Gear Heads | Which Electric Deep Fryers Make the Crispiest, Gooiest Mozzarella Sticks?

Electric deep-fryers promise to take the fear out of deep frying. They supposedly make frying easier, safer, and less messy than frying in a Dutch oven with a probe thermometer attached, which is how we typically deep-fry foods in the test kitchen. Lisa and Hannah put various models to the test.

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[DJ-fnjm]

The DeLonghi is using Celsius and converting to Fahrenheit. That's why it goes up in "strange" increments and maxes out at 374 F which is 190 C. 5 degree C increments.

[malcolmcampbell]

I really miss the old review format. I liked the way Lisa would just simply present the information and test results from rigorous team reviews.

[ginger_nosoul]

After 5 years at kfc and cleaning 5 industrial deep fryers each night... ease of cleaning is important to me. 😂😭

[toytalkers]

Note: on the T-fall ALL of the removable parts are dishwasher safe making clean up an actual breeze. The oil cools prior to filtration and you can store it in unit or fridge.

[bizzybt]

I have both the Presto Grand Pappy and Presto Frybaby and they both work awesome. Easy to use, easy to clean. Takes less oil than most to fry stuff as well. Throw out the plastic fry scoop and get a bamboo handle spider to scoop out your stuff. The buckets work really well, and aren't giant clunky appliances.

[markwalsh]

I have the winning deep fryer and love it. We use it at least once a week and drain and store the oil between use. It does take a long time for the oil to cool so that you can drain it, so it generally gets done the next morning. generally we replace the oil after about 10 uses or 2.5 to 3 weeks. not sure how long the oil will keep in the storing container, but we figure about 3 weeks max and haven't had any taste issues.

[morganbiddlecom]

What, no banging them against cement blocks?

[aaronsbarker]

I just keep thinking of Arrested Development's "cornballer"

[ningcheng_shu]

"Fry day" is really fun. However, if you plan to have a lot of it and reuse the oil, the extra function of oil filtration might become essential.

[schneijt]

I would’ve liked to have seen results of testing temperature variation when frying a maximum size batch of frozen french fries for each one. I think most people will end up using a deep fryer to fry frozen items like that in large amounts, and I’m sure some are really bad about recovering the temperature quickly compared to others. I’d also like to see it then compared to frying an equivalent amount of stuff in a Dutch oven with the burner on high to see if the fryer actually performs better in terms of being able to maintain the desired temperature.

[missye]

We've had 2 T fals. They are great, when they work. The element failed on both of them. Before filtering the oil into the container, you have to make sure that the lid is perfectly snapped down all around the container. It can be a bit tricky sometimes. Another good thing about it is that it won't drain until the oil is cool enough.

[bico]

Yeah! I know that song. A duo sang it for us at a Christmas show while I was serving in the military in 1970. It still pops into my head now and then.

[danbo]

Hi ladies you never said how accurate they were temperature wise did you check this to see if they were accurate

[slam]

I bought the Presto FryDaddy Plus which I see Kevin Belton use on his cooking shows. The ThermoPro TP-17 gives me temp and a Bohner mandolin did the thin slicing. My test was potato chips with skin on. One potato was sliced and soaked 2hrs in cold water w/2 water changes. Frying was 2 batches drying on dish towel before frying. Fry basket was loaded with start temp at 385 which fell to 325 for 7 min. Basket was pulled and placed on paper towel covered plate resting for 15min (fryer turned off). Fryer turned on @ 318 and heated to 385. Basket was lowered into oil to cook visually. Agitation was lift and shake basket as well as a wooden spoon. Around 12min later chips were crisp and beautifully shaped with temp at 389. Basket was drained and chips dumped on paper towel then salted with Slap ya Mamma Cajun seasoning. Any splatters were caught with inverted 8" fine mesh strainer. Almost no mess to clean up. Sometimes cheap works well, $39.

[cnnw]

I've had the Delonghi Livenza deep fryer for a couple years, and it has not let me down once. I use peanut oil, because it can take the highest heat and last the longest. I know that everybody else uses an air fryer, but I prefer my deep fryer instead. So my Phillips air fryer stays in its box unused. Thanks, DeLonghi, for making something that works for the long term. :)

[onocoffee]

I'm a bit surprised that this review wasn't as thorough as the reviews I'm used to from you guys. E Fudd is right 375 is 375 - regardless of what vessel it is contained. How much oil did each unit need? How long to heat that oil to 375? How much load can each one take? What kind of temperature dip and recovery? These are the things I want to know when comparing tabletop fryers. Sure, the TFal has a cool recovery system but for under $40 the Grandpappy should take care of most people's needs - without the cleanup - especially if you're frying something as simple as mozarella sticks.

[texaskc]

I had an awesome one that I just loved and used for years. And my husband sold it in a yard sale just before me moved to Texas because my mom had given me a smaller one (that sucks). So his, must fit everything in one truck logic ditched the big one :( He also sold my crock pot. I don't know why I let him live now that I think about it.

[JackieDannenberg]

I had JUST ordered the Presto Fryer and watching your video, I cancelled it before it was even close to shipping. Thanks for this !

[colin]

Yes the cleanup can make me avoid using a deep fryer. Thanks for putting this overlooked appliance through its paces. I have an older T-Fal model but will purchase the T-Fal model reviewed, due to the filtration system. Have a soft spot for Breville but wished the company had used there ingenuity for smart appliance's and revolutionized the deep fryer market.

[irishstock]

That is why I prefer using an Air Fryer, the control board, is easier to program and no oil to mess around with, and clean up is a breeze.