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(More customer reviews)So, I my first fryer was the Emerilware Deep Fryer by T-Fal.I liked it.I liked it so much I bought two of them (one for my mom).Along comes the George Foreman Fryer and after taking it out of the box and getting it set up, I was prepared to give the Foreman 1 star.But it pleasantly surprised me.
1.It was HEAVY!The empty Foreman fryer possibly weighed twice as much as the empty Emerilware.
2.DESIGN:The Foreman fryer's parts were difficult to assemble and take apart.The plastic parts appeared flimsy.The door latch is only on one side and both the latch and the open button seemed to get stuck.The fry basket was difficult to get in and out of position.The oil well has to be perfectly slid into position, then snapped into place.There's a lock/unlock button to keep the well in position that also gets stuck (but this might actually slide more easily with use).And the heating element mechanism was difficult to remove with the *extremely* flimsy handle.What bothered me the most about all these parts is that, in my experience, the more complicated an appliance is (with all the buttons, levers, locks, etc), the more likely something is going to break.
Meanwhile, the Emerilware is so ingeniously simple in design, it is idiot-proof.It's basically a vat of hot oil which you dip your fry basket and food into.But with the George Foreman, I had to read the instruction manual just to figure out how to take all the plastic and cardboard out of it.It was really, really complicated.
3.The basket CAPACITY is small!The Foreman fryer can fit maybe 1/4 of a bag of frozen fries.I managed to fit 3/4 of a bag of frozen fries into the Emerilware fryer.I have no idea how you could cook fried chicken in the Foreman fryer, you'd be able to fit 2, maybe 3, drumsticks at most.I can fit 6 drumsticks in the Emerilware.And turning the food mid-way through cooking is much easier with the Emerilware, since the Foreman fryer's basket is so small and it's got a stick running right up the middle of the basket.
4.Both fryers cost about the same.Both fryers take about the same amount of time to heat up (approx 10 mins upon powering up to the hottest setting).Both have a max temp. of 375 degrees F, which is about typical for most deep fryers.Both fryers have a short, magnetic power cord which will disconnect if something trips over it.
5.The Foreman fryer has a really nice TIMERwhich dings like a bell when it's done.You may miss hearing it though if you walk away and your home is noisy.The Emerilware has a timer that beeps like an angry alarm clock when it goes off; it's loud and annoying.
6.MAINTENANCE -- Here's where the Emerilware really shines.When you're finished with your frying, you simply flip a lever and all the oil automatically filtrates into a storage compartment below the fryer, ready for re-use.Then, you take all the remaining parts (except for the heating element) and throw it into the dishwasher, as all parts are made of stainless steel or hard plastic.
But the Foreman, you have to wait for it to cool, then filter the used oil into your own containers using cheesecloth or some other filter.It is a mess!Then, the oil well must be washed by hand.Moreover, the grill basket purportedly can go into the dishwasher, but the handle does not come off the basket, which makes it take up a ton of bulky space.Plus, the handle is a really, really cheap plastic that looks like it could melt in the dishwasher, so I wouldn't run the heated dry cycle with it in there.
7.TASTE:Up to this point, I was prepared to give the Foreman fryer a big fat 1 star rating.My first batch of food was a handful of mozzarella sticks.(Note to buyers, do NOT use the spin cycle with mozzarella sticks.)The instruction manual has a chart with suggested frying and spinning times for different types of food.It didn't mention mozzarella sticks, so after frying according to the directions, I turned the nob to spin the food on high for 2 minutes.I opened the Foreman up to a HUGE mess.The cheese had spun seeped out of the sticks leaving me with these hollow breaded logs, plus melted cheese ALL OVER the basket.Yuck.But this was my bad.I tried another batch on low spin with similar results.Nevertheless, I tried one of the hollow cheese logs and was AMAZED!!!They were crunchy and crisp.I put them on a paper towel and plate and they left almost NO OIL on the paper!
I then cooked a batch of pierogies.3 minutes fry, 2 minutes spin on low.They came out beautifully golden and tasted -- INCREDIBLE!!!!!They didn't feel greasy to the touch and, again, left almost no oil on the paper towels meant to blot them.I have never tasted anything so good!I went nuts at that point.I fried some frozen french fries -- CRISPY, TASTY, YUM!I fried some hash browns, those broke apart a bit during the spin cycle, but they didn't taste or feel greasy.They were DELICIOUS.I actually managed to eat all this food and only go through one napkin to wipe my fingers.The Emerilware food tastes good since it manages to do a good job getting consistently hot enough, but that fryer still has nothing on the food the Foreman produces.
8.SPIN CYCLE:I have to warn you that the spin cycle on the Foreman fryer is really loud.It's about as loud as a hair dryer on high or maybe your blender.Moreover, it tends to destroy the shape of some foods.Like I said earlier, all the cheese seeped out of my mozzarella sticks, whether on high or low.My hash browns got broken.You may get misshapen doughnuts.If food presentation (visually) is important, you might have to skip the spin cycle.
9.Weight Control:Look, you've got to be kidding yourself if you want to control you weight and, as a result, decide to buy the Foreman fryer.If you want to watch your fat intake, you should stay as far away from deep fryers as possible.And while it appears to be true that a lot of the oil in your fried food will be removed through the spinning process (as evidenced by the lack of oil coming off the blotting paper towels), and even if it's true that you'll remove an average of 33% more of the oil absorbed through frying than other machines, you're still going to end up eating a whole heck of a lot of grease.Just don't delude yourself.(Personally, I just make sure I always down some Alli pills, but you will probably pay for it the next day.)
10.Smell:The Foreman fryer has an excellent filter, plus a lid that locks shut.After grilling a huge dinner, the house does not reek of oil, the way it usually does with the Emerilware.The Emerilware has a really poor filter.If you use that fryer inside the house, your home will smell like a fast food joint for hours and hours unless you air it out.
CONCLUSION:If this were only about taste and quality of food, the George Foreman Deep Fryer would win by a Knock-Out, no questions asked.But judging both deep fryers overall, it's really hard to weigh the food quality against the machine maintenance issues.After much deliberation and soul searching, I think I favor the Emerilware's ease of cleaning and oil filtration.So, for me, I think that all the overall points hand the Emerilware the win.If the George Foreman fryer manufacturers can re-design some of these flaws, then it would hands-down be the fryer to beat.I certainly hope they're up to the challenge.
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George Foreman GSF026B Deep Fryer with Smart Spin TechnologyProduct Description: For cooking restaurant-quality fried foods at home, this deep fryer provides a 2-3/5-liter oil capacity and a 1-2/5-pound food capacity for making anything from French fries and onion rings to mozzarella sticks or doughnuts. Its immersed heating element ensures fast, uniform heating, as well as super-speedy temperature-recovery times after adding food to the fryer. Best of all, the appliance features Smart Spin technology, which spins food for up to two minutes on either low or high speed, which removes up to 55-percent of the fat absorbed during frying. While food spins, convection current from the hot oil below helps deliver excellent results--crunchy on the outside and moist and delicious on the inside. In addition, the unit's viewing window makes it possible to safely keep an eye on the cooking process, and its timer with an audible signal ensures food gets cooked to perfection. Other highlights include a programmable thermostat, a temperature-ready light, and a unique basket design that keeps food in tact during the spin cycle, as well as a cool-touch handle, a detachable magnetic safety plug, and dishwasher-safe parts for quick cleanup. Recipes are included. The deep fryer measures approximately 14 by 12 by 15 inches.
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