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There’s no denying that fried foods are a real treat - chips, spring rolls, and chicken all taste better when they’ve been properly fried, as the process makes them crispy, golden, and terribly moreish. Deep frying foods at home may seem like a daunting prospect but with the right gadget, you can whip up beautifully crunchy snacks in a flash!
Unsure where to start? We’ll be reviewing the best deep fat fryers to buy at Amazon, eBay, John Lewis, and Argos, from top brands like Tefal, Russell Hobbs, and Breville. Our list includes everything from small, cheap devices with a removable bowl to large, easy-clean gadgets that hold litres of oil. If you want to make perfectly cooked fried foods, be sure to keep reading!
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Table of Contents
When shopping for a deep fat fryer, there are a few considerations to take into account, such as the dimensions, safety features, and temperature controls. To avoid landing yourself in hot oil, make sure you read our buying guide before moving onto the ranking!
The dimensions of your chosen fryer is one of the most important factors to bear in mind, as this affects how you store it as well as how much oil it can hold - and therefore how much food you can cook at once.
Larger fryers with a huge capacity of around 1kg are great for big families with lots of mouths to feed. However, they're no good unless you have enough counter space - so make sure you measure your kitchen side before adding one to your virtual basket!
On the other hand, a small fryer of around 800g should suffice if you live alone or with just one other person. Plus, it's easier to tuck away in a cupboard or drawer when not in use to save space.
Nowadays, deep fat fryers tend to come with safety features that can help you to cook your food efficiently with less risk of an accident. Here, we'll share all the details that you should keep in mind.
When deep frying foods, the oil is generally heated up to between 170°C and 200°C. Since a fryer tends to be made from metal, the device itself can heat up quite significantly which could cause severe burns if you touch it.
With this in mind, a key feature to look out for when browsing deep fat fryers is insulated cool touch walls. These ensure that the fryer unit itself stays at a much lower temperature than the oil, making it safer to use.
A lid that locks or secures in some way is another feature that's indispensable when it comes to keeping yourself safe while frying. As we mentioned earlier, hot oil can be extremely dangerous if it comes into contact with your skin.
Lockable lids will prevent oil from going everywhere if the unit is accidentally knocked over - this means they can protect you and your family from potentially life-changing burns. To help make the lid even more user friendly, opt for one with a window that allows you to check on your food without needing to open the fryer.
Cooking with oil can be very messy and sticky, so keeping your deep fat fryer free from grime can be a difficult task. Luckily, manufacturers have thought about this too and some products offer features that'll make cleaning a bit less arduous.
If you own a dishwasher, we suggest opting for a deep fat fryer with non-electrical components that are suitable for popping into the machine. Dishwashers clean items at much a higher temperature than can be achieved through handwashing - this makes them perfect for rinsing greasy machine parts because hot water can break down oil and fat easily.
A fryer with parts that can be machine-washed means less time standing at the kitchen sink after dinner and more time chilling out on the sofa - what's not to love about that?
When your fryer is full of oil it can be really heavy, which can make emptying it very tricky. To help you out, some models have a removable bowl that holds the oil. When you need to change or dispose of the oil, all you need to do is take that part out rather than lugging the whole unit over to the bin.
Other fryers have a drain built into the base of the unit which means you should just open the valve, drain the oil into a bottle or jug, and then dispose of it responsibly. This makes cleaning up so much quicker and easier!
Just as with oven cooking, different foods need to be fried at varying temperatures in order to avoid overcooking, burning, or oil saturation. Fryers that have indistinct low, medium, and high settings are best avoided as they give you little control over the cooking temperature - this can easily lead to burnt or undercooked food!
A much safer and more adaptable option is a fryer with an adjustable thermostat. We particularly recommend one with a digital display, as this allows you to set the exact oil temperature for perfectly fried food every time.
This fryer features Tefal’s patented automatic filtration system, allowing you to drain, clean, store, and reuse cooking oil with absolutely no mess. The oil should last longer and need replacing less frequently too, thanks to this system. In addition, all of the removable parts of the unit can be popped into the dishwasher, making it ridiculously convenient to clean and dry.
