Rival CF275 2.5-Liter Deep Fryer

Rival always produces good products, and this fryer is no exception. Its large capacity lets you really cook for a family, unlike the Fry Daddies, etc. At last cooks can fry lots of food without heating up the kitchen or splattering grease everywhere. The timer prevents overcooking and the basket makes lifting out and draining so easy! The pieces come out for easy cleaning, and there's less risk of burns since you don't have the risk of popping grease that you do with a skillet. If there is a flaw to this fryer, it's the amount of Crisco that you need...more than I expected, although we re-use it. Very nice appliance.

I purchased this product based off the excellent review given by Cook's Illustrated. Please understand that the people behind America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated are the best at this business. I've followed them for years. I can only assume Rival suffers from inconsistancy in product manufacturing because my unit is awful. I will be taking this back and ordering something different from Amazon.

As mentioned by the previous reviewer, this fryer does not get to the proper temperature. Food comes out soggy and undercooked. My guess is the issue has to do with the thermostat. Unit says it's at 375' but it's only at 275-300'. Problem is that the heating element shuts off when it believes it's reached the proper temperature and will not get any hotter. Only thing worse than this product were the undercooked, oil-saturated chicken wings we fried in the unit. Okay, bad joke. Avoid this product!

Avoid! Avoid! Avoid!
This is the second appliance we've had from Rival that we were totally disappointed with, the first being one of the crock pots that seemed to burn at any setting! The condensation trap in the back collects almost nothing because it's nowhere near where the moisture is! The lid doesn't sit on tight and creates condensation all the way around it. Speaking of the lid: it popped open TWICE during it's first use! First when the basket was lowered & again when it was raised! I damn near had a heart attack thinking I was about to be hit with hot cooking oil! The lock for the lid is spring loaded to keep it shut but it doesn't work too well based on my experience. Let me just say that when it comes to using appliances like this I am on the cautious side at each step so I think there is a serious design flaw in this device. And don't even get me started on the operating manual! Something must have been lost in translation. It tells you with the timer switch in the...Read more