Is an Electrical Deep Fryer Value It?

Is a deep fryer price it for house cooks? Earlier than you shout “No!” (and we get it for those who actually wish to), let’s talk about. On this period of gadgety kitchen abundance (gradual cookers, multicookers, toaster ovens,dehydrators, sous vide machines, and so forth), it’s simple to really feel proof against including one other equipment. In spite of everything, there’s a restrict to what number of instruments you may retailer in your cupboards and nonetheless have room for, you realize, important cookware like skillets and pots. And an electrical deep fryer, which—not like its fashionable cousin, the air fryer—does one factor and one factor solely. So it’s in all probability an unwise buy, proper?

Properly, possibly. However, electrical deep fryers will be surprisingly compact, environment friendly, and even pretty simple to scrub (though you’ll nonetheless need to get rid of all that oil). Not like deep-frying in Dutch oven and manually sustaining the oil temperature with the assistance of a deep-fry thermometer, electrical deep-fryers just like the Breville Sensible Fryer monitor the temperature for you—heating it, holding it, and responding to fluctuations.

However is it price it? We spent a while frying with the Breville Sensible Fryer and a Dutch oven geared up with a ThermoWorks ChefAlarm to tease out the professionals and cons. Seems, there’s rather a lot to like about proudly owning a deep fryer…for those who’re the kind to truly use it.

Electrical Deep Fryer vs. Dutch Oven

When evaluating electrical deep fryers versus Dutch ovens, we checked out a number of essential standards:

• Usability
• Efficiency
• Cleanup
• Worth

We’ll go into every of those extra under.

First, What’s an Electrical Deep Fryer?

An electrical deep fryer is (and does) precisely what it seems like: It’s a standalone equipment that makes use of electrical energy to warmth a big amount of oil. The oil’s temperature is regulated with a coil that runs across the frying vessel (often stainless-steel). It comes with a frying basket and a lid to maintain spatters to a minimal. Some deep fryers, like the Breville, have a digital management panel that shows the temperature and include presets (for issues like French fries, wings, and donuts) and the flexibility to set a customized temperature all the way down to the diploma. Others, like this mannequin from Cuisinart, have analog management dials for temperature and time. And a few, just like the Presto FryDaddy, don’t have any controls, presets, or the flexibility to alter the temperature.

Usability

The streamlined effectivity of a mannequin just like the Breville makes it very pleasurable to make use of. It has a built-in temperature gauge and its show exhibits the present temperature on its display screen all through the heating and frying course of. It alerts you when it reaches temperature and it has a countdown timer. Whereas we most well-liked to make use of the customized setting to regulate the temperature and time per our preferences, for those who’re a fan of utilizing presets on different home equipment (like with a Vitamix or air fryer), you will in all probability like the convenience of a deep fryer’s presets too. We discovered it simple to take away meals as effectively, because of its basket with a big, grippy deal with.

So, how does a Dutch oven evaluate? With a Dutch oven, you need to monitor the temperature your self, in addition to set your personal timer. You additionally has have to make use of a separate spider, tongs, or slotted spoon for meals retrieval. Are any of those huge offers? No, particularly not when you think about a Dutch oven can be utilized for a plethora of different cooking duties, whereas a deep fryer is a largely a unitasker you will need to retailer and doubtless will not use a ton (or possibly you’ll!).

Efficiency

Each an electrical deep fryer and a Dutch oven are able to producing crispy, evenly browned meals. However, in our testing, the largest distinction we seen between the 2 was restoration time. It took the Breville between 40 and 55 seconds to get better its temperature after meals was added, whereas the Dutch oven-ChefAlarm combo generally did not return to temperature earlier than the meals was completed cooking.

There’s additionally the matter of temperature consistency. With an electrical deep fryer, as soon as it recovered its temperature, it stayed there—leading to uniformly golden meals and, effectively, much less stress. With a Dutch oven, its temperature can simply climb previous the best vary. It is nonetheless completely and simply doable to attain nice deep-fried meals with a Dutch oven: you simply need to be extra vigilant about monitoring the temperature.

Cleanup

There’s an sudden added value to frying with an electrical deep fryer: You must use extra oil. The Breville required generally double what we had to make use of for the Dutch oven, relying on what we have been frying. This additionally meant there was extra oil to cleanup.

That mentioned, neither an oil-filled electrical deep fryer or a Dutch oven are simple to scrub. With the Breville, the inside vessel was dishwasher-safe (as soon as the oil was eliminated), and the lid stored splatters at bay and stored our counter tops cleaner. (Be aware: some electrical deep fryers do characteristic a drain on the again for simpler oil disposal.)

With the Dutch oven, we do not suggest cleansing enameled forged iron within the dishwasher (plus, it’s totally massive), so you will have to clean it by hand. It is price noting some Severe Eats staffers are followers of FryAway for simpler post-deep-fry, Dutch oven cleanup.

Worth

The Breville prices $180 on the time of publish. However, our favourite Dutch oven from Le Creuset is $420 and our budget-friendly choose from Cuisinart is $80. When you’re deep-frying in a Dutch oven, you will additionally want a leave-in, probe thermometer like a ChefAlarm ($65) or this one from Polder ($16) and a spider ($12) or one thing to retrieve the fried meals. We’re not together with baking sheets geared up with a wire rack or paper towels on this value breakdown, as these are stuff you’ll doubtless have already got.

Worth Breakdown: Electrical Deep Fryer vs. Dutch Oven
Breville Sensible Deep Fryer	Dutch Oven
Machine Price: $180	Dutch Oven Price: $80 to $420 Instruments for Deep-Frying: $28 to $77
Whole: $180	Whole: $108 to $497

As you may see from the desk above, the Dutch oven route will be considerably costlier for those who obtained the priciest of all of our suggestions. Nonetheless, chances are you’ll effectively have already got a Dutch oven (and a leave-in probe thermometer) readily available. And for those who’re seeking to spend money on one, it might accomplish that, a lot within the kitchen: braises, baking, simmering, searing, boiling, and extra. We think about it an important piece of cookware.

So, Which Ought to You Purchase?

An electrical deep fryer could also be definitely worth the funding IF you intend on cooking fried meals at house repeatedly.

However for those who fry meals simply a couple of times a yr, that is one small equipment you may in all probability cross on with out remorse; when it’s not in use, it should be disassembled and saved someplace. Not like prettily-hued stand mixers, a deep fryer is probably going not the form of equipment you’ll doubtless wish to show in your countertop. Plus, with a number of key extras like a ChefAlarm, you may fry on the stovetop in a Dutch oven with success. And for those who actually wished to go all-in on Dutch oven frying accuracy, induction burners with temperature probes exist.

Frying Methodology	Execs	Cons
Dutch Oven	•Requires much less oil •Versatile	•Could be dear •Takes longer to get better warmth
Electrical Deep Fryer	•Fast restoration time •Constructed-in fryer basket	•Unitasker •Requires extra oil •Extra of a ache to scrub

FAQs

What’s the perfect electrical deep fryer?

We favored the All-Clad Deep Fryer, Breville deep fryer, and Chefman Deep Fryer.

Can you place frozen meals in an electrical deep fryer?

Sure, it may be secure to deep-fry frozen meals (like fries). Some electrical deep fryers also have a frozen meals setting.

Why We are the Specialists

• Rochelle Bilow is a commerce editor at Severe Eats. Previous to this, she freelanced for the positioning.
• She has been writing about meals professionally for 15 years and labored for Bon Appetit and Food52.