Presto 06003 Options Electric Multi-Cooker, Steamer

I am always reluctant to purchase small electrics but this is a great addition to the kitchen. I bought it to use as a deep fryer for french fries, etc. and it's perfect for that, although the lawyers don't let Presto tell you that it can be used as a deep fryer. It keeps the oil at the correct temperature (so it doesn't burn) and holds a lot. If you fry frequently I don't see why you couldn't keep the oil in the pot with the lid on for reuse, but I don't do that since I only fry a few times a month. It also can be used as a slow cooker, and it's great for simmering sauces (e.g. spaghetti sauce) which tend to stick and burn to the bottom of a saucepan on the stove. Think of it as a temperature-controlled burner on your stove. You could get a similar result, I suppose, from one of those induction hotplates, but this is less expensive and does a great job. It's very easy to clean. The only drawback in my opinion is that the handles and feet need to be attached with a Phillips screwdriver and it's not included in the box. So you either need to have one or buy one to put it together. Also, I find they need to be re-tightened from time to time. Easy to do. The power cord is on the short side (blame the lawyers again) but it has a break-away magnetic attachment for safety. I use this much more often than I thought I would and it is well worth the price.

Awesome fryer. Good value and quality for price.

I was replacing a five year old Hamilton Beach deep fryer that I used only for French Fries. It was a nightmare to clean and slowly failed many times over the years and I managed to patch it up and keep it going. So instead of fighting it and trying to clean it again I wanted a fryer that was easy to clean. I found it with this Presto. I did have to assemble four legs and two handles but that took less than five minutes. It has no exposed immersion heating element to get gummed up with grease and the thermostat is removable. That just leaves the pot and basket to clean. I did find that the included aluminum basket retains a little too much oil so I simply used my reliable old wire mesh fry basket. As I only use this for frozen fries it works quite well. It does take about five minutes longer to reach frying heat than my old fryer and checking with a thermometer I found that the 400 degree stetting is closer to 375, just perfect for fries. So a twenty minute warm-up, a four minute frying time, and easy clean-up. What's not to like. Oh yeah, it could use a pouring spout for draining but that's not enough to lose a star. How well it works with other food I don't know and I've had it for such a short time I have no clue has to how long it will last, but it does seem to be well made.

It's wonderful to get such a versatile appliance that does the work of many little appliances. I've had this about 2 years and keep finding new uses. I'm going to try Sous Vide cooking in it next. I have used this pot for soups, stews, steaming and deep fat frying and it's worked quite well. I'm not a big fan of the basket for steaming -- you have to remove the handle and hook the basket on the side of the kettle. You can't take it out quickly and steam is going to vent where you have the basket hooked, so arrange it accordingly. I did find an excellent 6 quart steamer basket on Amazon that is a great fit for this cooker: Hatrigo Instant Pot Accessories 6 qt Steamer Basket [3qt 8qt available], Fits InstaPot Pressure Cooker, Insta Pot Ultra Egg Basket w/ Silicone Handle and Non-Slip Legs (Instant Pot 6 Quart) . It has non-scratch silicone coated "feet" and folding handle. Removing this basket is quick and easy and is great when steaming hard boiled eggs--you can rapidly immerse them in a cold water bath. Since the handle folds out of the way, when steaming, you can vent the glass lid where it's most appropriate at the time. For yogurt making: the 2 1/2 quart anchor hocking mixing bowl fits this perfectly and this cooker will hold a steady 110 degrees if you set it just under the "Keep Warm" mark. I had to experiment with it most of the day to find the right mark for the temperature setting I needed, but it's held steady. I put a couple of cotton potholders underneath the glass bowl to eliminate direct heat fluctuations in the bottom of the bowl, but so far, so good. A silicone trivet would work well also. Why not 5 stars? It's all due to the irritating, hair trigger magnetic cord assembly. I read other reviews and thought I was prepared for this problem, but really, just the slightest touch of the cord can disengage the connection. It may be that I have a weak magnet in my cord assembly, but trust me on this: just barely brushing the cord can disengage the connection. This is a major pain when you're deep frying and suddenly you are deep fat "soaking" because the oil temp has dropped. So, if you can handle that cord with kid gloves and keep an eagle eye out, everything will be fine. It's a major inconvenience to have to keep such a close watch on an otherwise wonderful appliance.

works good with a good size basket

Love this frying pan, nice and small and heats up right away. Don't use my stovetop much anymore.

We have had this for a few years now.. great value for money. Still works amazing. You can fit a great amount of anything in the basket. Love that it has a lid to cover when your done. And it cooks the food perfect and fast for no matter what you use it for ! We use it at least 3-5 days a week at our house. So believe me when I say this thing has got its use and it is still going STRONG!! No weird smell when you fry anything, obviously other than what your cooking. Super easy to change your grease out and put some new fresh grease in!! I'll order this over and over whenever the time comes that we would need a new one in our house!!

This item is very useful and represent the one I had in the past. I like the economy of frying without being splatter of the hot oil... Thanks for having this product available for purchasing for us!!! Thanks for this product being available!!!!

Buena compra, la uso para derretir cera de soya. super fácil de controlar la temperatura, estable, el teflon evita que se pegue absolutamente nada... he visto en otras partes que le hacen un orificio en la parte inferior para colocar una llave de paso y drenar la cera, pero a mi parecer no vale la pena alterarla de esa manera, si es mucha cera con un cucharón la puedes sacar y es tan ligera que la puedes levantar para vaciar.

Nice it works

Good size, easy to assemble, like the cord and it’s attachment to the unit, sturdy, maintains heat well. I also purchased a frying basket later.

Es un excelente producto multi funcional ideal para freír, cocer, guisar, cocinar al vapor y mucho más...

Great little deep fryer, easy to clean and perfect for everything I can’t wait to have a fondue with this.