BrevilleSmart Fryer BDF500XL, 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.