Good deep fryer brand: 8 Best Deep Fryers of 2023, Reviewed by Experts

8 Best Deep Fryers of 2023, Reviewed by Experts

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1

Best Overall Deep Fryer

Cuisinart Cuisinart 3.4 Qt. Stainless Steel Deep Fryer

1

Best Overall Deep Fryer

Cuisinart Cuisinart 3.4 Qt. Stainless Steel Deep Fryer

Now 19% Off

$65 at Home Depot$100 at Wayfair$80 at JCPenney

Credit: Cuisinart

Pros
  • Lightweight, but sturdy
  • Dishwasher safe parts
Cons
  • Bulky to store

This electric deep fryer is lightweight but sturdy with dishwasher-safe parts. The oil container is easy to handle with a pour spout for easy cleanup. We love that its wide shape and corresponding fry basket create a large cooking area and allow for more food to be cooked in a single layer for the most even results.

It’s easy to use with its 60-minute timer (though you’ll rarely need to fry for that long at once) and a temperature dial that ranges from 175ºF to 375ºF. Large green and red indicator lights let you know when the fryer is at the proper temperature, and a wide viewing window allows you to peer inside without opening the lid.

Dimensions 11.25″ H X 10.25″ W X 13.25″ D
Oil capacity 3.4 quarts

2

Best Value Deep Fryer

Presto FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer

2

Best Value Deep Fryer

Presto FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer

$40 at Amazon$64 at Walmart$40 at Wayfair

Credit: presto

Pros
  • Compact
  • Easy to use
Cons
  • Only one temperature setting

The FryDaddy is a fan favorite — it’s currently the best-selling deep fryer on Amazon — and it makes deep frying a breeze. It uses just 4 cups of oil to fry up to four servings of french fries. The snap-on lid allows you to store the oil directly in the fryer, and it takes up minimal counter space. The FryDaddy takes the guesswork out of frying by featuring only one temperature.

Instead of a fryer basket, it comes with a slotted spoon designed to scoop out the fried food. Take note that without a fryer basket to hold all of your french fries or mozzarella sticks, you have to be diligent to scoop out everything efficiently to avoid burning. We found that using a splatter guard while frying helped to reduce mess since the included lid should only be used for storage.

Dimensions 7.38″ H x 8.13″ W x 8.38″ D
Oil capacity 1 quart

3

Best Multi-Basket Deep Fryer

Hamilton Beach Triple Basket Electric Deep Fryer

3

Best Multi-Basket Deep Fryer

Hamilton Beach Triple Basket Electric Deep Fryer

$80 at Amazon$90 at Walmart$80 at Wayfair

Credit: Hamilton Beach

Pros
  • Large capacity
  • Includes multiple baskets
Cons
  • Large footprint

Hamilton Beach’s Triple Basket Electric Deep Fryer offers versatility in frying by offering three baskets — one large basket with a 12-cup food capacity and two smaller baskets each offering a 6-cup food capacity. Use the large basket for a family-sized batch of chicken wings or opt to use the two smaller baskets to cook two different items at the same time. The two sections of the fryer, however, cannot be programmed to different temperatures, which means that you have to fry food with similar cooking temperatures together.

The deep fryer reaches 375ºF and features an adjustable temperature dial with a ready light. The lid has a viewing window so you can keep an eye on your fries and avoid splatter. A break-away power cord is another great feature for additional safety. The baskets are dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.

Dimensions 10.5″ H x 14.1″ W x 15.63″ D
Oil capacity 4.7 quarts

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4

Easiest to Use Deep Fryer

Breville Smart Fryer

4

Easiest to Use Deep Fryer

Breville Smart Fryer

$150 at Williams Sonoma

Pros
  • Includes pre-programmed settings
  • Digital control panel
Cons
  • Pricy compared to others

The Breville Smart Fryer makes our list for its convenience features like its LCD digital display and digital controls that offer pre-programmed settings for seven commonly fried foods (french fries, wings, calamari and more) whether they’re fresh or frozen. Program custom settings as a shortcut when making your favorite dishes — the machine will store optimal times and temperatures. We especially love that there is a unique twice-cooked function for super crispy french fries.