Furthermore, the cool touch insulated walls and window with a lid show that Tefal is committed to making your Friday fry up as simple and safe as possible. All of these special features make this truly remarkable product our top recommendation!
This fryer from Swan is an incredibly versatile option that's suitable for cooking a wide variety of items, both sweet and savoury, with deliciously crisp results. It has a massive 2.5 litre capacity for oil which should be more than enough for most families. Plus, the sleek design means it looks great sitting out on your kitchen worktop.
Our only issue with this fryer is that the interior is black, which makes it tricky to see the maximum and minimum oil fill levels. However, this is a minor point - overall, it's an excellent fryer that heats up quickly and provides tasty results every time.
The compact size of this fryer belies its large capacity - it can feed quite a few mouths! The heating element is immersed directly in the oil making the temperature easier to control and minimising the risk of burning. Afterwards, the enamel bowl can be removed, emptied, and then popped into the dishwasher while you relax.
The only real fault we can find with this Tefal unit is that the power cable is quite short, so you'll need to carefully plan where you'll place it in your kitchen to ensure it's within reach of a plug socket. Despite this, this fryer is a superb, budget-friendly buy.
This fryer from Russell Hobbs has one of the largest food capacities in our listing, making it just the ticket if you regularly cater for a crowd. The non-stick removable bowl makes it really simple to clean and the digital timer allows you to keep track of how long your food is cooking so it turns out perfect every time.
The handle on the basket can be a bit tricky to operate, especially when the unit is hot, but luckily this fryer has amazing heat distribution capabilities so everything cooks evenly. The lid prevents any splashes or overspill too. Overall, this is a brilliant mid-range product.
This fab fryer by Swan has a very generous oil capacity that allows you to cook up to 1kg of food in one go, and the deep shape is ideal for preparing everything from doughnuts to fried chicken. The safety features are great too; there are cool-touch handles to ensure you don't burn yourself and a cut out to prevent overheating.
When the basket is raised and resting out of the oil, the hot oil does have a tendency to leak down the sides of the unit and onto your worktop which makes things messy! Despite this, it's a fantastic product that makes cooking delicious food fuss-free.
This fryer has some fantastic safety features, including an auto-open lid that ensures you won't come into contact with steam and hot oil. It has a practical and elegant design, with a non-stick enamel tank that's easy to clean by hand.
There's one downside though - when the oil is filled to its maximum level, the basket (even when in the lifted position) still touches the oil so the food at the bottom continues to cook and can burn quickly if not removed. It's a shame because this is otherwise a really efficient fryer for small kitchens.
This fryer has a pretty large viewing window on the locking lid, and the basket handle is made from stay-cool plastic, so you can cook and drain your items safely without needing oven gloves or a tea towel. The large oil capacity also means that even with regular usage, it shouldn't need changing for several weeks.
The temperature gauge on this fryer can be inaccurate though, so it may need double-checking with a thermometer. Also, the fact that the inner bowl doesn't come out makes it difficult to clean, especially as none of the parts are suitable for dishwasher use. It does, however, heat up very quickly considering the low price.
The basket supplied with this fryer doesn't feel particularly robust and the sliding temperature control sadly isn't always accurate. On the plus side, this is a very compact unit that won't take up much space in your kitchen.
This compact fryer by Tefal has a deceptively generous capacity, allowing you to cook 1kg of your favourite foods in a single batch while still keeping them crisp. The cool wall technology makes it safe to touch even while frying and the large viewing window on the lid lets you check on your food without any hot oil escaping.
The design of the lid means that it can be quite tricky to open when hot though. Also, the oil sometimes doesn't get as hot as the set temperature on the thermostat. Nonetheless, this is a decent fryer if you're short on space and on a budget.
Unfortunately, the basket sits very close to the removable element which means there's an uneven cooking temperature and items that are battered can get stuck to it. Still, this product has some great features and offers good value for money.
Love the taste of fried food but not all of the added calories? Air fryers allow you to make crispy snacks that are slightly healthier. They use convection to rapidly circulate hot air around the machine to cook the food, and it's entirely up to you whether you add oil or not. If this sounds like something you'd like to try, check out our recommended machines at the link below!
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