T-Fal FF1035002 Simply Smart fryer
From T-Fal
T-Fal Simply Smart fryer has a twist an shake handle to shake off excess oil. Now you don't need a paper towel to soak up the grease. The fryer shakes it off for you.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #49949 in Kitchen & Housewares
- Color: Black
- Brand: T-Fal
- Model: FF1035002
- Dimensions: 9.50" h x 11.00" w x 11.00" l, 8.95 pounds
Quality Construction, Easy to Clean, but Terrible Latch Mechanism
I tend to be fairly obsessive about researching items before I purchase them. And if I can't do it online, I'll sometimes spend an hour at a store pushing every button, assessing the feel of the material, and contemplating the functional attributes. One such epic shopping experience took place with this fryer. The store I was at had 6 other fryers, similar in size, but under different brand names (granted, most appliances are manufactured by a hand full of companies). The T-Fal Simply Smart far outpaced all the others in construction quality. The handle, bowl, and lid all seem to be built in a way that means they'll last! While most of it is still plastic, it seems to be of a higher grade and thicker.
I've used it 4 times and opted to buy one for my brother to replace his old fryer. It heats quickly, can heat to 374 degrees (great for sweet potato fries and other fries), and is easy to clean, considering the basket and lid can go in the dishwasher (the manual says the lid can't, but T-Fal's website says it can, hmm... I put it in the dishwasher with no ill affect aside from the discoloration of the inside aluminum). The inner bowl has a non-stick coating which I hope will prevent the caking that happens on older fryers.
My one and only complaint is the latching mechanism is poorly designed. The lid closes and locks extremely well, but when you need to open the lid, it's too well latched for the plastic open button to get the job done. The issue is with the dual latches in the lid. The one closest to the open button releases just fine... it's the one on the other side. To fix this (because I like this fryer that much), I used a razor blade to saw off most of the latch grasper. I left just a little bit to keep it functional and now, it's works like a charm.
Just as the other reviewer mentioned, it also has a thick rubber ring around the lid that seals well to the handle and base. This effectively keeps oxygen exposure to stored oil to a minimum, thus extending its life/lowering the rancidity rate.
Just a few other tid bits... the chord (I'm assuming most manufacturers are going this route) is a magnetic release. It will pop away from the fryer base with the slightest bump. This could be annoying to some, but I'm pretty grateful for it with two dogs and a young nephew running around. It stays connected just fine when undisturbed, which is the whole point.
The exterior stainless portion gets fairly warm when the oil is heated, but it's not so hot you can't hold your hand to it for extended periods of time.
Finally, the fryer has a wider diameter than many of the others... this seems to increase splattering contact with the lid and maybe decrease the basket's depth when lowered. On the flip side, with more surface area than deeper fryers, I can fry bigger batches that cook more evenly. And really, I'm not sure when I'd be frying anything that needed to be deeper in the oil. Well, apple fritters maybe but I suppose I wouldn't use the basket with those?
Twist and Shake feature good, opening mechanism not good
First the positive:
Looks stylish, the twist and shake handle works great and you can put most parts in the dishwasher to clean it. Cleaning is easy considering this is a grease machine. For it's capacity it is also pretty compact to store. Timer is easy to use and works great, and the unit cooks food even and very consistent.
Now to the not so positive:
The opening mechanism is a button and even on first try you have to either press multiple times and/or help by moving the lid at the same time. I could see this getting worse over time.
I'm contemplating a return on this product but so far I haven't found one with the twist and shake feature and manual opening mechanism in a good but still compact size.
So far so good
I know the so far so good sounds kind of sceptical, but hey, that's just me. Me and my husband have used it several times now (just for baking fries only, so I can't comment on anything else) and it's been working great. So far the only downside I can think of is that you can't actually see through the see through window in the lid of the fryer. It fogs up, but hey, I don't mind opening it up to take a look. Besides I'm getting better and better at the timing part. We've been really enjoying a good, safe way of baking the fries.
