Is a deep fat fryer worth buying, or should I just use a pan?
The honest comparison between a dedicated fryer and a heavy pan on the hob: safety, cost, oil volume, temperature control and the smell that decides it for most people.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 8 min
- Read
- 3 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
If you deep fry more than about once a month, a fryer is worth it — the enclosed oil, thermostat and filtered lid make it both safer and less smelly, and the oil lasts longer because you can store it in the machine. If you fry twice a year, a heavy pan and a thermometer are better than a bulky appliance you have to house.
This is usually framed as a safety question and answered too quickly in both directions. A fryer removes several of the genuine hazards of pan frying, but it introduces a large volume of stored oil and a large object to store. What actually decides it is how often you fry.
Safety
Step by step
- Compare the safety honestly.A fryer's oil is enclosed with a lid, it is heated by a thermostatically controlled element that cuts out rather than climbing to the flash point, and it cannot be knocked off a hob ring or catch a tea towel. A pan of oil on an open hob has none of that. Where the fryer is worse is volume: two to three litres of hot oil in a plastic-bodied appliance is a lot to have go wrong.
- Compare temperature control.A fryer holds a set temperature and recovers between batches, which is precisely what most home frying gets wrong. A pan needs a thermometer and constant attention to the hob dial, and the temperature swings much more when cold food goes in.
- Compare the oil economics.A fryer needs two to three litres to fill, which is a real up-front cost, but it can be left in the machine with the lid on between uses and filtered on the way out, so a fill lasts several sessions. A pan uses less per session but the oil is usually strained into a bottle or discarded each time.
- Compare smell and mess.This is the point that decides it for most households. A lidded fryer with a carbon filter keeps far more of the smell contained than an open pan, which puts oil aerosol across the hob, the wall and the extractor. Neither is odourless.
- Compare what you actually cook.A fryer suits repeat batches of the same thing — chips, doughnuts, fried chicken. A pan suits occasional small quantities and anything odd-shaped that would not sit in a basket. A fryer basket also crushes delicate battered items if you lower them in it, so tempura and battered fish often go in straight rather than in the basket.
- Weigh storage and cleaning.A fryer is a large object that lives in a cupboard, and cleaning one properly — draining, degreasing the bowl, washing the lid and replacing the filter — is a genuine chore. Many fryers are bought, used four times and stored forever. Be honest about which you are.
Alternatives
- Heavy deep saucepan and a thermometer: The cheapest route and perfectly sound. Needs a stable base, a third-full rule, a clip-on or probe thermometer and undivided attention. Keep a fire blanket or a pan lid within reach.
- Air fryer: Not frying at all, but for chips, wings and reheating breaded food it gets most of the way there with no oil to buy, store or dispose of. It cannot batter anything and it cannot do doughnuts.
- Wok or deep casserole: A wide wok gives a large oil surface that recovers temperature quickly, but its rounded base is unstable on a flat hob without a ring. A cast iron casserole holds temperature best of all and is heavy and hot to handle.
Questions people ask
Can I leave oil in a deep fat fryer between uses?
Yes, that is one of the advantages — lid on, filtered, in a cool dark cupboard. Strain out food debris each time, because it is the burnt particles rather than the oil that spoil it fastest. Replace the oil when it darkens, foams or smells stale.
How do I dispose of several litres of used oil?
Not down the sink, ever — it sets in the drain and contributes to blockages. Let it cool, funnel it back into bottles and take it to a household waste recycling centre, many of which accept cooking oil. Small amounts can be solidified and binned.
Are the small one-litre fryers any good?
They fry small batches acceptably and are much easier to store, but they lose temperature badly when food goes in, so you have to cook in very small quantities and wait between batches.