Smart Fryer, 4 Quart, Brushed Stainless Steel

Through the years I have used several different electric deep fryer models. I have also used multiple Dutch ovens from cast iron to stainless steel on my stovetop. This Breville compact deep fryer beats them all. I can fry with no lid and because it's so deep the oil doesn't spatter. I can set it to twice fry the fries and it works flawlessly. I can add time and/or change the temperature while it's in the process of frying. I can see the temperature of the oil and the timer counts down so I can time the food being fried to coordinate with other parts of the dinner being prepared. It is very lightweight so I can easily lift it filled with oil and carry it to my sink. The oil pours out via either back corner next to the heating element notch without spilling everywhere. Cleanup is very fast and easy. I rinse and wipe the frying basket after it cools and then let it air dry. I wipe down the heating element to remove any oil after it cools. I strain the oil after it cools and the empty oil tub fits nicely inside my dishwasher. It's also very easy to store when not in use. One tip I will pass along. When frying with a wet batter, never put the wet battered food inside the basket and then submerge the basket of food into the oil. It will stick to the sides and bottom and clump together. Instead, lower the basket in the oil as it's heating. When it's at temperature, use metal tongs to take a piece of the wet battered food by the tip and slowly lower it into the fryer basket by partially submerging the bottom into the hot oil until it's no longer sticky and dripping batter (it just takes a few seconds). I use a gentle swirling motion as it touches the oil. Then slowly open the tongs to release the food into the fryer basket. Just remember to be cautious when lowering the food into the basket. Don't drop it in. Gently and slowly lower it. I attached pictures of the shrimp and twice fried fresh sweet potato fries that I made the first day it arrived. The shrimp had a wet batter so I lowered each piece to avoid the batter getting stuck. I was able to fry eight shrimp at a time. I used the size 21-25 per pound and they were completely cooked in about a minute with the frying temp set to 350 degrees. I love this fryer. It is very user friendly and it makes frying fun. It really is a great deep fryer and I am so happy I finally bought it. Updated 2/1/23 to add a picture of some beer battered chicken breast fingers. They were so simple to make. I used the slow release and swirl method to lower them into the basket of oil and none stuck 🥳 They were perfectly cooked in three minutes at 350 degrees, and they were a big hit 😋 Updated 3/15/23 to add a picture of the rack I use to cover the bottom heating element when I am frying a large quantity of wet battered food and don't want to use the basket. The rack sits perfectly on top of the heating element and prevents food from getting caught between the coils and along the bottom and sides. It also allows me to put more pieces in at once because there is more space when the basket isn't in the fryer. When I'm finished cooking the battered food, if I want to use the basket for fries I leave the rack in place and the basket sits flat on top of it. It works great and it makes wet batter frying so simple. I bought the rack as a set of two on Amazon. I wrote the rack size on my picture. Updated 7/1/23 - I added a picture of my super thin fried chicken cutlets. I bread them, then freeze them, and then fry them from frozen at 375 degrees for 1 minute 15 seconds. They cook perfectly from frozen, brown evenly and taste great.

