Suggestions for deep fat fryer

Why have I logged hundred of miles on the track over the past six months?

French fries. I just love 'em.

Usually, The Wife buys frozen fries which I and a fry-loving daughter dutifully consume.

But I'm ready to notch it up, get a deep fat fryer, and make my own home-cut fries.

So, I'm trolling for suggestions about deep fat fryers. If you've been in the market for one, I'd like to know what features I should consider. Should I go high-tech, or stick with a cast-iron pan and basket (there are several of these on ebay)? Are there any brands that are particularly good? Are some safer than others?

Hammond

I have been very happy with my DeLonghi fryer, which TPA bought me three years ago. It effectively maintains its temperature, rotates, minimizes odor and cleans easily (with a spout that allows the oil to be drained). I highly recommend it.

You probably know this, but different fried foods benefit from different frying methods. For example, I would not fry chicken in my deep fryer - good old heirloom cast iron and a hot oil thermometer. Also chips, potato or other, can be more efficiently fryed in a deep kettle or stock pot also with a hot oil thermometer, but then you have to suffer the oil smell permeating your house, which is why I use still use the deep fryer. (Though I have found that olive oil emits less odor, or least a more pleasing odor, than vegetable or peanut oil). For fries, onion rings, the rotating deep fryer is a superb mechanism.

By the way, if and when you purchase a fryer, you should look at Aquavit's cookbook, which has a fantastic recipe for a panko coated potato stick. It is blanched then coated and frozen so it works well for parties.

MAG wrote:I have been very happy with my DeLonghi fryer

Though I have found that olive oil emits less odor, or least a more pleasing odor, than vegetable or peanut oil)

MAG,

Thanks for the DeLonghi rec -- I'll check it out.

I wasn't aware that one could deep fat fry with olive oil (I didn't think it was possible to get olive oil hot enough without smoking). Clearly, I've got a lot to learn about the wonderful world of frying.

Hammond

Obviously not extra virgin oil, but the ordinary kind. I buy it at Dominicks or Jewel in those giant containers. The suggestion had come from James Peterson's fish book as a means to counteract the strong stale aroma that deep frying in an open kettle can create. One note of safety, I may be overly cautious, but I discard oil after two uses. I can't recall where, but I read once that the structure of the oil can degenerate and potentially combust if you use it too often. Thankfully, I can't personally attest to the veracity of that statement, but I follow it nonetheless.

Depending upon the quantity you want to fry, you might consider a turkey fryer. The smell and mess stays outside.

In one of my favorite books "Gear for your Kitchen", Alton Brown highly recommends the Cool Touch Delonghi at about $200. Brown does awesome research on kitchen gear. Although, he's not quite as thorough as Cook's Illustrated, but I couldn't find any listings for fryers with them.

Best,
Ec

eatchicago wrote:In one of my favorite books "Gear for your Kitchen", Alton Brown highly recommends the Cool Touch Delonghi at about $200. Brown does awesome research on kitchen gear. Although, he's not quite as thorough as Cook's Illustrated, but I couldn't find any listings for fryers with them.

Best,
Ec

eatchicago,

Did Brown recommend the DELONGHI Cool Touch Roto DEEP FRYER w/ Rotating Basket?

There are several DeLonghi models, of course, and I'm trying to locate the right one.

Hammond

HI,

Frying in olive oil is news to me. I thought olive had a fairly low flash point. What temperature range do you use it to fry?

I am somewhat paranoid about deep fat frying. I usually put the electric pan/pot into the sink and have baking soda nearby to quench the fire, just in case.

Long ago, I did attempt to make fries on the stove. I did have it spill over and a small fire did erupt. I doused it with the baking soda immediately. Yes, I did lots of stuff wrong that day like used too small a pot.

If your fat does smoke, then lower the temperature. Once it smokes, then the risk of fire is imminent.

Confessions of a Potato Eater I

David:

Amata and I bought a Delonghi some years back but I can't remember what model it is for the simple reason that after employing it a few times, using it seemed to be more of a pain in the neck than the old fashion method -- it's been sitting in a box ever since (I do remember that it has a rotating basket). Of course, such frying machines certainly do have their virtues (less oil needed, easy control of temperature, etc.) and we were quite pleased with the results when we used the thing,* but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks and this dog bears a greying beard. A high sided, heavy pan/pot does the job very nicely (if somewhat dangerously) and since temperature control is so important, a thermometer is most highly recommended (otherwise, make sure your fire-extinguisher is in proper working order).

