Copper Crisper is a crisping fryer that works in the oven. Read our Copper Crisper review plus additional product information.
About Copper Crisper
Copper Crisper is a crisping tray which allows you to make fried foods in the oven. The official product website is getcoppercrisper.com, which was registered in May 2016. The screen capture below shows the how the official website looked in July 2016.
Claims and Features
- Elevated mesh tray lets heat circulate
- No need to turn food
- Cooks all sides of food at the same time
- No need for butter or oil
- Dishwasher safe
Cost
You can get a medium Copper Crisper for $19.99 + $7.99 P&H. A Copper Chef 360 Pan can be added for $7.99. There is a Deluxe Set which includes 3 Copper Crispers (small, medium, and large) for $39.99 + $9.99 P&H, and an optional Copper Chef 360 pan for another $7.99. You can find Copper Crisper in stores, typically in the As Seen on TV section, for about $20.
Copper Crisper Review
Copper Crisper is one of many As Seen on TV products to jump on the “copper” bandwagon. In recent years we’ve seen products ranging from socks to cookware offering copper versions. Each of these items has been marketed with a variety of supposed benefits attributed to the addition of copper. Some of those products, however, aren’t even made of copper!
With the Copper Crisper, we have familiar As Seen on TV pitchman Eric Theiss promoting the benefits of this device which supposedly allows you to make fried foods in the oven – without actually frying. This item is offered under the Copper Chef brand, which is best known for the Copper Chef pan that has promoted heavily with late-night infomercials featuring Theiss.
The design of Copper Crisper is that of an elevated mesh tray, which means the food will cook on all sides. There is no need to turn food, and little chance of one side burning. Because fat drains onto the pan below, you can make food with less calories and less fat.
Despite a bit of infomercial hype, Copper Crisper actually does a pretty job of living up to the advertising claims. Food prepared with this item does cook evenly, as it is practically suspended in the air. This allows heat to warm all sides at the same time. The included tray also keeps fat away from the food while preventing it from spilling onto the bottom of the oven. You don’t have to flip, turn, or rotate your food. In my video review below, you’ll see that fries were cooked evenly, and pizza rolls didn’t burst out of the sides as much as with a standard baking sheet.
Now, for a few caveats. First, although I’ve had pretty good luck with this new generation of copper cookware (thanks to babying it, which is opposite of what commercials show), I have not had such luck with the bottom pan for Copper Crisper. I found the nonstick surface to quickly degrade, to the point that it no longer seems like a nonstick pan at all. My guess is that being exposed to high oven heat and long periods of burning grease probably took its toll on the nonstick surface. Fortunately, there is an easy remedy, and that is to simply place a layer of tin foil down to collect the drippings. Because the mesh basket has so little surface area, I didn’t have problems with food sticking to it.
Another potential “con” is that it is pretty small. When I cooked fried chicken legs, I only put 4 large drumsticks in the crisper. I probably could have squeezed a fifth leg in there, but that’s about it.
If you’re looking to make fried chicken or other “fried” foods, I suggest spraying them with oil in order to crisp up. My ‘fried chicken’ video below shows decent results by using generous sprays of olive oil throughout the cooking process.
Overall, I like Copper Crisper for some jobs, and feel that it is a worthy addition to any kitchen. Now that it is available in stores, I suggest picking it up locally in order to avoid paying non-refundable shipping costs.
Alternatives
Copper Crisper isn’t the first oven crisper on the market. You can find similar items such as this very inexpensive mesh pizza pan for about $3. There are also a number of other oven crispers which come in a variety of designs and prices.
Video Reviews
Watch three hands-on review of Copper Crisper below. The first video is my initial review, the second is a comparison to Gotham Steel Crisper Tray, and the third is when I made fried chicken in both crispers.
Television Commercial
Your Copper Crisper Reviews
If you’ve used Copper Crisper, please give us your opinion by leaving a comment below and a star rating above.
Updated June 2017.
Just bought the CopperCrisper…….but NO info as to how to use, what oven temp to use or recipes………….nothing! I will try it based on the infomercial info of 360 degrees, but bet that is NOT for everything………if that doesn’t work, will be returning it to Bed, Bath & Beyond where I bought it.
The instructions state that you’re to “always follow specific recipe directions for oven time and temperature.” So if you’re using frozen french fries, it would appear that you just use the regular time and temp, but without the need to flip them. I agree that it would have been nice if they had included a small recipe book.
I returned the item to Bed Bath and Beyond, where I bought it from……… used it for chicken, potatoe wedges and zucchini fries. Was NOT impressed at all, found recipes online…….not worth cluttering my cabinets for.
James, not frozen, FRESH, I followed an “air fry recipie that was online………..
Hi Marilynn, I am also a recipient of the Copper Crisper as a Christmas gift and I am seeking instructions on how to use it. As one who has worked within the engineering industry for 20 years, it is my belief that “360 Degrees” refers to all-surrounding sides/angles and not the oven temperature, as you noted. A 360 degree rotation is a complete circle (each quarter = 90 degrees). The infomercial shown here used the same oven temp as noted on the processed frozen food packaging. But, what if we are trying to make foods from freshly cut vegetables? Are… Read more »
I used this for “fried chicken”, potatoe wedges and zucchini french fries…………was not impressed at all. I returned the item to Bed Bath and Beyond. I can do as well on a cookie sheet and don’t need the clutter in my kitchen cabinets……..very disappointing!
There is a website the comes with the pan and many recipes and how long to cook food with it……………………………
I was looking at that. How is that any different than putting s BBQ grilling tray over a cookie tray? That is what I have been doing lately to bake breaded chicken. I also use rack between them for higher elevation. I put aluminum on the cookie sheet for the drippings. Once you figure out the cooking time it works great. Don’t flip over half way. Don’t use oil spray. If it doesn’t completely brown but is crisp, put it in a hot, lightly oiled frying pan for just a few seconds. It will almost immediately get a golden color.
I think it’s pretty much the same as your DIY version!
My pan is not wipe and go,I had to soak it to get it clean!
I had to soak my pan to get it clean, even after I put it in the dishwasher