Deep Fryer?

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The fry baby and fry daddy are for amateurs. They really don't crank out the heat required to do the job properly, and they have a very small capacity. If I was going to get a Presto deep fryer, I would opt for one of the dual basket ProFry Immersion element deep fryers they sell, and I would definitely order the Jumbo ProFry basket as an accessory if it didn't come with it.

Corey, that Turk'n'Surf? Isn't that what people buy every Novemeber to burn down their houses, garages, or carports?
 
ncage1974 said:
Isn't it messy filtering your oil manually every time you fry?

I don't find it so, no. I simply place a very large funnel in the neck of the jug the oil came in (I use canola oil, btw), set the gold (permanent) coffee filter inside the funnel, lift out the control panel/heater element and place it over a paper towel, lift out the pot and slowly pour the oil through the funnel. Then I put everything except the control panel/heater element, including the funnel and coffee filter, into the dishwasher.
 
I heard a feature on NPR yesterday about Crisco changing their formula so there are no trans fats. In a test kitchen they commented that the grease was much more re-useable--could be used for more than a week (these were commercial type fryers). Ifound that amazing--and interesting.
 
In The emerilware deep fryer instructional manual they reccomend using vegetable oil. Does anybody know why? I always thought peanut oil was the most popular. I need to be educated on my types of oils to use and why.
 
Glad you are happy with your new Emeril Fryer ;)

I bought the Waring Pro Professional grade fryer last year for 150 bucks and it was worth every penny. Only thing it dont have id the built in filteration system.

As for them saying to only use vegetable oil they dont want you to use Lard and animal fats of such types . Vegetable oils = olive, corn, peanut , canola, etc... will be fine.

Good luck and happy frying!:cool:
 
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petey said:
...As for them saying to only use vegetable oil they dont want you to use crisco (anilmal fat)and such types ...


petey:

Crisco is not animal fat. It's hydrogenated vegetable oil.
 
Andy M. said:
petey:

Crisco is not animal fat. It's hydrogenated vegetable oil.


Doh!!!!

I have never even used the stuff. I know my deep fryer gives instructions not to use Crisco in the deep fryer........oh wait a minute.....maybe it was Lard that it said not to use.


Happy Frying!!
 
It could be lard you were thinking of. I'm not sure why they don't want you to use either lard or Crisco, they are supposed to give fried foods the best flavor.
 
I've often wondered about getting a deep fryer for home. I usually use the stove top with a large cast aluminum pot ( DH's grandma's kitchen used on wood stove). All the different brands and features made my head swim so didn't buy. But after reading this thread may have to check out some of these recommended here!
 
Here is another nice cosmetic feature. The type of stainless steel on the outside of the emeril unit is the same substance as my stainless smudge free refigerator. I had it tested this morning by a finger print professional, my 3 year old son. No mattter how hard he tried not one smudge or fingerprint a great feature for my wife.
 
Andy M. said:
petey:

Crisco is not animal fat. It's hydrogenated vegetable oil.



Which is, according to top health officials, considered dangerous over time because of the process in which the oil is made. Hydrogenation, now sometimes also said to be a form of transfat (it's in regular oleomargerine and those soft butter-like spreads as well).

There's kind of a big thing about this in New York with the restaurants using this stuff to deep fry French fries and other fried foods.

But in any case, I think the safest oils to use ARE olive, canola and peatnut oil. Peanut oil has a high heat tolerance for extremely high-temp deep frying. It won't smoke or burn as easily like the others will.
 
You're right. Corey. I mentioned the Crisco as petey's post suggested it was animal fat. It is not an endorsement of Crisco as a frying medium, even though many endorse it as a preferred choice for fried chicken.

I beleive NYC has banned the use of transfats in restaurants. That leaves Crisco out in the cold unless their new product with no transfats catches on.
 
They DID ban the use of transfats in the restauarnts there.

Years and years ago, veggie oil and shortening were considered the healthier alternatives to lard, bacon fat and beef fat. Now, seemingly overnight, shortening is considered a health hazard.
 
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:) Different oils have different smoke points. The smoke point is the temperature at which you see little whiffs of smoke begin to appear over the oil and you begin to smell a funny burnt type odor. When oil is heated there is a chemical change that begins to make the oil deteriorate. The more times oil is heated and higher temperatures increase this chemical change and breakdown. Different types of oils have different temperatures at which they begin to smoke.

Here is a list of common cooking oils and their approximate smoke points when fresh:

Safflower - 509 degrees F - 265 degrees C
Sunflower - 474 degrees F - 246 degrees C
Soybean - 465 degrees F - 241 degrees C
Canola - 460 degrees F - 238 degrees C
Corn - 456 degrees F - 236 degrees C
Peanut - 447 degrees F - 231 degrees C
Sesame - 419 degrees F - 215 degrees C
Olive - 374 degrees F - 190 degrees C
Animal fats (tallow/lard) - 361 to 401 degrees F - 183 to 205 degrees C

The smoke point is lowered each time you use the oil by chemical changes and foreign matter contamination.

The optimal deep fat frying cooking temperature is between 350 and 375 degrees F or 176 and 190 degrees C. You should never heat your oil to greater than 375 degrees F or 190 degrees C.

All that said, there are some common sense guides to let you know when a cooking oil needs to be changed:
  1. Taste, smell and appearance - The oil should not taste or smell bad and should be clear and light colored. Too much breakdown and foreign matter is evident in the smell and taste of the oil and in it's color.
  2. The smoke point should not be below 375 degrees F. or 190 degrees C.
As a general rule, if you watch your temperatures and keep your oil free from too much extraneous matter (batter, salt, etc.) I find that I get good results and clean tasting food if I change my cooking oil after using it between 6 and 8 times.

Addendum:

Where and how you store your oil between cooking sessions is a very important factor in the how often you can re-use cooking oil. You should strain the oil through a coffee filter after each use and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Note that when the oil is cooled it may become cloudy, but it should
 
This is the stainless steel deep fryer I use for my pork tenderloin sandwiches. I bought it at Target for $59. This exact model is no longer sold there but an almost identical model is. There are several models by companies that look and work like this. It holds a gallon of oil. Don't buy those plastic body kind.

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img_391068_1_538d145e95afcc79f0e22735bc9d56ea.jpg
 
I have a Waring, and I think it is great. It heats to 400 and I can recycle the oil six/eight times. What breaks the oil down is protien so if I cook a lot of fish/chicken I might use the oil only a couple of times.

later
 
GB said:
I don't really think it is overnight. Transfats have been in the new for years now.



Just an expression, meaning that after all those years, they started laying the bad mouth on shortening, margarine and vegetable oils.

I thought that Phillips only made electronic equipment like TV's, VCR's and DVD players.
 
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I beleive the reason they recommend not using Crisco or lard is that, at room temperature, they become solid or semi-solid, making them very difficult to remove from the unit.

Davydd, that is the exact unit I have, and exactly where I bought it, and exactly what I paid for it.

Corey, Philips makes all sorts of appliances, as well as electronics under the Philips Magnavox name and personal grooming aids under the Norelco name. Considering I refuse to buy anything manufactured or sold by a Japanese company since I read Rising Sun by Michael Crichton, I have a multitude of Philips products, including my deep fryer, my televison, 600 watt stereo/surround sound system, VCR/DVR, and even my clock radio. I have also shaved with a Norelco electric shaver for at least the last 30 years or so and also use a Norelco personal groomer/trimmer.
 
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