I had planned back in the summer to write something about home-made frites/fritten but got distracted. Their production at home involves a good amount of work and a certain measure of angst but they are most definitely worth the trouble. Here are a few notes:

1) The potatoes must be starchy. Bintjes are the preferred sort in Europe but they are hardly commonly available here. Russets (what I use) and (I am told) Yukon Gold are starchy and work well.

2) I use plain olive oil sometimes, as well as other oils and various blends, as necessity sometimes dictates. Peanut and olive oil are the ones I prefer. The highest temperatures needed for making frites/fritten will not ignite the olive oil, but don't get distracted and don't ignore your thermometer.

3) It seems to me that it has come to be widely known that the two-fry method, the one employed in the birthplace of the frit(e), Belgium, is the one that gives the best results. Less well known, it seems to me, is that it is beneficial to let the frits rest a good while after the first fry, so that a measure of the oil fat they've picked up will drain off.

4) First fry 325-330, second fry 375.

5) I know you are a ketchup man but good mayonnaise with frites/fritten is the preferred condiment in Belgium and, in my opinion, hard to beat.

* I also used it to make the little Italian fried dough fritters that are sometimes eaten as an amuse gueule chez les Italiens du Sud. The DeLonghi worked very well for this purpose, since the quantities involved were fairly small. For fritten, the batches in the machine are too small to match the frit-demand of even such a small nuclear family as mine. In this regard, let me add that in 20 plus years of frit-production, I have never had a single left over home-made frit, no matter how many I've made.

Vive la Belgique!/Leve België!
Antonius

Antonius,

You've moved and unpacked! Glad to see you back!

Does the double fry method for frites work for those which are the thickness of shoe strings? I am used to those at Hopleaf with the fabulous garlic mayo. Miramar in Highwood does an even thinner potato string with no sauce, which are so thin I can think they were only fried once. They also lost their heat real fast, so after a while it was like eating shoestring fries from a can ... not very good endorsement.

Regards,

As I recall, I fry at 350, which is at or a little lower than the smoke point of pure olive oil. Another nice thing about the deep fryer is that it's temperature remains fairly steady - no huge spikes or huge lows as you see on the stove, particularly a gas one.

I agree fully with Antonius' point on the yield issue when it comes to chips, which can sit and should sit after frying. As I noted, this weighs in favor of the kettle method for chips. With fries, though, I prefer the deep fryer as I like to make them in small batches. Several years ago, I had a cocktail party at which I served batches bistro-style in single serving parchment cones. And yes, with mayonnaise - I am among the converted after having them served like this in Switzerland.

An aside, my second favorite chip and dip combo (after fresh chips and carmelized onion dip) is beet chips with a dill-horseradish dip. Converts even the beetaphobe.

Antonius wrote:I know you are a ketchup man but good mayonnaise with frites/fritten is the preferred condiment in Belgium and, in my opinion, hard to beat.

Antonius,

I'm actually tending toward the pan and basket approach (eBay offers several for about 10 bucks, and just today I was looking at the infrequently used Juiceman and popcorn popper on my counter, and wondering why I needed another tool). Also, The Wife offered sneers and the all-too-familiar "I married a moron" eye roll when I mentioned I wanted a deep fat frying "machine."

About mayo, my youngest daughter and I make a catsup/mayo combo that seems like the perfect yin/yang taste balance for frites (and it's creamy pink color is more pleasing than the pallid complexion of the mayo or the garish red of the catsup).

Hammond

DeQuincey [/quote]

and just today I was looking at the infrequently used Juiceman and popcorn popper on my counter,

Boy can I relate on the Juiceman, that is the one kitchen appliance that gathers dust in our home. In fact, it took over a year before I used it for the first time. It's likely now with Thor that it will get more use, but I feel guilty every time I open that cabinet.

