Reviews by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
I don’t often start a product review in which I reveal the downside of a product before I tout the reasons to consider getting one for yourself. The downside of Chard Products’ Double Deep Fryer is it’s too powerful. Actually it’s not too powerful, it just takes a lot of power to make it work.
Unlike most single-basket electric fryers which have a 1200 watt heating element, or double-basket deep fryers that use a single 1800 watt element, each tank in the Chard fryer has a 1500 watt element.
That means on most home electrical circuits, if you plug each side into the same outlet, you’ll blow the fuse or trip the circuit breaker. I’m not an electrician, so I asked one. He said, “A 1500 watt appliance will draw up to 12.5 amps. Most home electrical circuits are 15A, so plug it in anywhere you want as long as there aren’t any or many other things drawing power from the same circuit. But if you plug two 1500 watt (12.5A) deep fryers into the same receptacle, ‘click’ off goes the circuit breaker.
The electrical code requires kitchens to have 20 amp circuits because the toasters, coffee makers and other appliances often require more energy. But even a 20A outlet won’ t handle this much of an amp load.”
I figured this out by trial and error when I set up the “Double Deep” on my deck for an early season fish fry. I solved the problem by plugging one side into the outlet on the deck and used a heavy extension cord to reach an indoor outlet in the house for the other side.
However, and this is however with a capital H, the power of the Chard Fryer is also a selling point. The secret to deep frying anything is to start with hot oil, then maintaining the heat in the oil to keep it hot when the fish, chicken or French fries are lowered into the cooker. Two things will do this, plenty of oil to begin with, and a powerful heating element that will kick in, when the oil temperature drops.
Each oil tank on the Chard unit will hold up to three liters (8/10s of a gallon) and the 1500W, in-tank heater quickly recharges the oil, even when a full basket of frozen fries are lowered into the tank. By the time what’s being cooked is golden brown and delicious, the fryer is ready for the next load and the thermostat will not allow the oil to overheat. The double tank system is great for those who don’t like to cook fries or tots in the same oil that fish has been fried in and it allows both the fish or chicken to finish simultaneously so everything can be plated while it’s still piping hot.
Clean-up is a snap. I hand wash the removable heater/thermostat units, the tanks and baskets go into the dishwasher and the stainless steel frame wipes clean easily. Go to www.chardproducts.com for more information or to purchase. The Double 3 Liter Deep Fryer is available at other online or in-store locations including Amazon.com.
FISHING TOYS 