What piece of cookware do you deep fry in?

[Kat]

i have a deep fryer at home, but it's a pain in the neck to keep clean so i figured i would just use a big pot and a thermometer. what would be the best type of pot to use? cast iron, aluminum, ss? mostly make french fries right now, might try onion rings and mozz sticks later though. thanks alot everyone

 

[Uncle Bob]

Miss Kat...

I deep fry in cast iron exclusively! I have several choices depending on the job to be done!

Enjoy!

 

[jpmcgrew]

I have a Rival deep fryer which can do more than fry like soups and stuff.It's easy to clean I wait for oil to cool and pour into an empty milk carton or coffee can and scrape the rest with a plastic spatula then wipe out with a couple of paper towels fill with hot water and soap wash and thats it.No harder than a fry pan and I like that I can set temperature on it making it more fool proof for me.

 

[Katie H]

I endorse the cast iron pan. Cast iron is wonderful for retaining heat, which is good when you want to deep fry something. When you add your food, the temp of the oil drops naturally. The cast iron helps to reduce this because it's so dense.

If you don't have cast iron, any thick-sided heavy Dutch oven or large saucepan will work almost as well.

 

[AllenOK]

One important thing that Katie E touched on, is temperature drop when you add your food. The more mass you have to hold the heat, the less of a temperature drop you'll experience when you add your food, and the better-quality your fried food will be. Use the heaviest, biggest pot you have (a Dutch Oven is great for this), and as much oil as is SAFE to use (allow for displacement and bubbling). Restaurant fried foods are great, because those fryers hold between 5 and 10 GALLONS of oil, and are controlled by a thermostat.

I prefer to use my counter-top model, as it has a thermostat. Otherwise, Dutch Oven and a deep-fat thermometer are used.

 

[Andy M.]

i have a deep fryer at home, but it's a pain in the neck to keep clean...

Wouldn't you clean any other pan you used in place of the deep fryer?

When I fry, use a deep fryer. I store the oil in the fryer between uses until I have to change it. Most of the parts go into the dishwasher.

 

[ChefJune]

I have a carbon steel "Bain à Fritures" that I brought back from Paris 15 years ago. It's wide and about 6 inches deep, as opposed to most of the deeper, narrower pans I've seen in US.

 

[Barb L.]

I use a deep fryer as Andy, only changing the oil when needed. I deep fry ff, onion rings, pork fritters and mushrooms.

 

[YT2095]

I have an electric deep fryer too, it`s good for Some things, but my Wok is better at others

 

[obiwan9962]

my wok

 

[justplainbill]

For small jobs- one 4 quart cast iron dutch oven. Medium jobs one 7 quart dutch oven. Big jobs two 4 quart and one 7 quart cast iron dutch oven. Usually with peanut oil that gets strained and drained when done.

 

[Kat]

Andy M- yes, i'd have to clean any other pan, but the deep fryer we have at home doesn't come apart easily and doesn't fit in the sink. and the sprayer on the faucet doesn't work either, which my plumber of a boyfriend has yet to fix in almost two years... last time i used it and tried to clean it up it took almost a half an hour becasue there was dried up oil all over it somehow. my thought was to use a pot so i could just throw it in the dishwasher and call it good. it seems like it only works once in a while too, either getting the oil too hot or not hot enough.

i was thinking cast iron was the best way to go for the heat retention purposes. i have a couple lecreuset dutch ovens that i can use tonight and see how it goes. might have to buy a cheap one somewhere that i can just use solely for frying and store the oil in it.

thanks guys

 

[Andy M.]

Kat, you're right. CI is an excellent choice because of its heat retention qualities.

 

[bowlingshirt]

Wouldn't you clean any other pan you used in place of the deep fryer?

When I fry, use a deep fryer. I store the oil in the fryer between uses until I have to change it. Most of the parts go into the dishwasher.

My fryer has a removable oil container as well for easy clean-up, but the ones that are not removable (used to have one) can be a pain in the butt to clean.

BTW, before I had an electric fryer, I used my wok for frying.

 

[Run_Out]

I have a Waring deep fryer and I use it quite a bit, it is pretty easy to clean, just drain the oil and put everything in the dishwasher except the electronic elements.

I like the thermostat it helps keep the temperature constant.

later

 

[Caine]

I have a Philips Professional deep fryer.

It looks like this --->

All the parts except the heating element/control panel go into the dishwaser. Now, I admit I do have a difficult time fitting everything into the dishwasher at the same time, but they are dishwasher safe.

Normally, after every use, I will empty the oil back into the original plastic jug through a gold coffee filter inside a big funnel, and throw everything into the dishwasher, but sometimes, especially if I use it on a Friday or Saturday night, I will leave it assembled on the counter, with the oil in it, so I can make Monte Cristos for brunch in the morning!

 

[chilichip]

cast iron LOVE my pan !!! but I do use a deep fryer too

 

[GrillingFool]

Another cast iron fryer, although I rarely fry.
Fear of Frying frequently foils food fun..

I bake it instead! LOLOL

Although I am MUCH better since I got me a thermometer.

 

[Benni]

I agree, cast iron is the way to go.

Personally I prefer my electric deep fryer but then it has the lift out oil container and all the parts go in the dishwasher.

I used to have one of the older style that was hard to clean and that was when I purchased a cast iron pan. The family brought me the new electric one as a gift and I must admit it is convenient to use.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I actually bought a deep fryer a couple of days ago as a gift for a friend who liked my "Cool Daddy" fryer. She and I have used it the last 3 days to fry shrimp & scallops, french fried potatoes, tempura mushrooms, cauliflower and carrots and it works very well. The one I got her is a Rival Restaurant-Style Fryer and it was $35 at WalMart. Amazingly, the entire fryer comes apart and goes into the dishwasher!!! I really love that feature.

IMO, it does not get the oil as hot as I'd like for the shrimp and scallops and I think they turn out better when I deep fry them in my wok. But french fries cook perfectly in it, as well as other veggies. So if that's what you'd be using it for primarily, I think you'd be very pleased with a deep fryer.