We bought a 4 gal Cajun fryer last March. We cook for the kids and grandkids (8-14) and it is great. We cook for just then 2 of us most of the time, is it overkill maybe. We cook outside and there is no fish smell in the house. You can cook fish and hush puppies at the same time. We cook at 325 degrees holds the temp great. We changed oil in Dec just because it had turned dark, but there was no burned taste. I drain and filter the oil after each cooking and store the oil in the basement. I clean the cooker every fifth cooking. If you cook a lot of fish the Cajun fryer is something to look at. Worth the money