to be terrified of the new deep fryer?

[poetmum]

Okay - so I wanted a deep fryer for Christmas. Now, I now have a deep fryer.

Originally, I had visions of fish fingers made of quality fish, lovely homemade chips and other fantasies?

After reading the instructions, I am suddenly finding myself terrified of the contraption. It just seems so dangerous. On the otherhand, the model DH bought has every safety feature in the world build into it.

Does anyone have any experience with these? Any helpful hints to help me make good on my dream? I thought it would be a cost-effective, "healthy" solution to the fast foods DS adores.

I think most homes have them.

How else would one make chips and delicious calamari?

I only make 'real' chips once a year at the most - in a wok.

Normally I do wedges, in the oven with a bit of olive oil.

chips in a wok! that is dead scary.

it works!

I don't eat chips but I need my calamari fix.

We keep ours in a cupboard when not in use, so perhaps most people store theirs away too.

Aha. Apologies for the hijack but I've been wanting to replace my (very old, knackered) fryer for a while and just started thinking seriously about doing so this week. Any brand or model recommendations or should I just go for cheap (we don't use it often)?

I'd be far more frightened of making chips in a wok than I would be of making anything in a deep fat fryer, and that's bad enough.

I've seen too many PSA's about chip pan fires to attempt it in a wok.

I do deep frying in a wok as well, not chips though. But then I grew up with a wok. I have a wok stand so the thing does not tip over. The shape of the wok minimises the amount of oil you need for deep frying.

Don't like deep frying though. Curious about a deep fryer.

Can anyone answer my questions: how do you dispose of the oil? How often do you change the oil?

I'd change it between 1-2 weeks.

You can filter it and use it again a few times, we tend to pour ours into a bottle and put it in the bin.

You change it when it becomes discoloured and bitty, our local authority site (the tip) have a container to pour old cooking fat into, we decant the old oil into clean coke bottles and pour it in when we are nearby.

When it will need changing depends on usage and type of food, batter/breadcrumbs drop off so the oil discolours and becomes bitty, bought chips are coated in flour so they also drop, home chips, dry.clean foods will keep oil cleaner for longer.

We have a 3-5Lt Silver Metal Rectangle, was £99 a few yrs ago.

It is made of 4 pieces :

1] heating element/power,

2]the bucket / oil container,

3]the walls,

4]the lid.

So a dream to clean as all but heat/power can be sprayed and put thru dishwasher/hot soak.

Blueshoes, my friend - a chef - says he filters the oil after 8 batches of food. He uses a strainer and large coffee filter. After about 36 uses - you bottle it up and put it in the rubbish. (So says my chef friend...I wouldn't know. I just got the courage to turn the damn thing on yesterday.)

Oh Thunderduck - I'm so sorry your DP wants to pitch it. I had DH up in the kitchen tonight playing "chef" to my "sou chef." It was soooo nice! (He's Southern Black American - "it ain't cooked if it ain't fried.") He was so in his element. He was so happy to be "cooking." He doing lovey-dovey, kissy, touchy behaviour. (Now I know why he got me this Christmas present!)

But - yet again tomorrow, the house will smell like a chip shoppe. There isn't really anywhere else to put it.

It's staying if he likes it or not. Well at least until we move.

He doesn't know what he's missing. He's so healthy it's positively sickening. He eats fish, fruit, vegetables and rice. Meat only on special occasions e.g birthday or Christmas.

Woe betide him if he tries to get rid of it. I am a calamari addict,It's my favourite food and I'm fond of my garlic breaded mushrooms too.

I just usually air the house and/or light a scented candle or two.

Thanks for the tips about the oil, poet, matnan, thunder . Makes me feel better about coping with the oil because I did not know how to get rid of it and did not want to tip it down the kitchen sink .

Matnan, your deepfryer sounds great. Cleaning is also one of my concerns. Poet, your dh sounds yummy

I am thinking of deepfried springrolls, wontons, gyoza and tempura.

I had one for my birthday and it broke instantly. I want another but one with a lid so our house doesn't smell like a chippy. What models have you all got?