I need a good recommendation for a deep fryer. We typically don't fry much so nothing too expensive (under $100). It will mainly be for wings and fish. I have a propane fish fryer currently but it's just too big for most cooks.

Looking for electric or gas?

Presto kitchen kettle multi kettle sees a lot of use in our kitchen. Slow cook, fry, steam it will do and is nonstick and dishwasher safe. $55 at walmart

Kmon, does your Presto heat the oil to 375 or higher? That's a complaint I saw several times in Amazon reviews -- that the oil didn't get hot enough and had a slow recovery time.

I have been using a Presto 06006 Kitchen Kettle Multi-Cooker/Steamer for several years and really like it. It fry's fish and shrimp really well and doesn`t require a whole lot of oil. There just 2 of us and it is just the right size. They make a bigger one, but I don`t think it`s necessary and it would require more oil that I don`t want to use. I filter the oil every time I fry fish and get at least 3 fish fry's out of it.

I have had 2, first one lasted 7 or i have not had any problems, the time I measured it was a little over 400 but i do give a few minutes between batches if frying more than one fry.

I have put my Thermapen in the oil on my Presto and never seen over 375 with new oil. It will get pretty close though. The controls go to 400 degrees but that`ll never happen. I`m still very happy with mine and on my 2nd one. It`s important to either use new oil or strain it and don`t let build up on the bottom of the fryer cause the fryer not to heat up enough or recover fast enough when you add cold fish or shrimp. Also don`t overload the fryer. Less is always better, it just takes a little longer. Getting hot enough has never been an issue with mine and I use it pretty often.

Not sure why you would want your oil to get over 375, keeping 375 (max) is the key to not burning your oil. Now getting to 375 fast is different story. Or having it at 375, drop food in, and it drops to 325 and takes a long time to get up and over 350 (minimum you want).

One thing I have learned and why I like electric fryiers is that the heating element sits in the oil, vs under the pan. When the heating element sits in the oil, food particles (mix) drop below the heating elements and does not burn sitting on the bottom. Fryers that heat the pan, this will burn anything sitting on the bottom (like mix), and ruins your oil.

This is the only propane frying I have seen with this heating concept, watch the video at the end...

R & V Works FF3 8.5 Gallon Outdoor Cajun Deep Fryer

Anyone use a fry daddy ?

Not since the 80`s. I remember when we used Crisco in ours and you had to melt it every time. I don`t like the Fry Daddy because you can`t adjust the heat. It`s 100% all the time.

We pan fry taters or fish here and there but don't deep fry much. When we do, a 10" or 12" Dutch oven on the stove top for just the wife and I or a bigger pot and basket outside over a propane burner if it is like a fish fry for a lot of people. You can strain and store the oil to reuse if you want to keep it for a couple of cookings. I hate storing single purpose small appliances, we have too many...

I would say step 1 figure out what size (oil size) you want. Just know bigger is better because you can fry more food at a time, but it is also more work to clean the fryer and strain the oil.

Love my little Walmart special, this is about as small as you want to get. It is probably about .75 gallon, it will not take a full gallon of oil (container size).



I would like a little bigger one that holds 1 gallon. I want to get a bigger one that holds like 3 gallons (that is the next bigger oil size container), and I been looking at masterbuilt, I like it because it has a valve at the bottom drain the oil.

This is about the most I want to cook in my fryer. This is crappie, probably 3 fish, which is one meal for me. I can cook more, but the temp will drop further and take longer to heat back up, which is not good. One thing I have learned as well, but less oil in your fryer (below the max), and oil will heat back up much faster when you drop the food it. Crappie I fry for like 3 minutes.

I ordered 4 of the highly rated electric fryers from Amazon. All were sent back. With an element; I could never get by the thermostat cutting off and on. And I have 3 very expensive probes; none of the cookers could maintain 350 plus up to 375. If you have one of those propane cookers with a large cooking jet outlet; you can’t beat it. I’m not going to worry over $3 in oil if i want quality fish. Plus, the batter will not be the same. Clean up is very easy with a stainless pot.

$3 oil? I think you are missing a zero. Dirty, scorched oil is a pain and a mess. I did a big fish fry for dove season, cooked 100 crappie fillets using my propane burner and big cast iron dutch oven. Took me several batches to cook that much, each batch was dirtier and dirtier. And trying to manually maintain the heat between 350 and 375 is a PITA, and if it goes over 375, say 400, it is screwed

Clean oil is a lot less work, you can leave it in the fryer and do a ton of batches before you clean it. You can’t do that when oil gets scorched and with traditional fryers where the burner heats the pot from underneath. This is how restaurants fry so much quality food with on same oil, all day even weeks…

We use a Fry Daddy and have for at least 20 years on the same one. You can control temp with the temp dial jus fine. 400 is the max temp and I think 150 is the min.

cast iron dutch oven on the stove.

That's what I did last night for wings and prompted this thread. It just didn't get hot enough. I do use an induction burner as I refuse to fry in the house.

You used a portable induction burner? I would think it would heat up fast like that. I'm looking to get an induction stove for inside the house, it is suppose to heat up pots much faster than traditional electric stove tops. However, it only heats up the part of the pan that touches the induction coil, so I bet your induction coil is much smaller than the bottom of your dutch oven, so that is your issue I bet.

I've had great luck with the TFAL fryer with a built in filter. I use rendered beef fat and can filter it after use and reuse it a couple of times. It's right around $100 if I remember correctly. It gets to temp quickly, holds temp well and recovers quickly.

https://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Ultimate-Stainless-Filtration-Dishwasher/dp/B00NQ7QFGM/ref=sr_1_3_pp?crid=1H0LT7KPQ5KMU&keywords=tfal+fryer&qid=1707776199&sprefix=tfal+fryer%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-3

Yeah, that could be a problem. To be honest, a skillet and shallow fry is a excellent alternative. I use an iwatani gas burner. Gets more than hot enough.

Dutch oven, gas stove

If $7.98 a gallon at Walmart breaks you(not on sale) you got a bigger problem than frying fish. I fried 6 times what your picture shows, using a lot less than a gallon. No mess, almost no clean up. I put too many $ in my fish to worry about oil. Kinda like eating farm raised shrimp and fresh gulf shrimp.

ok, sounds like you got it all figured out. I use peanut oil btw, it is $19 a gal at walmart. But it is less about the money, and more about not burning/scorching your oil and replacing it less.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/LouAna-P...msclkid=60cf71edc0b618cbe3c8142772599f0c

Well…..not really, cooked some chicken fried venison on the oven and messed the whole kitchen up! In the portable induction, they typically go to a max. of 1800 watts, most models less. A home cooktop will be 3600 to 3800 watts on the big element. And the pan has to be good for induction.

For small cooks......I have tried many different small electric fryers, but every one of them ended up in the trash. Mainly because the recovery takes too long, and they're more of a pain to clean.

There is nothing like propane or coals with a cast iron Dutch Oven or field skillet.

Do it in the house/out the house whatever, but when you use fire on cast iron it holds the heat like nothing else and recovery is very quick.

You just wanna cook some wings, maybe a few filets? Put a piece of cast iron outside over a propane fire, easy. Clean up is easy too. Don't need a lot of oil, and every time you fry something in your piece of cast iron you are building layers of non-stick slickness that your eggs will appreciate.

I fry food in either a 5 qt Dutch Oven for small meals/big skillet, or a 3 gallon Dutch Oven if a few folks are coming. Have stuff for bigger fries but that wasn't the OP.

Get a piece of cast iron & a clamp on thermometer & be happy.