've been using it for about four months now. Thanks again Amazon for great pricing and Happy Frying Everyone!!

For years, I've resisted the lure of a deep fryer, but lately I've come across recipes that I wanted to try. I didn't like the idea of all that grease spatter on my stove top, so I thought that a self-contained fryer like this CoolDaddy would do the trick. While I still get some spatter, especially with fries and potato chips, the air isn't filled with oil. Even better, the temperature is automatically controlled, reducing the chances of a grease fire or too-cool oil creating soggy, greasy food. It takes about 15 minutes to heat oil to the highest temperature (375 degrees), and once food is added, it can take up to 5 minutes for it to re-attain it. Initially, I was worried about the temperature drop/slow rise; however, the food emerged crisp and not greasy. I like the way the basket is held above the oil by a simple locking mechanism so that I can drain food before I transfer to a paper towel lined plate. I was worried about the capacity when I chose this because so many reviewers stated that it's too small. If you were cooking large pieces of chicken for a crowd or even a family of five, it would be too small to cook everything at once. You'd have to fry in batches. You might be able to get 3 pieces of chicken in at a time. I'm able to fry four doughnuts at a time. Some things, such as donuts, can and should be cooked without the basket. The basket is about 8" in diameter and 3" high. Since I'm most interested in cooking small items and batches, it is the perfect size for my use. The only part that can be washed in the dishwasher is the basket. Everything else must either be hand-washed or wiped down. There's a temperature dial in the front, a push button to open the top, and a red indicator light that turns off when the oil has reached the correct temperature. The instruction book is meager, at least in terms of recipes, but it contains critical information. Read it. For example, you don't want your oil overflowing onto your counter because you didn't read how to properly immerse cut potatoes. This CoolDaddy is the type of appliance that can spend a good deal of its life in a cupboard, but when you need it, you're glad you have it. -- Debbie Lee Wesselmann

Truly one of the worst constructed deep fryer I've ever used! Basket was bent. Lid WILL NOT stay closed. I had the original cool daddy years ago and used it for over 6 years. This new "improved " style is the biggest piece of crap! Oil temp at 375 in the gauge was really only 313. Seriously stay away!! Not worth the aggravation of having to pack it up and ship it back. Look elsewhere!

I bought this fryer to replace a Waring fryer that's good but messy, hard to clean and doesn't have a replaceable filter. I remember the Seb European deep fryer from my childhood, and the hope was that a deep fryer with a locking/sealed cover and filter would minimize frying smell. On the frying, ease-of-use and ease-of-cleaning ends, this fryer doesn't disappoint. It's heats fast and cooks fast, settings are easy to use, and cleaning is a breeze. The housing wipes clean, and so does the oil tank after you've emptied it. No impossible-to-clean, sticky residues anywhere... Now, about the filter... A filter only works if the steam goes exclusively through it. It doesn't; it comes out almost exclusively through the handle opening up front. So if you're thinking of getting this fryer for the filter (like I did), don't bother... As far as the handle is concerned, the basket lift mechanism is a bit flimsy, and the handle is hard to get into the guides. The design could definitely be improved. That being said, it's a good fryer. The round basket makes it easy to get uniform results. No more shaking the basket all over the place so fries won't stick to each others, or be crispy only on one side. The size is great for a family of 4. I didn't test the oil temperature, but the heating plate heats well enough to allow you to deep fry most items fast without oil residues. I had to blot my fried items much more with my Waring fryer (which has submerged heating elements). If I could make any improvements to this fryer, it would be: - A better-sealed cover so the steam actually goes through the filter - A sturdier, better designed basked lift - A longer cord (the cord is about 2 ft.) TIPS: DO NOT fill the tank to the MAX FILL line. The line is about 1/8 inch too high and the burning oil will spill all over the place as you lower the food into it. So make sure you fill the tank between the MIN and MAX fill line, but NOT up to the MAX fill line. I use peanut oil to fry, which has a higher smoking point, doesn't smell and lasts longer. Filtering the cold oil after use is a breeze using a large sieve layered with a good-quality paper towel; the oil comes out super clean and ready for the next round of frying!

Compact and easy to store. Looks nice. Easy to clean because the fryer pot is removable. Makes very crispy fries. Some fryers do not get hot enough, but Cool Daddy does. Excellent fryer.

Fácil de usar, excelente producto

facile a utiliser. légère a transporter. un gros plus pour moi. Sécuritaire. fait des bonnes frites en peu de temps. bien plus légère que ma vieille T-Fal que j'ai jetée après 14 ans. ne devient pas chaude et brulante au toucher. J'adore. prix raisonnable. comme ma vie est simple depuis que j'ai acheté cette friteuse. légere, pas chaude au toucher, n'éclabousse pas. Le meilleur achat de ma vie.

The fried food just came out excellent, just what I was looking for

L'eau de la vapeur sort de tous les côtés. Le contenant devient très chaud pour les mains. Mauvaise qualité de matériel. Je ne le vous recommande pas du tout.