This electric deep fryer has a 4-quart oil capacity and can hold up to 2.5 pounds of food. The lid is equipped with a filter to minimize cooking odors, and the oil container and frying basket are dishwasher-safe. It features a “CoolZone” at the bottom of the oil bin which, according to the brand, reduces odor, helps eliminate burnt bits of food at the bottom and keeps the oil cleaner.

Dimensions 10.2″ H x 10.5″ W x 15.5″ D
Oil capacity 4 quart

5

Best Large Capacity Deep Fryer

Cuisinart Extra-Large Rotisserie Deep Fryer

5

Best Large Capacity Deep Fryer

Cuisinart Extra-Large Rotisserie Deep Fryer

$250 at Amazon

Pros
  • Includes steaming function
  • Doubles as a turkey fryer
Cons
  • Bulky for storing

This deep fryer can fry an entire 14 lb turkey or large amounts of other fried foods like french fries, onion rings and donut holes. The rotisserie option slowly turns your turkey or chicken in the oil for an evenly cooked bird. Online reviewers raved about the perfectly juicy and crisp results. It also offers a steaming function to increase its versatility— use it without oil to steam vegetables, proteins, dumplings and more. We also love the built-in drainage system with a drain hose for easy cleanup. No need to tip the entire machine to remove the oil.

Dimensions 16.44″ H x 15.96″ W x 20.18″ D
Oil capacity 5 liters

6

Best Deep Fryer with Oil Filtration

T-fal Deep Fryer

6

Best Deep Fryer with Oil Filtration

T-fal Deep Fryer

$130 at Amazon$171 at Walmart$130 at Wayfair

Credit: T-Fal

Pros
  • Includes an oil filtration system
  • Can store oil right in the unit
Cons
  • Tall compared to others

This 3.5-liter T-Fal deep fryer can fry over 2 pounds of food at once. It also features an oil filtration system that filters the used oil into a storage container located under the frying compartment. That means you can use the oil multiple times without leftover food bits flavoring the oil over time. Simply slide out the drawer and transfer the filtered oil back into the oil container.

The oil container, lid and basket are dishwasher-safe, which makes the whole cleaning process that much easier. Plus, the lid has an odor filter to help reduce unwanted smells in your kitchen.

Dimensions 14.8″ H x 13.7″ W x 18.3″ D
Oil capacity 3.5 liters

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7

Easiest to Clean Deep Fryer

De’Longhi Livenza Deep Fryer

7

Easiest to Clean Deep Fryer

De’Longhi Livenza Deep Fryer

$180 at Amazon$160 at Home Depot$180 at Wayfair

Pros
  • “Cool zone” to help prevent foods from burning
  • Spout to dispense used oil
Cons
  • Pricey

De’Longhi’s Livenza Deep Fryer has a 1-gallon oil capacity to accommodate large quantities of food for your next party — think 3 pounds of chicken wings for game day. The large cool zone at the bottom of the fryer prevents keeps stray bits of batter and breadcrumbs from burning which reduces odor and keeps the oil cleaner. The draining spout makes it easy to drain cooled oil directly from the bottom of the deep fryer with little to no mess.

All parts except for the control unit, power cable and heating element are dishwasher safe. This solid stainless steel deep fryer also boasts an adjustable thermostat for exact temperature control. We love that there is also an oil counter system that alerts you to change the oil.

