It is easy to make things like chicken tenders in this fryer – the lid helps the oil heat faster and keeps away the splatters, and the drainer in the lid helps drain off hot oil before moving to a paper towel covered plate. I love the thermometer! The only minor problem is that the lid bangs into the thermometer slightly, making opening and closing the lid a little harder than it should be. I may be able to bend the lid a little to make it work better. The lid seems to be aluminum, and the pan is an iron-containing metal (but not cast iron). (A magnet sticks to it.) Nice size – doesn’t take a huge amount of oil, but big enough for about 6 tenders at a time.