A couple of years later I was weary of trying to find someplace to store this thing, and clean up after it and eventually gave it a good cleaning and put it in the recycling bin. I wanted something that could produce a family-sized mountain of perfect French fries all at once, and this wasn't it. I think what I'd need is a restaurant-size fryer that I'd use six or eight times a year. --- A replacement unit arrived and I filled it with oil (expecting the worst). Switched it on. Ready to be disappointed. And..? And it got right up to 390F, performed perfectly on some test french fries and produced a heap of hot, crisp tortilla chips in two minutes. DELIGHTED!!! What was wrong with the original unit, I have no idea, it just didn't get hot enough to fry anything at all, so I was bitterly disappointed. That failure makes this second unit all the sweeter. I need to tweak the recipe I have for french fries to dial in just the right amount of time after doing the recommended (Google "perfect french fries") (such as: [...], and [...]) preparation, namely a 10-minute boil in acidulated water followed after drying with a 350F first fry THEN freezing at least overnight and THEN doing the final 375F fry using frozen french fries. I had a Waring deep fryer which worked well, but the magnetic cord began acting up and there were NO replacements at all to be found, so I was back in the market for a deep fryer. I'd had my eye on the 05466 for a long time and finally got around to buying it. You know what? I'd order TWO units, race them, and send the loser back to amazon, really. The quality, judging from the reviews, seems to be hit-and-miss. A deep fryer that doesn't get hot enough to deep fry anything is useless! But I'm as happy as a clam in mud at high tide with this second unit BECAUSE IT GETS HOT ENOUGH!!! The double-tiny-basket idea is kind of goofy. I wish it had shipped with a single large basket. The device is not exactly finished, it's a bit on the cheap side, but as long as it works I'm fine with it. If you buy this, get yourself a decent thermometer and TEST THE OIL, see if it's hot enough. Like I said, the first unit I had was a failure-to-launch event and I was irritated. The second unit appears to work great. Keep that in mind. The undersides of the handles are unfinished and kind of cut your hands when you life this thing. The underside of the main metal container is also unfinished and not real comfortable to work with. Would those two little details have increased the price so much? One other thing I'd love would be a reliable digital thermometer with the display in really big numbers on the control. And while I'm wishing, I wish the delicious fried food we make in this thing didn't have a single calorie!!! =========================== Old review (I was angry): Unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired. (INCOMPETENT) An unintentionally ridiculous person (BUFFOON). The term INCOMPETENT BUFFOONS came to mind as I attempted to fry some french fries in his $70 deep fryer using 1/3rd of the $30 plastic vat of peanut oil I'd secured. I employed four different thermometers and they all told the same tale: 360F max. I don't need 360F. I need 375F and more. Which, my blood pressure rising, brings me to my point. Which inbred Down's Syndrome engineering and marketing team brought this road apple into the world? Why waste my time? Why is Amazon wasting my time listing a product like this? I wanted a DEEP FRYER and that means it's going to bring oil up to 375F at above AT SOME POINT. I tried the bracket-removal mod mentioned in an earlier post with high hopes. Nothing. I am livid. Is there some Homeland Security restriction on building a deep fryer that can produce temperatures above 375F? Why bother BUILDING or SELLING a product which I have to return BECAUSE IT DOESN'T FUNCTION? Listen: for $5,000 I'll act as a consultant and delivery a PPT presentation on the concept of QUALITY CONTROL, which may be something of a revelation given the quality of this product. Nice design, cute little baskets, magnetic safety cord which is about 6" long.. and... wait for it... IT DOESN'T GET HOT ENOUGH. DON'T BUY IT. IT DOESN'T GET HOT ENOUGH. WASTE OF MATERIAL. WASTE OF TIME. I am not asking for the moon, here. I just expect to be able to find basic household products built with some level of competence, ie I want them to perform as advertised. So there I was, fishing out gummy undercooked french fries because this thing got the oil to 360F at best... dismal performance. So I get to pack it up and return it. Lovely. Can't wait. Save yourself the headache and find another deep fryer. This one did not work for me. Big disappointment.