Dimensions 11″ H x 18″ W x 12.5″ D
Oil capacity 1 gallon

8

Best Compact Deep Fryer

Cuisinart Compact Deep Fryer

8

Best Compact Deep Fryer

Cuisinart Compact Deep Fryer

$50 at Amazon$65 at Walmart$51 at Wayfair

Credit: Cuisinart

Pros
  • Compact
  • Easy to use controls
Cons
  • Oil vat is not removable

This small 1-liter deep fryer is ideal for the occasional fryer. It has a compact footprint that can be stored easily and it can fry up to 3/4 of a pound of food in one go. It’s very handy if you want to deep fry a few pieces of fish for tacos or a handful of mozzarella sticks for a snack.

It can reach up to 375ºF with red and green indicator lights that let you know when it’s heated. Its hinged lid is equipped with an odor-absorbing filter which is great for keeping the whole house from smelling like oil. Though the oil vat is not removable, it can (and should) be wiped down after emptying the used oil. We loved how easy this was use, clean and store in small spaces.

Dimensions 7.5″ H x 8″ W x 11″ D
Oil capacity 1 liter

How we test deep fryers

The Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab tests thousands of products every year, including air fryers and turkey fryers. We scour the market to keep up with new releases, keeping an eye out for unique features that might improve the product’s performance and ease of use. When researching the best deep fryers on the market, we consider the size, features, temperature settings, built-in safety measures, the control panel and more. When testing a deep fryer for ourselves, we pay attention to how quickly the deep fryer heats up, how crispy the results are and how easy it is to clean.

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What to look for when shopping for a deep fryer

✔️ Safety: Hot oil can be dangerous, but the best deep fryers will have important safety features built in. A lid helps ensure that oil splatter doesn’t burn your skin while deep frying. Some deep fryers also feature cool-to-the-touch exteriors and handles which reduce any additional chances of being burned. A break-away power cord will disengage if accidentally pulled, preventing the deep fryer from tipping over and spilling.

✔️ Size: If you plan to deep fry often, you might want to consider a deep fryer with a small footprint so you can keep it out on your counter. Small deep fryers, such as those with a 1-quart capacity, also require less oil than large ones. You might also want to consider its design and aesthetic. A stainless steel housing and digital control panel look sleeker on your counter. If you only plan to pull it out for larger gatherings and game days, opt for a bigger model, such as those with a 6-quart or 16 cup-capacity, so you can easily feed a crowd. Just make sure you have somewhere to store it when it’s not in use.

✔️ Functionality: If you plan to deep fry more than one food at a time, like French fries and onion rings, consider a deep fryer with multiple baskets so you can customize cook times for each. If you are just looking to deep fry a turkey for Thanksgiving, we suggest reading our story about turkey fryers for our top picks and some helpful tips and tricks.

✔️ Cleanup: If quick cleanup is important to you, look for a deep fryer with dishwasher-safe baskets and a bin that can be easily removed. Also, look for a deep fryer with an oil filtration feature and consider how easily oil can be emptied to reduce mess. A lid on the top of the deep fryer will also help reduce oil splatter on the appliance’s exterior and your kitchen countertops.

How to use a deep fryer

  1. Set your deep fryer on a flat steady surface away from heat sources and water sources. Keep it away from other appliances onto which oil may splatter.
  2. Ensure the oil vat is clean and completely dry. Any stray water droplets can cause hot oil to splatter.
  3. Add oil at least to the minimum line without exceeding the maximum line. Heating the oil with the basket submerged to help reduce temperature fluctuations. Preheating the basket in the oil can also help prevent food from sticking.
  4. When the oil reaches the desired temperature, carefully remove the lid and raise the fryer basket from the oil. Gently place the ingredients in the basket and lower it into the oil. For more even cooking, avoid crowding the basket. Avoid shaking the basket when it’s in the oil for safety reasons. If you need to agitate the food, remove the basket from the oil, gently shake the basket, then add it back to the oil.

What’s the best way to clean a deep fryer?

