How to choose a deep fryer for your home

Lovers of tasty things like pies or deliciously fried potatoes should seriously think about purchasing a deep fryer.

The advantages are obvious - there are no oil splashes, there is no smoke, the cooking is even. The only downside, perhaps, is that fried food is not particularly healthy and is not suitable for daily consumption. But no one bothers you to treat yourself to treats once or twice a week. The article talks about the nuances of choosing a quality product that are worth paying attention to.

Purpose and functions

Home fryers are intended exclusively for frying foods - meat, fish, potatoes, pies, in a word, everything that can be consumed fried. There is no fundamental difference between different models; the sizes, shape and general design of the product vary. The deep fryer consists of a body, a container for food and a heating element with a thermostat. Operating temperatures range from 150-190 degrees.

Oil bowl

The material from which the bowl is made plays an important role. They are made from stainless steel and aluminum. Aluminum has better thermal conductivity than stainless steel, but is significantly inferior in terms of strength and durability. You should seriously think about purchasing a Teflon-coated bowl; it will save the owner time and nerves. Burnt pieces of food can cause serious inconvenience when removing them from the surface of the bowl.

Depending on the required number of servings for the whole family, you should select the bowl capacity. When preparing one or two servings of a dish, a bowl with a capacity of 0.5-0.7 liters is suitable. The advantage of this choice is efficiency in terms of energy consumption. But for a full family with two children, you should select a larger container, at least one and a half to two liters. Some deep fryer models require a certain level of oil filling, some can be filled with a smaller amount. There are economy models that only require a tablespoon of oil to operate.

Capacity

This parameter depends on the size of the butter bowl and characterizes the mass of products prepared at one time. The smallest models can handle only 250 grams at a time, while some home fryer models can handle one and a half kilograms of food at once. For a family of 3-4 people, a capacity of 1-1.2 kilograms is enough.

Power

For deep fryers for home use, power consumption varies from 0.8 to 2 kilowatts. In this case, it is impossible to say for sure whether more power is an advantage. On the one hand, the low-power option does not impose serious requirements on the quality of the wiring and consumes less electricity, but on the other hand, you cannot fry much with such a deep fryer - the volumes must be very small. Therefore, the best option, if the wiring in the house allows it, would be a device with a power of around 1.5 kW.

Heating element, operating principle

There are two types of heating elements in deep fryers - in the form of a spiral, or open, and in the form of a plate under a lid (closed type).In terms of performance, there is not much difference between them; a closed heating element has an undeniable advantage - it is much easier to wash off food residues than a spiral type. The vast majority of modern deep fryers are equipped with a closed heating element.

Filters

Filters are divided according to purpose into oil filters and those protecting against odor and smoke. Oil filters are supplied separately and are designed to allow multiple uses of the same oil. Protective filters come complete with the deep fryer and are divided, depending on the model, into removable and non-removable, single- and multi-layer. The quality of the filters supplied in the kit seriously affects the cost of the fryer.

It is also worth paying attention to such nuances as control of the device (mechanical or electronic, the first is more reliable, and the second is more convenient), the presence and convenience of a viewing window, removable parts, the material from which the case is made, as well as the general appearance of the product, how pleasant it is for the eye.

The best deep fryers according to user reviews

This rating is based on the results of the practice of using home fryers. The leaders among manufacturers are Philips, AEG, Delonghi and Tefal. The equipment of these companies is not

cheap, but the quality more than pays for the high cost. There are also cheaper options from Vitek, Sinbo, Orion and other companies for less active use.

The following models have earned user recognition and are worth paying attention to and studying in more detail:

— Tefal FF 24;

— Philips HD 6161/00;

— Delonghi F 26237;

— Moulinex AF 1005 Minuto;

— Steba DF 90;

— Tefal FF2200 Minifryer;

- Philips HD 6159;

— Bomann FFR 1290 CB;

- Polaris PDF 0901.

Since the author of the article did not use any of the above models, he cannot comment on any of them for the better or for the worse. These issues can be addressed by those who have personally tried at least several products and have the opportunity to compare; the list only lists the models that, in the opinion of users, deserve attention. Descriptions of the above models, indicating their advantages and disadvantages, can be found on the websites of online stores that sell deep fryers, as well as on forums with relevant topics.