I have liked deep frying if it's done right.

[rusty quoin]

You get the oil up to the proper temp and your food is delicious with the right texture. You don't eat deep fry everyday, but you know a minimum amount of oil is in your food.

I'm shopping for another deep fryer. The one I had before, a Waring, I washed the the oil basin in the dishwasher which blew off the non-stick surface. The cost of replacing the basin was 1/2 or more than the cost of the unit.

I have a hankering for the deep fried fries, especially since my wife bought me one of those big lever potato French fry makers. Fish sounds good and onion rings.

Has anyone had good results with deep fryers? I want one that can service 5 people or more.

[Warpy]

1. I think mine was a big Rival with a round basket

I had one in the 70s and got rid of it because it was such a PIA to clean out when the oil got gunky. If they ever come out with one that has a tap at the bottom, I might get one again.

Frying at the correct temperature and making sure the basket isn't crowded keeps the oil absorption to a minimum.

These days, I do very small amounts of things like arancini in my wok. The wok doesn't hold the temperature well enough for fried chicken, but it does a good job on small items and there's not a gallon of brown oil full of frying detritus at the end.

I did love what that Rival allowed me to do.

[Wisc Progressive]

2. Like warpy, I also stopped doing deep frying at home because...

even when I was young and was unconcerned about my weight, there was only so many times each month I would want to make this at home. The oil is messy to keep over time and does degrade. To ensure quality, one needs to use fresh oil.

This becomes very costly and disposing of used oil is a hassle even once you get it out of the fryer. My preference today is to get deep fried foods from restaurants that do a good job making what I order and which are changing the oil frequent-enough to prevent things from being excessively dark with cross-contaminated flavors.

Finding those places can be a hassle, but in many communities there are options to get this food properly made. I would never want to do deep frying at home again, but I did have a lot of fun and eat far too-much deep fried foods in the days I owned a deep fryer!

[Galileo126]

3. I still use my Fry Daddy

It's a low-volume fryer, but it works. And it's cheap and easy to take care of.

Can I do fried chicken? No. But fries and O-rings can be done.

Years ago I bought a 9-quart deep fryer, and it is still sitting in my garage. I only used it once. PITA to clean.

I'll stick with the Fry Daddy, for on the occasion when I desire O-rings and the like. It maintains a temp of 365-375F, with a volume of 4 cups oil. I recently used it to make sweet-n-sour pork, frying the pork before putting it in the wok with the rest of the recipe item. Turned out great.

Then again, I have no one to tell me that deep-frying will kill me...

[pscot]

4. I may have used our deep fryer twice in 10 years

The process is too messy and I've never figured out what to do with the oil afterwards. It might make sense if you a frequent fryer (sorry) or if you're cooking for a crowd, but cooking for one or two it just seems like too much of a hassle.

[catnhatnh]

5. You might consider an induction cooker...

with a good pot. Pros are fast heating, good temperature control, and versatility-my induction cooker is the only deep fryer I use but deep frying is only a small percentage of what I use it for. By using a separate pot for oil you gain the ability to simply store it in the refrigerator between uses. Obviously cleanup is simplified. Con's are cost and counterspace. just something to think about...

[SheilaT]

6. I have never owned a specialty deep fryer.

Sort of strikes me as an unnecessary thing, like a rice cooker. Honest, rice is easy to cook.

Anyway, home made french fries is one of my secret (no longer) vices. I just use a regular pot. They come out great every time.

Once disappointment about a lot of restaurants is that they don't make french fries from real potatoes, but use frozen ones instead. To me the difference is obvious. The frozen ones are stale, at least that's the best way to describe them, when they come to the table. The real thing has a crispy outside with a creamy interior.

Hmmm. I haven't made french fries in a while. Seems like a good time to make another batch.

[Major Nikon]

7. Me neither. I just use a porcelain coated cast iron pot

I deep fry very rarely, so it's just not worth it to me to get a dedicated appliance for the job. Most any big pot will work. The trick is to have a big volume of oil relative to what you are frying so that you don't loose much heat when you put the food inside.

[shanti]

8. you may wish to consider an air fryer

i'd been wanting one for awhile, and finally found a good deal on one (they're a bit pricey). it's a Faberware, but there are several brands out there. The main sell on these is that they make fries that taste as good as deep frying. i tried it out making them from fresh taters, and it's a bit more work, but doable. only about 1T or less of oil is used to toss the potatoes in before cooking. frozen fries and other foods don't need any oil at all. i was pretty happy with the results, and short cooking time. it heats the kitchen up a bit, but not for long. results were nice and crispy, but not greasy, perfect.

there are other things you can make in it, like chicken wings, and other foods, but haven't tried those yet.

i wouldn't go back to a greasy, messy deep fryer again!