  1. Allow the oil to cool completely before emptying it from the fryer. If you plan to reuse the oil, strain it and pour it into a resealable container such as the bottle the oil came in. Store the used oil, preferably in the refrigerator according to the USDA, for up to three months. If you do not plan to reuse the oil, pour it into a resealable container and dispose in the trash. Never pour cooking oil down the drain.
  2. Wash the fryer vat with soap and water using a delicate, non-scratch scrub sponge to remove any stuck-on bits. Dry completely.
  3. Wipe the control panel and exterior with a damp cloth.

Tip: Oil can be reused several more times, especially when frying foods that are light in flavor. If the color of your oil is dark or clouded or if the oil starts to smell or taste like it has absorbed strong odors, toss it.

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What’s the best oil to use in a deep fryer?

We recommend a lightly flavored oil with a high smoke point (which means the oil can heat to very high temperatures without smoking) like vegetable, canola or peanut oil. These picks are also great because they’re not expensive, and you’ll need a lot of oil for deep frying.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she oversees all testing and content related to culinary products.

Eva Bleyer is the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab Reviews Analyst and tests a wide variety of kitchen appliances and gear. They meet with brands frequently to learn about the latest and greatest deep fryers and regularly road-test these products.

Nicole Papantoniou

Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab Director

Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.

Eva Bleyer

Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab Reviews Analyst

Eva (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she tests kitchen gear, home appliances and culinary innovations. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor of science in food studies, nutrition and public health and is a trained chef through the Natural Gourmet Institute. Eva has more than 10 years of experience in the food industry, working as a food stylist, personal chef and marketing manager.

The Best Deep Fryers of 2023

Straight to the Point

The deep-fryer that delivered the best experience in terms of usage, clean-up, and efficient, successful frying was the All-Clad 3.5-Quart Deep Fryer. However, given its reasonable price tag, we would also be happily frying at home with the Chefman 4.5-Liter Deep Fryer.

There’s nothing quite like a chicken wing pulled straight out of the fryer, when the battered exterior is golden and crunchy, and the interior is steaming and tender. “A fryer provides a really consistent, dry cooking method that makes things crispy and also keeps proteins moist,” says chef Ricky Arias of Manhattan’s Bar Lula. Sure, you can achieve that effect with a couple of quarts of oil heated until sizzling in your Dutch oven on your stove. But there’s good reason to introduce an electric deep fryer to your home kitchen for accomplishing this specialty job.

“I use deep fryers over Dutch ovens for capacity and control,” says chef Shannon Bingham of New Orlean’s Devil Moon BBQ. “With a good fryer, I don’t have to worry about hot spots or constantly having to futz around with the flame on the stove like I would with a Dutch oven.” With its lid, handled basket, and built-in thermometer, an electric deep fryer has one job to do: fry things correctly. It frees up your other cookware, preserving it for the braising, roasting, and sautéing you probably do far more frequently. 

If you get the right fryer, it’s a lot of fun to use; you’ll feel like a short-order cook, dropping the basket in and watching your French fries bubble to perfection. And with a design that allows you to fry with the lid closed and then hook the basket onto the side, so that the excess oil can drip from the fresh-fried food back into the container, it helps keeps your kitchen cleaner than it would be when you’re frying in an all-purpose pot.

In fact, the key to successful frying is cleanliness. As Bingham advises, “Be sure to filter your oil after every use to get more longevity out of it and remove any bitter burnt pieces leftover.” As it turns out, our favorite model made filtering the oil and cleaning the machine the easiest.

The Winners, at a Glance

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“When I’m looking at deep fryers, I prioritize ones that heat and cook evenly and are easy to clean,” Bingham says. The All-Clad fit the bill. Deep and narrow, it’s designed to save space and evenly cook whatever you put in it. But its real asset is its built-in cleaning function. Turn a knob, and the oil drains out of the container through a filter into a removable, hard-plastic box where it’s stored in the machine for future use.

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Given its gentle price tag, we were pleasantly surprised by the consistency and speed of the Chefman. A no-nonsense machine, it heated up much quicker than similar models. Due to its large capacity, it does require more oil than others (which can add up in cost over time), but its wide basket made maneuvering and frying foods easy and efficient. 