Bought this fryer a bit before Christmas and waited before posting my review to make sure I used it enough times to give an accurate review. I researched a lot before making a decision and at the end what made me go with Breville smart fryer, was how well it holds the temp (if you buy a fryer that doesn't your food becomes soggy and drenched in oil), and how fast it heats and reheats to temp (about 9min or less)before cooking and in between batches (because who want to wait 15min just for the oil to heat and then if you have a second batch wait again...that's just not practical). This fryer is wonderful! The preSettings are a little intimidating when you first read the instructions however my advice to you is, turn it on and explore and I assure you right then and there the instructions will all make sense. The fries twice fried alone makes it worth to buy this fryer, crispy on the outside soooo moist on the inside...don't expect to be able to stop at just a few, keep that gym membership going ;) Now so nobody goes thru what I did because the booklet and Breville customer service couldn't answer my question, when you choose fries fried twice there is a temp heating overshoot. 1st fry it will heat at 280 and then You can put basket down and it will cook at 265, 2nd fry it will heat oil to 381 then you can put basket down and it will cook at 355. Wish someone would have told me because when I saw it kept on heating the oil past the setting I thought it was defective and the amazing part is Breville it self doesn't even know to what temp the fryer overshoots, so there you go Breville here you have it for your next customers! The reason why it overshoots together with the twice fried setting is the reason why the fries are the best you will ever have! Together with some other preSettings there is also a custom setting where you can choose time and temp you want but keep in mind you can also change time and temp on the presetting which is wonderful because it make everything so versatile. Booklet says to only use vegetable oils but there is nothing unhealthier about deep frying than deep frying with Any vegetable oil, do your research and find out why it's too long for me to explain here. All I can say is do your arteries a big favor and buy some organic Refined coconut oil (smoke point is 425) and deep frying never been healthier! If you have a Bjs by you they sell big jugs for $8.49 but make sure you get refined as extra virgin smoking point is much lower and so not suitable for deep frying. Also extra LIGHT olive oil is much better than any other junk out there. The fryer is not wide to the contrary very compact size which it makes it not too bulky to keep on your counter and it's also stainless steel so it's pretty easy on the eyes, everything is stainless steel and sturdy, the basket is super sturdy but not wide so you will need to fry extra batches for big crowds BUT oil heats so fast it's not a big deal. Booklet Says you need to fill to max line to fry fries but I've filled it to a bit under the max line and I personally prefer it, #1 because when u put basket down and oil bubbles it doesn't come up so close to the edge as it would if it was filled to max (I did it once and it scared me); #2, 2 big jugs at Bjs are a bit under that line so it's easier; FYI filling to Min won't be enough to cover your fries. I've fried fresh Calamari, fresh and frozen chicken tenders and there wee all to die for. Lots of reviews complain about the magnet plug and in my experience it's not an issue at all. Yes sure it's different than all your other appliances but it's not as sensitive as ppl describe it to be and it actually gives me peace of mind incase of Fire I can just hit it with something to unplug it, so don't let the magnet plug discourage you. Ok now the Cons: draining/cleaning oil what a pain in my behind!! DO NOT and let me repeat DO NOT buy the stainless steel strainer with the filter on top, absolute waist of money and oil takes forever to filter thru and forever mean like 30 plus minutes straining oil. After almost returning the frier because I couldn't deal with the waist of time of staring the oil my mother in law had a genius idea and she had me strain it using pieces of an old cotton tshirt. Oil comes thru as clean as u first put it in and it will be all strained in less than 10min. Washing the frier is a breeze, quality couldn't be any better, u can put it in the dishwasher or wash it by hand really no biggie. Before you can strain oil you have to wait a few hrs so be ready to have your frier on your counter for a few hrs. I think I've covered it all and if you are still undecided don't be, you are getting a great quality frier for real cheap. Hope I was of help!

*Update: not only does it suck, but it stopped working after using ONE TIME!!! Now a 1 star review. Buy a different fryer* The fryer is generally good quality. The power cord interface in the back is horrible, at times it comes out in the middle of a fry, it's almost a deal breaker. The timer is ok, the presets just so-so (no fried chicken preset, only wings?), overall the digital/"smart features" are way way over hyped and oversold. I'm not dissatisfied with this fryer, but if I could do it again I'd definitely go with a different brand/model and if I were to spend as much as I did at this price point again I would go with one that offers more useful and practical features, like self cleaning oil trap etc.

I have had this deep fryer for 2 yrs now. I tried the T-fal and another cheaper brand fryer before, but this works the best, much easier to clean and holds more oil. It fries frozen nuggets, french fries, and other frozen items real well and I like that you know the exact temperature with the digital read. As for making homemade fried chicken, that came out great. It definitely holds the temp well after putting in frozen foods. Now for the downsides… the cord is very short so placement on the counter is limited to where outlets are. Plus, since the cord is attached by a magnet, the cord comes off really easily when you move the fryer around slightly. But the worst thing is it died after almost 2 yrs of use- it just wouldnt turn on anymore. I read the reviews and anticipated this so I purchased the 4 year extended warranty insurance through Amazon. Now I am sending it in for confirmation before they reimburse me. I’ve owned other deep fryers which also stopped working after a few yrs of use, but I find this is the best one so far despite it stopped working, so I will repurchase it again and buy the extended warranty again. For the quality, it is worth the costs I think. Just make sure you buy the extended warranty!

