Buying a Deep Fryer - Striking Oil
Apr 12 '01
The Bottom Line Look for the right combination of price and features to suit your needs. Make sure you have the space to accomodate their larger size and flip up lid.
An ascetic monk certainly is a deep friar, but this simple Spudman would like to write about something quite mundane by comparison, choosing a deep fryer. I recently acquired one of these handy appliances after several enterprising weeks of cyber research and store treks, exploring the bold new frontier of the modern deep fryers. As I logged time traveling from store to store, I began to get a clear idea of desirable features and prices but couldn’t find one with the right combination of both. Since this is supposed to be an epinion of a general nature, I’ll reveal the deep fryer model I finally purchased near the conclusion of this epinion.
Our last deep fryer was a Fry Daddy. We had that black metal contraption for as long as I can remember, maybe close to twenty years. It’s a simple device. Plug it in to heat the oil, lower the food into the deepish cylinder with a slotted metal spatula, and try to avoid getting splattered with hot oil as the cold sometimes frozen entrees explode furiously in that oily cauldron. When it cools off many hours later, snap on the plastic cover and put it away until next time.
Over the years our Fry Daddy became rather funky looking with the disgusting, hardened grease on its exterior and handle. The last time my wife got the cooker out to make French fries I, from a safe distance, watched her dodge the spitting, sizzling oil; she, protected by her goggles, splash guard, and kitchen mitts was only burned a few times on her forearm. Never again, I resolved! I would be her hero and find a new, kinder deep fryer.
Fryers have changed considerably over the past twenty years. The plain, inexpensive types are still available, their low prices beckoning me like the sweet, hypnotic voices of the mythological Sirens. The recent memory of my agile wife dodging those burning shots of hot oil steeled my Ulyssean resolve, however, and propelled me to continue my noble quest.
Modern Deep Fryer Features
Variable temperature controls – some regulated by a sliding, vertical control, some by a turning knob. This is a nice feature because some foods cook best at specific temperatures.
An indicator light signaling that the oil has reached correct cooking temperature.
A timer – I think it’s redundant. We have three functional timers in our kitchen now.
A viewing window on the top of the cooker. I like this feature also, though the view can sometimes be obstructed by foggy steam and splattering oil.
An attached lid for protection from spattering oil – a must have!
A removable lid. This feature makes cleaning much easier.
A metal basket that can be lowered into the oil with the lid closed. Another must have. Most can hold a generous portion of food.
This feature alone is worth paying a higher price. On many of the new fryers, the cold food is placed into the basket, the lid is closed, and the external handle is used to lower the basket into the oil. No mess or splatter.
A filter in the lid to diminish cooking odors lingering in the kitchen. The filter in ours works very well. It’s not even close to needing replacement after six fryings. I think I went overboard when I ordered those dozen replacement filters from the manufacturer. They should last us the life of the fryer.
A removable pot. This is a feature my wife and I both wanted. It makes cleaning so much easier. The Delonghi models have a unique drainage design. A rubber tube at the bottom of the cooker can be used to drain the oil for cleaning. I examined several of these and decided I didn’t like that design. I questioned the longevity of the flexible tubing, which doesn’t solve the problem of submersion of the cooker in water. Also I wondered if the interior of the tubing could be cleaned adequately.
A cool touch exterior. This means you can pick up or move the fryer the same day you cook in it. A very nice feature.
I came very close to buying the Delonghi despite my reservations abut the drainage hose, an Oster, and a T-Fal, all 60 dollars plus, all loaded with features, all lacking one or more desirable qualities. The simple, black buckets can still be had for $20 or less, but for the larger, multiple-featured models expect to pay $50-$100.
I had examined the Presto Cool Daddy at Macy’s, considered buying it, but hesitated because of its 60-dollar price and a basket that didn’t seem to rise high enough out of the oil.
By chance I stopped in Macy’s one day on the way home from an errand. The Presto was on sale for $50 with another 15% taken off for signing up for a Macy’s charge card.
Well, I got my new charge card and bought this terrific deep fryer with a removable pot and every other feature on my mental must have list for 43 dollars. I wish it were one of the fryers listed in the fryer category on Epinions so I could write more extensively about it. The basket, by the way, rises up and out of the oil for draining very nicely.
If you haven’t bought a deep fryer in many years, just about any of the new models will be a welcome change and have you beaming. They’re larger, safer, easier to clean and expand your menu possibilities tremendously. Even that deep friar would probably find something to his liking.
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