The Tests

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

  • French Fries Test: We fried one pound of frozen French fries to see how the models handled a common food (and one that’s frozen!). We timed how long it took for the deep fryer to reach 350°F, what the fryer’s temperature dropped to when we added the fries, and how long it took to come back up to 350°F.  We also recorded the amount of time it took each fryer to cook the fries to a crispy, golden brown.
  • Deep-Fried Pickles Test: We made deep-fried pickles to see how the deep fryers did with a wet batter and a higher temperature. We recorded what the temperature dropped to when the food was added and how long it took to recover. 
  • Fried Chicken Test (Winners-Only): With our favorite models, we made fried chicken to see how the deep fryer fared at cooking meat and achieving golden-brown wings within the time required by the recipe. 
  • Usability and Cleanup Tests: Throughout testing, we evaluated how easy it was to remove the basket, grip the basket’s handle, and reposition the basket. We also evaluate how easy it was to drain the oil and clean the deep fryer.

What We Learned

Oil Clean-Up Was Everything, and the Model That Made This Task Easy Was Our Favorite

Draining the Cuisinart deep fryer.

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

Thank goodness for the All-Clad! After we fried each batch of food in it, we just left it alone, and it drained and filtered the oil all by itself, funneling it into a convenient, hard-plastic box in the bottom of the unit, where it was stored to be added back into the oil container for future use. 

We loved this feature. Two manufacturers, the Cuisinart and the De’Longhi, tried to achieve some sort of help with draining by adding drain spouts to their machines, and the De’Longhi was more successful. We could position an external container beneath the open spout and just let the oil run out. But the filter on the spout was so small, we foresaw it getting clogged in the future. The Cuisinart was a disaster. Its spout is so short that a plastic tube attachment is required, and that awkward part fell off while draining, causing oil to spill all over the floor.

With help like that, we don’t want it. Instead of spouts, we preferred the wide, shallow containers of the Chefman and Secura, as they were easy to maneuver into a position for pouring oil through a fine-mesh sieve into an external container. Of these, the Chefman is preferable because its container is slightly easier to dislodge from its housing than the Secura’s.

Some Machines Were More Efficient Than Others at Heating to Temperature

Oil “ready” buttons weren’t super reliable.

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

Though every model has a temperature gauge and a means of showing that the oil has heated to the proper degree, an external thermometer can help verify the temperature. We found that, despite “Oil Ready” buttons lighting up, none of our fryers heated to the temperature we programmed them to. Our external thermometer (a ThermoWorks ChefAlarm) belied every temperature knob and LED display. The Chefman, for instance, hovered at 324°F when programmed at 350°F and wouldn’t go higher. The Cuisinart wouldn’t budge past 347°F. Though this didn’t, in the end, affect the flavor or texture of the food, it is an inconsistency that makes the machines’ gauges seem less than trustworthy.

The Best Thermometers for Deep Frying, Candy-Making, and Roasting Meats

The De’Longhi heated up the quickest and cooked the fries in nine minutes. Most achieved golden fries in 10 minutes. According to our external thermometer, however, a couple of the machines took so long to get anywhere near the required temperature that we nearly threw in the towel. The Secura was the biggest offender. After nearly an hour, it still hadn’t come up to 350°F, the proper temperature for cooking frozen French fries, and when we threw the fries in anyway, the temperature of the oil plummeted more than 150°F before recovering. Truth be told, the oil in the All-Clad plunged to 244°F at one point, too, but because it hit the correct temperature to begin with and recovered quickly, it cooked the fries to perfection in 10 minutes’ time.

Straightforward Designs Worked Better

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

Cooking in a tub of boiling-hot oil is work enough; you shouldn’t have to master complicated bells and whistles in order to deep fry. Simply put, the Cuisinart deep fryer is over-designed. It seems to have been made in order to fit the multiple parts of the rotisserie function into the oil container. But the container itself was too big to fit even into our deep farmhouse sink, and it did not sit flush on the counter when we removed it from the housing. That made clean-up awkward. We much preferred the machines with simple, box-shaped containers that fit into our sink and that we could rest on our countertop when we removed them from their housing. 