MAG,

I actually did go through a heavy Juiceman phase (particularly fond of carrot-ginger juice during the flu season), but it's one of those things that comes in an out of favor (it's been out of favor for about four or five years now).

It can make some tasty beverages, particularly vegetable juices.

Hammond

Greetings, Cathy...

Thanks for the welcome back...

You're right... At a certain point, really thinly cut fries would not be amenable to the two-fry method. I must say, I'm surprised to hear Hop Leaf employs a shoestring cut, since they play up the Belgian connexion and such a thin cut is not at all the usual cut in Belgium, where the preferred form is thin but still fat enough to allow for real contrast between a crunchy outer layer and a soft, steaming interior. Thinner cuts could still allow for this contrast but one would have to be a bit more careful with the frying times and temperatures, I should think. The different temperatures, different frying times and the intervening rest period (first fry at 325 for several minutes, rest period of ca. 20-30 minutes or more, second fry at 375 for just a couple of minutes at most) are all needed for this contrast of crispy golden outer layer and moist, soft interior.

Yes, we have moved but, alas, not all the unpacking has been finished... But at least every room in the house is now fully functional and only less often used items (such as the DeLonghi fryer) are still residing in boxes.

By the way, a little hot dog stand here in beautiful and soon to be oh-so-trendy Tri-Taylor serves french fry sandwiches. I haven't tried one yet but will make an effort to do so at some point.

David:

Concerning sauces, you seem to have naturally come up with something that also appears in Belgian fritures/frituren (fry-shacks). They typically offer a wide array of sauces which fall into two basic categories: the ketchup-based and the mayonnaise-based. There are, not surprisingly, also hybrids of the sort you and your daughter came up with.

As I said, the fryer worked well but I'm just a creature of habits. I think I should give it another shot...

A

Antonius wrote:By the way, a little hot dog stand here in beautiful and soon to be oh-so-trendy Tri-Taylor serves french fry sandwiches. I haven't tried one yet but will make an effort to do so at some point.

A,

My dad, a first generation Liverpudlian American, used to make French fry sandwiches all the time (for some reason, I'm thinking they are yet another British culinary "innovation"). The concept strikes some as every bit as odd as pasta pizza (which I noticed were quite popular in Manhatten a few years ago), but my fry-loving daughter and I enjoy these sandwiches every now and again. They're especially appropriate if you're carbo-loading for, say, back-to-back marathons.

Hammond

I too have been looking for a fryer, but have since settled on the dutch over that the bf's mom gave me...

I make french fries only when I am making fried chicken. After the chicken is done, I dump the frozen fries all in at once. I was always under the impression that this makes greasy fries. But if you leave it alone until the bottom fries are slightly crispy before stirring the pot, it makes for one deliciously crispy, ungreasy fry. The buttermilk from the fried chicken gives the potatoes an amazing richness...

There's no real single smoke point for an oil.. it's generally a range. The range I've seen for olive oil is ~350-425. It depends largely on the oil itself.. the more free fatty acids, the lower the smoke point. The flash point is significantly higher.

My suggestion would be to get a probe/candy thermometer and see when your favorite olive oil starts to smoke. If it's too low, mix it with some peanut or canola or grapeseed. Otherwise, fry away.

I use peanut oil for french fries, myself.

I have been very happy with my Rival Cool Touch Deep Fryer, about $30 at Target. I like the idea of filling the basket, closing the lid, then lowering the basket into the oil. I burned myself once many years ago using the open pot method. Never again.

Voigin Erl en Reguler Erl

I've never had a problem frying anything in olive oil but then I doubt I fry much of anything above 375 degrees. Mario Batali always insists that in Italy one always fries in extra virgin olive oil, which claim is certainly not in accord with what I have observed there. For anyone with a budget, such use of high quality oil on a regular basis would be a financial strain and a profligate waste of a product better used for other purposes (which is not to say that one should never fry in extra virgin oil; one matches the oil to the task).

On the other hand, with the discovery of the virtues of olive oil in the broader American public and the marketing that has gone with it, many people in this country have gotten the idea that the only olive oil worth using is extra virgin (indeed, some stores, such as Whole Foods, only carry extra virgin varieties). For Italians of a traditional bent, both here and in the old world, however, 'regular' olive oil has its place in the pantry. It is excellent for frying and does not impart as strong an olive-ish flavour as the virginal sorts. Regular olive oil is something I always have on hand and that's what I like to use for fritten.

