Archive for the ‘Best Deep Fryer’ Category

Okay, so at the suggestion of a reader I’ve recently taken to deep frying enchiladas with my electric fryer.  I’ve chosen this model from Amazon, the 5466 model dual bin Presto profry for this task for several reasons.

First off, this electric fryer has a very deep body which means that there is enough oil to cover whatever foods I’m going to be frying.  Another thing I really like is that because there are two frying baskets I can deep fry in batches and not have to pause and go which makes it really easy to whip up large batches of food for my large family and for dinner parties.

I don’t know how many of you have experienced this, but I buy my enchiladas frozen either from my regular grocery store or from Trader Joes and such and they tend to come frozen.  A very big problem I often face is that my Electric Deep Fryer does not cook up each piece evenly so the outsides will be burnt while the inside with the filling is still frozen and under cooked. Fortunately, the 5466 has enough room for the oil to circulate while the food is cooking and this helps maintain an even cooking temperature.  I am proud to say that my enchiladas came out perfectly cooked this time both inside and out!  However, even though this fryer pretty much makes deep frying any food idiot proof you still have to use some common sense and not overload it…

I also like the cover that comes with the ProFry as it has air vents so you can use it to cover the unit and reduce oil splatter while you are cooking.  The wire baskets are also collapsible and easy to store which is a very important design since leaving the baskets in the oil when they are not being used will lead to rancid oil build up which is very difficult to clean.

My one gripe with this fryer is that you might need to have a meat thermometer unless you are used to deep frying foods and know what to look for to make sure that they are fully cooked.  However this should not be a big problem as meat and fryer thermometers are pretty cheap and only cost a couple bucks at the grocery store.

So even though I only tried to cook enchiladas with the ProFry, this is a good sized fryer for a variety of deep fried foods especially if you have to cook in large batches.

Click here to compare prices on the 5466 ProFry.

The best deep fryer for cooking many chicken wings at once all at the same time is a deep large capacity home Electric Deep Fryer such as the Presto 05411 GranPappy deep fryer.  Although it may be tempting to fit as many chicken wings as possible into a smaller electric fryer, I really wouldn’t recommend it.  Overloading your fryer will cause uneven cooking temperatures and soggy oil drenched and undercooked food.

If you have a smaller capacity Electric Deep Fryer that only fries up smaller 4 person serving sizes, try to split up the amount of food you want to cook in your deep fryer and cook them separately.  Deep fryers cook at such a high temperature that it wouldn’t take very much longer to deep fry your food in two or three batches versus all at a time.  Just make sure your oil temperature is hot enough for the foods you want to fry.  Usually, you want your frying oil to be at least 325 degrees F and no more than 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

For moist and crunchy chicken wings, set your Electric Deep Fryer to a temperature in the middle, 345 degrees F is a good compromise.  If you’re still wondering what is the best deep fryer for cooking  at least 25 chicken wings at a time, you should check out what these fried chicken enthusiasts have to say.

There is a long standing debate among Electric Deep Fryer owners about when to change used frying oil.  Some say that fryer oil should be changed after every use.  Others say that old deep frying oil lasts for several months of use before it needs to be changed.   So who’s right? and why does old fryer oil get foamy?

The answer to this answer depends on how you use your Electric Deep Fryer and how clean you keep your fryer oil.  If certain directions are followed, then your fryer oil should not spoil.  Just follow several simple rules to keep your deep frying oil fresh as long as possible and you will save money, help the environment, and save on clean up and washing.

The number one thing you can do to keep your deep fryer oil from spoiling is to never heat your oil over the maximum recommended temperature.  This is usually 375 degrees Fahrenheit for most types of frying oil.  Of course, your oil won’t stay fresh forever as vegetable oils do turn rancid as it oxidizes, but depending on how often you use your fryer, keeping the temperature from reaching the frying oil’s smoking point will keep it fresh the longest.  The longest lasting fryer oils are soybean, canola, and corn oil since they have a higher smoking point.

Never use oils such as olive oil, almond oil, or even grape seed oil in your Electric Deep Fryer.  These oils have a very low smoking point and turn rancid and oxidize before your oil can reach a high enough temperature to even fry your food.  Once your oil turns rancid and oxidizes, eating this bad oil will cause cancer and other nasty diseases such as lipid build up inside your arteries.  However, for the very best oil to deep fry your food with, use coconut oil.

Coconut oil is extremely stable and has an incredibly high smoking point.  It also doesn’t oxidize rapidly when exposed to heat and light unlike other vegetable oils.  For example, leaving canola oil exposed to high heat, light, and air will turn the oil rancid in just days while coconut oil will still be good for months!  If you want to deep fry with coconut oil, be sure to get pure virgin coconut oil.  Do not buy hydrogenated coconut or palm oil!  Hydrogenated oils cause heart disease and are extremely bad for your body.  Healthy pure virgin coconut oil can be expensive if you buy it at your grocery store though.  The best prices I’ve found have been on two pack tubs of coconut oil online at Amazon.

Next, the number of times you heat up your oil will have an affect on how long you can use your deep fryer oil before it goes bad.  You can usually tell if your deep frying oil has broken down just by looking at it.  First, the number one sign that your oil is bad is if it is a dark amber color.  If your oil has darkened from light yellow to a dark golden colour then it’s time to throw it out.  The second sign of rancid oxidized vegetable oil is if it has turned thick and syrup like.  Thickened oil is oil that has oxidized and should be changed.  The third sign that your Electric Deep Fryer needs to have it’s oil changed is if the frying oil foams when you heat it up or deep fry food in it.  And finally, if your fryer oil has a funny smell, throw it out!

Although it may be tempting to reuse the oil in your electric deep fryers, the risk to your health and your family’s health is not worth the few cents you’ll save by using bad rancid vegetable oil.  If you really want to save money but love making deep fried foods at home, you should look into an Electric Deep Fryer that uses very small amounts of oil.

There are now home deep fryers that cut down on the cups of oil used by employing a rotating basket technology.  For example, the George Foreman GSF026B Deep Fryer with Smart Spin Technology spins food as it fries so the food absorbs less oil as it is cooking.  The amount of oil reduced by frying with a spinning basket fryer can be as much as 55%!  Electric deep fryers like George Foreman’s lean mean deep fryer are great if you love indulging in deep fried comfort foods but are worried about your weight and heart health.

Not only does a spinning basket cut down on the cups of oil used and absorbed by your food, but by constantly moving your food around as it fries, you’ll get better results.  Your food will be fried much more evenly and quickly, with a lighter and crispier outside and moister and tender insides.  Plus, the best benefit to this is that you won’t have to heat your oil to too high of a temperature so your deep frying oil will be less likely to go rancid.

So if you’re wondering why does old deep fryer oil get foamy, stop asking and just throw out that nasty grease!  Then come back and think about your health and your family’s health and safety and consider switching to coconut oil instead or even getting a better Electric Deep Fryer.

Click here to read reviews of the George Foreman Lean Mean Fryer