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

The same principal applied to the time and temperature gauges. Breville’s heating unit was over-designed, with pre-set temperatures that were complicated to override. Though we liked the looks of the De’Longhi’s LED display, the pre-set, 9-degree increments of that model were confounding. We preferred the simple knobs that allowed us to program the temperature and time to the settings of our choice.

The makers of the Secura boast about another over-design problem: “triple baskets.” The unit comes with, not just one big basket, but two small ones that fit side-by-side and can be used as an alternative to the larger one. That seems like a good idea: fry shrimp in one basket and onion rings in the next. But, in reality, the twin baskets are so small that they’re impractical and threaten to crowd foods—a drawback for even frying. 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Deep Fryer

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

“My best advice for using a deep fryer would be to be safe and clean,” Arias says. Self-filtering and self-draining, the All-Clad 3.5-Quart Deep Fryer addresses both concerns. It keeps the hot oil away from your hands, and it separates the oil from the burnt bits of food that would otherwise spoil it for future use. It’s also easy to use, with a straightforward control panel.

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What we liked: This deep fryer is self-filtering and self-draining. It funnels the oil through a filtered vent into a box beneath the container, storing it for future use while leaving the leftover bits of fried food in the container for easy cleaning. That’s a boon for home cooking when you don’t have the time or wherewithal to deal with liters of used oil. It also came up to temperature fairly quickly and, with its nice, deep container, did a good job of frying items to a golden brown.

What we didn’t like: Regardless of the Oil Ready Light’s illumination, the temperature on the dial did not match the temperature of the oil, according to the reading on our external thermometer. The temperature on our external thermometer tended to bounce up and down several degrees with this model, making an accurate assessment of temperature difficult. That did not prove too big a hindrance to successful frying, but it was an inconsistency—one, in fact, shared by all the fryers. 

Price at time of publish: $210.

Key Specs

  • Parts: Frying basket; lid; control unit with heating element; removable oil container with built-in filter; removable oil box
  • Care instructions: Basket, container, lid, and oil box are dishwasher-safe; unit is self-filtering and self-draining; turn knob to “Automatic Oil Filtration” setting and allow 2 hours to drain; turn knob to “Oil Box” to remove oil box for draining
  • Notable features: A patented oil filtration system cleans and stores used oil
  • Temperature settings: 300°F to 385°F
  • Cord length: 25 inches
  • Dimensions: 18. 2 inches long x 13.7 inches wide x 14.7 inches high
  • Weight: 16.5 lbs
  • Wattage: 1500
  • Oil capacity: 3.5 liters

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

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What we liked: Pared down to its elemental function, this is a straightforward, easy machine to use. There were no confusing bells and whistles. It came up to frying temperature fairly quickly, and the wide container and basket allow plenty of room for pieces of food to fry evenly all around. 

What we didn’t like: This unit will give you no help with draining and clean-up. You basically are on your own, pouring the cooled oil through a fine-mesh strainer into an external container for future use. The filters that do fit into the lid didn’t seem very effective for odor or particle elimination.

Price at time of publish: $70.

Key Specs

  • Parts: Frying basket; lid; removable filters; removable control unit; removable oil container
  • Care instructions: Wait 3 hours until oil is cooled and then drain container; do not store oil in unit; oil container and basket are dishwasher-safe; clean the lid with using a sponge and soapy water; rinse and dry all thoroughly; clean the heating element with a damp cloth; ensure that all components are dry before placing them back inside the fryer; the filters need to be replaced after repeated usage; replacement filters are provided
  • Notable features: There are two filters within the filter chamber; the white one filters oil and the charcoal filter helps keep odors at bay
  • Temperature settings: 250°F to 375°F
  • Cord length: 30 inches
  • Dimensions: 12 inches long x 6. 25 inches wide x 11.25 inches high
  • Weight: 7.13 lbs
  • Wattage: 1700
  • Oil capacity: 4.5 liters

