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 E]

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.]

Originally Posted by Kat

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