Introduction to Deep Fryers

Whether you grew up in the South on a diet of fried catfish, fried hush puppies, and fried okra, or if you simply love the taste of fried food, the deep fryer is likely your favorite cooking appliance. You can use a deep fryer to cook main dishes such as fish, chicken, shrimp, and even turkey, or you can use your fryer to make some of your favorite fried sides, including french fries, fried mushrooms, and french fried tomatoes.

 

The deep fryer is more complex than some other small appliances, such as a griddle or waffle iron, but it still has a simple design. The main body of the fryer surrounds a cooking pot, into which the chef pours oil. After the oil heats, you place your food inside a small basket (often made of wire mesh) and lower the basket into the oil. After a few minutes, pull out the basket and enjoy your golden, crispy food.

 

Deep fryers come in different sizes, but most fryers have a shape similar to a Crock-pot and sit on a countertop. They are electric appliances and the heat arises either from a heater immersed in the oil beneath the basket or from a non-immersed heater. Other parts of a deep fryer include a filter, which reduces fumes and odors, and a control box, which controls the fryer’s heater.

 

Deep fryers make frying easy and relatively safe, especially as compared to stovetop frying. In order to fry food on the stovetop, you can use either a deep skillet or a large pot, and place food in heated oil. The results may not be very different, but you won’t have the safety or luxury of a basket that you simply lower into, and raise out of, the oil.