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

The Competition

  • Breville Smart Fryer: This compact fryer took a long time to heat up, and then our external thermometer’s temperature careened upwards, as the fryer heated to far greater than its dial was set for. That’s a scary scenario. Also, the heating unit is pre-programmed, and changing the temperature and time from those settings is not intuitive. 
  • Cuisinart Extra-Large Rotisserie Deep Fryer: Not only does this model guzzles oil and time, taking too long to come up to proper temperature, but this huge, unwieldy fryer has some design problems that make safety an issue. The basket has sharp metal parts. The container does not sit flush on a counter or fit in the average home kitchen sink. And the plastic tube that attaches to the drain spout is ill-fitting and falls off easily. All of that makes it difficult, and potentially dangerous, to drain and clean. The rotisserie attachment might be nice for deep-fried turkey aficionados, but that doesn’t make up for its shortcomings.
  • De’Longhi Livenza Deep Fryer: We liked the snug lid, the LED display, and the drain spout on this unit. Unlike the Cuisinart, the spout did not require an external tube for draining, and that made the task fairly easy. But, the temperature settings only allow for 9-degree increments in Fahrenheit, so programming it for exactly 350°F or 375°F is impossible. 
  • Secura Triple-Basket Deep Fryer: This unit looks nearly identical to the Chefman, but the difference is in the heating unit. The Secura’s took a ridiculously long time to come up to temperature—so long, in fact, that were we not testing but, instead, trying to fry for our culinary pleasure, we would have abandoned it long before it heated and ordered out instead for our fries!

FAQs

How do you use a deep fryer?

Using a deep fryer is fairly straightforward. You drop the container into the housing, attach the heating element to the housing, pour in the oil, plug the unit in, cover it with a lid, and wait until it comes up to temperature. Then you sink your food into the hot oil with the help of a fryer basket. When filling the basket, says Bingham: “My advice to anyone using a deep fryer is to add less food than you think. Overcrowding the fryer will prevent food from cooking evenly and can make pieces of food stick to each other.”

How do you clean a deep fryer? 

Cleaning depends on the model. The best ones have an easy means of emptying the oil. Others leave you on your own to pour the oil from the container through a fine-mesh sieve to filter it for future use. After you’ve dealt with the oil, you’ll want to use soap and water—or the dishwasher, if the manufacturer says the model is safe for that—to wash the housing, basket, and container, eliminating oil residue that would otherwise affect the flavor of later batches of food. The heating unit can’t be submerged, so it must be wiped down. Every part should be dry before you re-assemble and use your fryer again.

What happens if you put ice in a deep fryer? 

Ever cook a bag of frozen French fries? When you place them in the deep fryer, they sizzle, and the oil bubbles up. The extreme clash in temperatures, from the frozen fries to the boiling oil, causes the sluggish molecules in the frozen food to jolt into action. It’s subtle because you’re cooking your fries in small batches. But throwing a bunch of pure ice cubes into a fryer is a recipe for disaster. The molecules that have slowed into a solid state in the freezer careen into liquid form instantaneously, and then start to vaporize, increasing pressure in the fryer, and causing the oil to boil over explosively. Not good. 

Can you cook frozen foods in a deep fryer? 

You can cook frozen foods in the deep fryer. Just be judicious about how much you put in at once, and the reaction when the cold items meet the hot oil won’t be overwhelming.

How do you dispose of deep fryer oil? 

Allow the oil to cool to room temperature in the container of the fryer, and then drain it into a disposable container, such as plastic deli tub, and fasten the lid on. Then you can throw it in the trash bin.

Should You Buy an Electric Deep Fryer?

The best deep fryers for home, top 9 rating of good deep fryers