Peanut oil is, of course, great for fritten and that's what I use if I have it on hand in sufficient quantities. Most often, I use regular olive oil with a bit of peanut oil added, as Ed suggests above.

Antonius

for all of you olive oil lovers, i would suggest a trip to caputo's. their very serviceable house brand olive oil is ~$9 for 3L. for something fancier - they have the best prices on Colavita in town.

Caputo's Fresh Markets
Harlem north of Grand
Elmwood Park, IL

David Hammond wrote:eatchicago,

Did Brown recommend the DELONGHI Cool Touch Roto DEEP FRYER w/ Rotating Basket?

There are several DeLonghi models, of course, and I'm trying to locate the right one.

I checked the book again, and he wasn't any more specific.

eatchicago,

Thanks for the legwork. If I go with the Delonghi, I think I should probably opt for the rotating basket (as mentioned, though, I'm getting some heavy push-back from The Wife).

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:Thanks for the legwork. If I go with the Delonghi, I think I should probably opt for the rotating basket (as mentioned, though, I'm getting some heavy push-back from The Wife).

I'm not familiar with the rotating basket feature. What benefit does it offer? Even cooking?

When, and if, I ever have the kitchen space for a fryer, any household pushback that I encounter will have to face the compelling power of fish & chips, fried mushrooms, onion cakes, beginets, and on, and on, and on.

Best,
EC

The Good Eats Fan Page says Alton's most recent recommendation for a deep fryer was in the episode "The Man Food Show" in season 7:



Make: Bravetti
Model: Platinum Pro
5-Liter Flash
Flyer
Price: $90.00
Heating element heats oil and not the pot
Digital Controls
Fry area slides out and is easy to clean
Basket and bracket for draining
Vented Lid
Stainless-steel chassis to keep the outsides cool
Break-away cable

eatchicago wrote:I'm not familiar with the rotating basket feature. What benefit does it offer? Even cooking?

The rotating basket allows for a significant decrease in the amount of oil needed for the job, which is indeed a very positive feature. Deep frying normally leaves one with a large quantity of oil that must be dealt with and, depending on various factors, that can be anything from a pain in the neck to a nightmare. The amount of oil used in the DeLonghi is surprisingly small and therefore easy to deal with (filtering, storing, reusing, throwing out). The down side of the rotating basket model I have is that the loads that fit into the basket are pretty darn small.

A

gleam wrote:The Good Eats Fan Page says Alton's most recent recommendation for a deep fryer was in the episode "The Man Food Show" in season 7:



Make: Bravetti
Model: Platinum Pro
5-Liter Flash
Flyer
Price: $90.00
Heating element heats oil and not the pot
Digital Controls
Fry area slides out and is easy to clean
Basket and bracket for draining
Vented Lid
Stainless-steel chassis to keep the outsides cool
Break-away cable

I have this fryer. I was very excited Alton Brown recommended it, because I love it. Except mine is called the Euro Pro Deep Fryer, but it looks exactly the same as the one pictuered and is $60 or $70 on amazon.com.

Hi,

For those of us likely to buy via e-Bay, why not contact me so we can coordinate or at least exchange screen names. Specifically, let's not find ourselves bidding against each other!

Regards,

C2,

No problem. My screen name is...(can you guess?)...DavidCHammond.

Hammond

I used to have a kitchen so full of single-purpose gadgets that I couldn't find anything without ripping apart the kitchen. Since the "Great Purge of 2000", things have been much simpler and easier.

What advantage does an electric deep fryer have over a simple cast iron dutch oven and a thermometer? I own a large one for big loads and a medium one for smaller loads. They hold the heat very well and it doesn't take long for the oil temp to recover after dumping in the food. Deep frying has helped season the cast iron. Clean-up is simple. I prefer not to have a lid on the food while it fries so I can watch it, play with it, stir it around and probably control the temperature more accurately than an electric fryer. Yes, there is some splatter so I usually fry outdoors, but even when I do it indoors, the cleanup is minimal.

Bill/SFNM