You doubtless have a bad appliance. I recommend taking it back to the store, tell them you don't have the receipt but that it was the first use and it did not work. Have them allow you a trade in for a replacement if they won't give you a refund. I would look at the Waring Pro Digital. That is the model America's Test Kitchen found to be the best of the countertop models they tested. Interestingly, America's Test Kitchen recommended a dutch oven full of oil on the stove with a thermometer attached over any of the electrics. Funny thing is, that is how I did it for years. Now that I have an electric fryer (with a good thermostatic control, excellent basket that allows lowering food into oil with the lid down, a spring loaded lid, etc.) there is no way I would go back to doing it on the stove. I have a Rival model I bought at Walmart a few years ago. It holds 1 gallon of oil and it will do fish and chips as well as anything I ever used. Definitely take the bad fryer back to BB&B, though. They should be able to handle sending it back to the mfgr. and let you take something home that works.

Thanks for the responses. Since I wrote my post, I have found a recommendation for a fryer. I subscibe to Cooks magazine and have all of the back issues except the charter edition..of course that is the one that tested the fryers! But, in a later issue it made reference to the winner. That was the DeLonghi Roto-Fryer D20. The charter issue was prior to 1993 so there is probably another DeLongi model that might work as well if not better. I have checked it out on epinions.com and the DeLonghi as been rated almost a 5 star by quite a few people. So....I guess I am going to try and find one online as cheap as possible. When I finally get one, I am going to try frying some canned biscuits just to see how they might work. Properly fried, biscuits really are heart stopping if they are not drenched in grease or uncooked in the middle. I think there is a fine line in the temperature of the oil, etc. I will let you know. In the meantime, if anyone comes across more info, please pass it on. Thanks! Oh, here's something funny. I called my next-door-neighbor to see if by chance they had deep fryer. They just threw 2 in the trash 3 days before....grrr..... Typical timing on my part!

You don't cover it ever while in use. Only when it is cool do you replace cover for storage, There is no smoke ever when cooking no matter the food. Proper prep of the food to be fried is the solution to splatters and smoke. All food should be as dry as possible...so patting the french fries w/ a towel ( this goes for homemade as well as store bought frozen) if doing chicken or calamari you should dip in the buttermilk or whatever you are using but finish w/ a dusting of flour. Also having the temp at the correct setting. Too many folks cook too hot. My son is a chef and he says there is never a time to cook in a deep fryer at a temp hotter than 375. Hope this helps you decide. I don't know about the downdraft. I do know that we have no problem with just using a med setting on our hood and there is never ever any grease splatter on anything except the metal edge of the fryer. PLease let me know if you have any other questions. c

loves2cook - I would LOVE to be able to include fish in our diet but unfortunately DS1 has anaphylactic food allergies to scaly/fin fish - thankfully seafood/shellfish is fine so we eat plenty of that. He also has tree nut allergies (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc) so we have to steer clear of those which is a bummer since the rest of us love them and they are a great source of protein. I can honestly say that his food allergies are a BIG reason as to why I cook the way I do - the only way to be sure is to make it myself! Don't you just LOVE it when your kids love your food better than what they get elsewhere (restaurants/friends'/camp)? My kids just groan if I suggest going out to eat (as in, give mom a break once in a while) BUT I secretly couldn't be happier. Once last winter the older boys wanted to surprise DS3 with a birthday cake that they made - they wanted to make a "hockey rink" cake and despite my offer to give them a simple 9x13 chocolate sheet cake w/ white buttercream frosting recipe to follow, they insisted on using a mix....although it turned out cute and their brother was touched, we all got migraines and stomach cramps that night...can you say preservatives? Honestly, I can't remember the last time we've had a box mix of anything and clearly our bodies didn't appreciate it. How to get started..hhmm...I guess I'd just find an hour or so where you can focus on your week ahead, make a list of what's realistic for each dinner (big multi-course, quick and easy, something from the grill, all-day cooker, etc) based on everyone's schedule each night, then gather your favorite cookbooks (DH has cholesterol issues so I'm a huge Cooking Light and Cuisine at Home fan) and/or websites (like Epicurious - love that site!!). Then, pick something from different food familes (I usually have one vegetarian meal, one pasta-based, one or two poultry, one pork, one lean beef, one seafood, etc) and make a list of the recipe titles and what page/book they're on (or print them off the web) - then add to that list some sides for each main dish (I keep these fairly simple, loads of fresh produce, and very little, if any, starches). Once you've figured out what to make for the week, then starting with each recipe, just jot down what ingredients you need until you're done w/ the week of meals. I am an order and control freak by nature so I then rewrite this list in the order of where everything is in the grocery store ;P) I throw all my meat in the freezer when I get home and just take it out the night before or morning of that I'm going to use it. I will occasionally but not often rely on frozen veggies but most of the time what I buy stays fresh for the week (although I will admit to using up my produce according to what's going to spoil quickest) and worst case, a mid to late week trip to the store for some more produce is pretty easy to manage. That's pretty much it - I'm sure once you get started, you'll find that it's easier than it sounds and it makes your life so much better! I love to bake too so that's a big family affair on the weekends w/ all my boys helping out. We usually over-do it so that we have plenty for them to take to school as snacks and for us to enjoy all week in the evenings. Also, every other Saturday in the fall and winter we make home made soups (CL has a Roasted Chicken Noodle that is TO DIE FOR!!!) and a quick cup of soup during the week can be a great way to tide them over until dinner after games/practices. Okay, I've totally taken over Caroline's thread so I'll stop now but I hope you, loves2cook, feel like trying out some mealplanning for your busy weeks when summer's over!