How To Buy A Deep Fryer In 2021 [Indepth Buying Guide]

Overview: A deep fryer, also known as a deep fat fryer or fryolator, is an appliance used for cooking various types of fast foods, and making them crisp.

Modern deep fryers feature a basket to lift food clear of the oil after cooking is finished. However, the single most critical feature of a deep fryer is its ability to reach and sustain a temperature that’s high enough to produce crispy/crunchy food.

Note: Sometimes, the lack of sufficient heat may be caused by the metal plate attached to the thermostat indicating false temperature readings.

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Frequently Asked Questions For Buying Deep Fryer?

1. How Fast Does The Fryer Heat Up?

People use deep fryers to fry large quantities in a short time, hence the time it takes for the fryer to heat up is very important for most people. More importantly, a fryer needs to get up to at least 375 degrees to successfully fry (especially big batches). Some fryers may not be able to provide more than 360 degrees, which can be a serious problem for most users.

2. What’s The Oil Capacity?

The basket and oil capacity of the fryer will determine how much the user can fry at a time. Some brands do provide food capacity (like 12 cups or so), while some others only mention the oil capacity (most of the time between 1 and 4 liters) and some mention both.

In addition, some advanced models have features that minimize oil consumption, rendering the unit economical in comparison to other models. Plus, frying food with less oil will also be attractive for health-conscious consumers.

3. Is There A Thermostat Or Temperature Control?

Some advanced models offer adjustable thermostats and variable temperature controls. This is an important feature that allows users to fry/boil/cook different foods to their liking.

4. Can It Fry Two Different Foods At Once?

There are fryer models that offer the ability to fry two different foods (like french fries and onion rings, or fish and chicken) at once in separate baskets. What’s important here is that the fryer keeps the foods from each other’s smells.

5. Does It Have A Mechanism To Reduce/Avoid Spatters?

Oil spatters can be a serious problem, and some models offer certain mechanisms that reduce/eliminate spatters.

6. Is There A Mechanism To Prevent Or Minimize Odors?

One of the things that will make or break a good fryer is the residual odors. Most modern fryer models use removable charcoal filters that greatly reduce any leftover odors.

7. Can It Fry Bigger Food Like Large Pieces Of Fish Or Chicken?

In addition to total capacity, the fryer’s ability to deal with large pieces of food (like fish and chicken) will be important for some people. Some models have conveniently shaped baskets that can accommodate and fry such large pieces. This is definitely a good feature to have.

8. Is There A Ready Light?

Some models have a ready light that comes on once the fryer is hot enough and ready to fry. This is not a feature that directly affects the performance, but it is very handy to have and eliminates any guess work.

9. Is There A Timer?

Very few deep fryer models on the market have timers that add to the convenience. However, the timer is not a vital feature to have as almost all of us are used to use fryers that do not have this feature.

10. Are The Heating Element And Frying Pans Easy To Remove For Cleaning?

This is an important aspect that should be considered. No one wants to deal with hard-to-clean parts (especially when they tend to be soaked with oil). Luckily, most (if not all) modern deep fryers come with parts that are easy to remove for cleaning.

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