Just got this last week and we cooked perfect chicken wings last week. Then this week my wife was going to cook again. Filled the oil, plugged it in and nothing. No display or anything. I checked the outlet it was working. I said there is no way it would work one day and out of nowhere not work for no reason. I know that deep fryers have a safely mechanism that keeps them from turning on if they are not seated correctly on the fryer. YEP that was it. It was not seated correctly. So I placed it in the heating element slots correctly and it worked. Even though the heating element will sit on the oil pan correctly, if the heating element is not in the slots on the back of the unit correctly, or as 2 of the pictures show not at all, it will not power on. See the pictures posted. There is a safety switch in the heating element base that if not pushed in by being properly attached to the base, the unit will not power on. I have seen a lot of people say this unit was (junk) because they probably did not check this. As far as the rest of the unit the quality IS good. The metal top, base, basket are of heavier metal than the Cuisinart 4 liter. The Hamilton Beach 4.5 liter I would compare to restaurant take out tray aluminum, very poor. Oh yes, the power cord is the worst thing I have used. Too short and too easy to come off. Is it me or does it seem like a long cord you would have time to react to would be much better that a short cord the slightest touch would trip. Think if the cords were attached to land mines. I used the same cord I had from a 15 year old Walmart GE made deep fryer which this unit replaced after dying. I was about 2 inches longer but it made a lot of difference. It also is more secure. I would compare the metal on that one to be tank metal compared to how deep fryers are made today. The reason this cord falls off so easily is it has an extra "lip" around the top that pushes it away from the fryer. If you Dremel (sand it down) it will fit much better. I purchased 2 other deep fryers before getting this one, and all the cords would have fit on the other units. The other cords were mostly identical not having the "lip" on the top. You can probably find a low cost cord for $10-$15. More than that is too much. If it does'nt fit return it. It will probably be a reason by the manufacture to void your warranty.

Ok so really, I've had this fryer for over 11 years. I would say the cost amortized over its tenure in my house is $1.50 a month. Plenty of time to find out how well it works. I use it primarily for french fries, onion rings, chicken tenders, fried fish and chicken wings although I have done donuts as well. Pros: Heats quickly Super consistent performance Nice profile Easy to handle Presets actually work. I tested temperatures with a separate gauge. Everything BUT the element component is super easy to clean - dishwasher safe. Makes enough food for 4 at appetizer serving size . Makes lots for just 2 people. I strain and reuse french fry oil. I don't reuse fish fry or chicken wing fry oil. It does really well with all varieties of oil. I've used peanut, corn, canola, olive (low smoke point though), avocado is the best though. Things I wish were better: The cord interface could be better - magnetic and it sometimes falls off. Just seat it properly. The cord length is a little short. Could be longer. The cleaning of the element could be easier. After 11 years, I think I might buy a new one just because its a little dirty in the crevices.

Again Breville makes a wonderful cooking tool! Well built and easy to use - made perfect crispy fish n chips like an expert! Worth the money.

I don't write many reviews, but in light of purchasing this fryer twice and having to return twice, I figured I'd save you a lot of time. When this fryer works, it's excellent. However, it doesn't work reliably. Each time I've had this in my home it fails. The first time after one successful cook. After that it wouldn't turn on again. I reset it, moved outlets, assured all the disconnects and safety features weren't the problem, but nothing. I thought it was a fluke. I returned it and purchased again because I have other Breville products that are excellent. The day it arrived I cleaned it, being sure not to put water on the element in any way as I know that will damage it. I then added the oil, immersed the element, plugged it in and....nothing. I went online to Breville support and found that there is no help available on this fryer. The "troubleshooting" website takes you to a 404 error. I then called support and they were too backlogged, so left my number and never got a call back. I immediately repackaged this fryer and returned again. Very disappointed as I was looking forward to having a quality product to get into frying now that we're all stuck at home.