In Search of a Deep Fryer

I know, I know. Fried food will kill you, blah blah blah. But seriously, it is not the 'fried' nearly so much as the quantity and quality. And quality fried food is hard to get at home.

We requested and very kindly received a deep fryer as a wedding gift, but after four years it died. By the time it did, it was no great sadness, because it had stopped holding its temperature a long time ago. Limp, soggy french fries are unappealing.

Then we became the proud caretakers of a hand-me-down wok from a friend. This worked great, temperature-wise. But the lid merely balanced on top, and everything within a ten-mile radius was covered with a fine coating of peanut goodness. Which is great if you're a chocolate bar, but sticky for everything else. Then it died.

Since then we have been in mourning. We've made due with a skillet, but this makes it hard to do egg rolls or crab Rangoon.

So we recently made the decision to at last begin our search for a new, better quality deep fryer.

A decision that has been a little like wandering in the desert.

We were willing to pay a little more for a quality product, something that holds its temp, that won't up and die, and that makes it easy to put the oil away. This last quality is my requirement. I really hate the oil being just left in the fryer/wok/pan because it makes the whole kitchen and then eventually house smell like used oil. When I come into the kitchen the smell attacks me. And since I got pregnant the smell problem has only become worse.

So we looked and looked. And read reviews. And looked on every website for a zillion stores. But for each different model, there were always enough serious reservations that it left us in a quandary. They leak. They die. They don't hold temps. They cost a fortune to run. And if you really want something that even reaches 375 F, you have to install a 220v outlet.

Is there in fact a quality deep fryer at all??

Finally I had a light bulb moment. Check America's Test Kitchen! Eureka! I looked both at different recipes for things we like to cook and at the Equipment section for Fryers.

The answer?

No, there is no such thing as a reliable, quality deep fryer.

They use a Dutch Oven. Or a French Oven, depending on your heritage! And there is a new line out that costs closer to $50 instead of the usual $200+.

Well, we don't have one. We have stock pots, but a French Oven is cast iron, and if you get one with an enamel coating then you do not have to worry about seasoning problems. And of course it is not only good for frying but soups, stews, certain breads, and chicken pot pie !! (My husband: "I don't _care_ what else it's good for!! :-)

So we ordered one, and a metal funnel strainer to go along with it, complete with a promise from my darling dearest to willingly participate in the putting away of the oil after it cools.

The review to follow after we've given it a run!