Okay, confession time: I’m a fry fanatic. For ages, I’ve been on a quest for that holy grail of fried potatoes – crispy on the outside, fluffy as a cloud inside. You know the ones – those amazing carnival fries, but without the questionable everything else that comes with it! So, when the Hamilton Beach 35032 Professional Style Electric Deep Fryer landed on my countertop, I was beyond excited to see if I could finally ditch the fairground and make my own magic.
First Glance & Goodies:
Right away, the stainless steel look impressed me. It just fits in my kitchen. Not too bulky, not too flashy. Hamilton Beach says it holds 3 liters of oil, which translates to about 8 cups of food in that shiny chrome basket. Sounds about right for a family-sized feast, doesn’t it? I quickly checked the product dimensions and it’s 16.2″D x 8.9″W x 9.7″H and weighs 2 Kilograms. Good to know for storage.
But here’s the thing that really grabbed my attention: that magnetic cord! Genius. With a couple of kids running around (and, let’s be honest, a slightly clumsy me), that’s a major safety perk. Plus, I watched a quick video that showed how easy it is to control the temperature.
Fry-Day Test Run: How’d It Do?
Putting it together? Easier than assembling IKEA furniture, thank goodness. Seriously, you just plug it in and go. Using it is just as simple: dial in your temp (250°F to 375°F), wait for the green light, and boom – you’re ready to fry! I started with some frozen fries for a quick win, and they came out golden brown and perfectly crisp in, like, five minutes.
But the real test? Homemade onion rings. I whipped up my grandma’s batter recipe, sliced some sweet onions, and gently lowered them into the sizzling oil. That 1500-watt heating element? It’s no joke. Everything fried up fast and even. The basket has this cool hook, too, so you can easily drain the extra oil. No one wants soggy rings!
And cleanup? Oh, man, this is where the Hamilton Beach engineers deserve a raise. The oil tank, the basket, the lid – all dishwasher safe. Seriously, that’s worth its weight in gold. After stuffing my face with onion rings, the last thing I want to do is scrub a greasy deep fryer for hours.
A Few Tiny Things:
Okay, if I’m being picky, a built-in timer would have been sweet. And while the lid does a decent job of keeping splatters at bay, it’s not totally foolproof. Still, minor stuff.
The Final Fry-down:
All in all, the Hamilton Beach 35032 Professional Style Electric Deep Fryer is a winner. If you’re looking to bring that restaurant-quality (or carnival-quality!) goodness home, this is a great bet. It’s simple to use, a snap to clean, and has some smart safety features. Sure, it might not be a real professional model, but it’s a huge step up from the cheapo ones. So, if you’re craving crispy fries, amazing onion rings, or even some Southern-style fried chicken, give this deep fryer a shot. Just be prepared to buy bigger pants!