 It's great, no matter what Alton Brown says! |
| Review Date: December 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Michael I. Gorchov, |
This unit is similar to the one I have (old style 06000), so I have included my review here as well.
I bought one at Walmart last year. I use it pretty often, but mostly for making popcorn. Turn temp to 350, put a couple-three tablespoons of peanut oil in the bottom, and then when the oil heats up throw in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of popcorn. Put the cover on and keep the pot moving while the corn pops. When the corn has just about stopped popping, turn the heat off and pour the popcorn into a bowl. Butter, salt and eat. YUM!
I've deep-fried scallops in it, steamed vegetables, cooked rice, made soup and even baked potatoes. The thing works great! I wasn't going to write a review until I saw Alton Brown talk some trash about it on Good Eats. I got pretty defensive about my humble Presto cooker! He was doing a silly episode about "man food" like corn dogs and thin, square hamburgers. Well, when Mr. Brown was explaining how to fry the corn dogs he said (while holding a Presto mutlti-cooker) that a pot with an heating element on the outside of the bottom wasn't a good idea because first the element had to heat the pot and then it had to heat up the oil. Too slow. After that he displayed three home-use rectangular fryers with immersion type heating elements. He said they were also better because they each had cooking baskets and break-away magnetic cords. He picked the one with the digital controls, while implying that this was somehow better than the manual rotary temp control.
I don't know if A. B. gets paid for product placement on his show, but I really thought he was being disingenuous regarding the Presto "pot." First of all, about the heating element on the bottom of the Presto cooker: During the frying demonstration, Mr. Brown had some text placed over the screen that said that if you didn't have a special electric fryer, that a pot on the stove-top would work fine. Isn't that interesting? What the heck is a pot on the stove, but just a heating element on the outside of a pot that heats up the pot and then the oil inside? That's exactly what he was criticizing the Presto kettle about. What gives? Secondly, the Presto cooker DOES TOO have a magnetic break-away electric cord to keep the unit from tipping when the cord is yanked by accident. Also, the Presto cooker DOES TOO come with a frying-steaming basket, which Brown implied it didn't have. Nya, nya, nya! See, I can be just as immature as Alton Brown!
I don't know if the rectangular fryers are really better, but I'm sure they cost a lot more. My Presto cooker was $26.85 at Walmart. I keep it in a lower cabinet - it doesn't take up much space there. I pull it out when I need it. It's inexpensive, easy to use, and simple. When we go to Maine in August, I'm allowed to take only one of my counter-top appliances. So, I just take the Presto cooker with me. Normally, I cook steel cut oats in a small bowl, sitting in water, in a slow cooker (a bain marie - sort of - found the idea here [link deleted]) I can do the same thing with the Presto cooker. And I have a pot with me on vacation that I can do so much more with.
One last thing. With my slow cooker I use a plug-in timer called a Rival Smart-Part. But it's not rated to control the wattage of the Presto multi-cooker. I found a heavy-duty programmable digital timer that I use to turn the Presto cooker off and on automatically. This device really allows me to use the Presto cooker like a slow cooker, without over-cooking stews and such when I am out of the house all day. The Presto multi-cooker is a terrific appliance! Buy one now, and don't believe everything you see on TV!
Flash Update! Here is another reason to buy a Presto multi-cooker: I'm making a beef stew with red wine tonight. What a mess browning the stew beef! I have a 3 quart Wagner cast-iron chicken fryer, and this is what I used to brown the beef chuck cubes. These days the meat hasn't been aged much, and so it is very difficult to brown properly. I managed to do it in batches, but the stove-top got pretty messy by the time I was done. I put the browned meat, vegetables, and garlic into the Presto cooker ( I made sure to deglaze the chicken fryer with wine and include all the tasty bits) and continued to cook the stew. And then I could proceed to clean up the stove-top while the beef stew simmered away in a different part of the kitchen. I am very pleased not to have to clean up all that oil splatter after dinner! |
super cooker
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| Review Date: February 24, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Foyus, Jackson, TN |
| I've had mine sine either 1997 or 1998. Thereabout. Right now as I write, I'm frying some fish and the result has always been as it was when I first bought it. I'm looking for a replacement basket because someone, whom I let use my deep fryer for a party, lost my basket. That was 11 years ago. I've been frying without the basket since then and it's the same result. Now I want to get a new basket, not a new fryer. For as long it works, I will continue to use it. So expect me back in 15 years. |
Love it!
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| Review Date: February 4, 2010 |
| Reviewer: S. Smith, CA, USA |
| This is a terrific appliance. I looked and looked for something to replace a 45-year-old Westinghouse electric saucepan (which, amazingly, is still working) I just wanted to update. This pot is everything I hoped it would be, non-stick, small footprint, easy to store, breakaway magnetic plug. I have had it for about a month and use it at least 3 times a week. Unlike stovetop, you can set it and not worry while you do other things. I just made potato/corn chowder in it this afternoon. I think this appliance would be a favorite addition to any kitchen. |
Fries great, steams even better & cleanup is a snap.
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| Review Date: February 18, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Dillivision, |
| We were missing our old Fry Daddy so we went to get a new one but wound up with this model 06006 make sure to check as there are several variants. The lid helps keep splatter to a minimum. The included basket cleans up easily and is large enough to accommodate servings for two. We've since steamed vegi's including squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and it works like a charm. The real selling point is that this model has a sealed heating element so you can stick it in the dishwasher or wash it in the sink under water THANK YOU PRESTO! Would recommend it to anyone. |
Presto Electric Fryer
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| Review Date: April 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Denide Dao, Houston, TX |
| The product quality is always good but Amazon's price is too high for this little electric fryer. I Paid only $25 for a bigger one at Wal-Mart. Amazon charged me more than $30 for a smaller one. If I know it's a smaller one I would not make any purchase from Amazon |
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" Presto 06006 Kitchen Kettle Electric Multi-Cooker and Fryer ", Today on Sales Presto 06006 Kitchen Kettle Electric Multi-Cooker and Fryer + Free shipping. Get Presto 06006 Kitchen Kettle Electric Multi-Cooker and Fryer Now! |
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