Review: Hamilton Beach Cool-Touch Deep Fryer

I recently tested the Hamilton Beach Cool Touch Electric Deep Fryer. I'll be honest. I don't do a lot of deep frying, but I also have to admit that it gives the best results for some things. Chicken wings, for example. I mean, they're fine in an oven or air fryer, but the deep fried version is a different level of fry-ness. 

If you want to do a little deep frying without using gallons of oil to do it, this compact deep fryer may be just what you’re looking for. It uses a maximum of 8 cups of oil, and overall it's small and lightweight. 

While you can certainly use less oil than the max, you can’t use too much less since the oil needs to cover the heating element and have enough oil so the food in the basket is covered. The maximum fill line is embossed in the side of the black cooking pan, but it can be a bit hard to see, depending on the lighting. It might be easiest to measure the two quarts before adding it to the machine. While that doesn’t look like a lot of oil for the larger container, it accounts for the fact that the oil will bubble and spatter during cooking.

My major objection to air frying at home is the splattery mess. This has a lid you can close during frying, which helps contain some of the mess. But there's still some spattering when adding or removing the food, or any time you lift the lid.

My favorite, as mentioned, was chicken wings. Marinated in a tasty yogurt mixture overnight, and yogurt left on as a coating for frying, the wings emerged crisp and juicy. I also fried a variety of other foods including hush puppies and cauliflower. Because of the smaller capacity, this isn’t what you’d want if you’re making huge baskets of French fries for hungry teenagers (although it says it can handle up to six cups of fries in a batch), but it did a great job on all the smaller batches, which really is all I want.

I started with just four wing sections in the first batch, but went up to eight pieces per batch by the time I was done and it worked well. The instructions note that breaded or battered foods should be in a single layer so they don’t stick, while non-sticky foods can be stacked or layered and then shaken in the basket during cooking to make sure everything is getting cooked. 

This has a simple knob with temperatures at 265, 300, 340, and 375 degrees. Lights show when the machine is plugged in, and when it has reached temperature. I fried most things at 375 degrees, but appreciate that it’s adjustable for things that fry at lower temperatures. The power plug is held onto the unit magnetically, as a safety feature, and the cord is fairly short for safety, so cooking needs to be done close to an outlet. 

After cooking, the basket can hang on the cooker above the oil to let clinging oil drip off. When it comes to cleaning, none of the parts are dishwasher safe. Disassembly is simple enough. The basket comes out and its handle is removable. The heating element comes out next. This needs to be cleaned carefully, since the electronics can’t be submerged in water. The oil pan simply lifts out and the oil can be strained for another use, or disposed of. The lid is also removable, which is appreciated. However, we found that replacing the lid was a little fiddly. We got it back in place, but it’s not as easy as just sliding it into place. Once everything is removed, there are just a few places where oil needs to be cleaned up, but it’s not difficult.

Overall, I liked this machine, but I haven't used it since I finished testing. Mostly because I was moving on to testing other countertop appliances, and my counter's simply not large enough to hold all of the things. I may pull it out again next time I have a wing craving, because they really were good.