All the reasons we can think of to have commercial fryers at home

[Dave the Cook]

Fried pork rinds as big as your head.

[rooftop1000]

They are much safer than a pot of oil on the stovetop

tracey

and onions rings whenever you want them

[Fat Guy]

My guess is that, all fats being equal, food fried in a commercial deep fryer is better for you than food fried under typical home conditions. The large volume of oil and powerful heating elements mean you get much less of a temperature drop when you add. This in turn should mean the food absorbs less oil.

It also means it comes out better.

But the property that makes a commercial deep fryer superior -- its large volume -- is exactly what makes it impractical for normal home use. It's also an expensive, bulky item. Sort of like a wood-burning bread oven. In days of yore, there were communal ovens and the people in the village brought their loaves and other things to the ovens to cook. Perhaps that approach would also make sense for deep fryers.

[Lisa Shock]

I'd like to point out that the large volume of oil required to use a commercial fryer also means that it isn't economical for most home cooks. Even in a commercial kitchen, proper care of the oil is essential for ensuring a profit.

That said, my tempura parties would be a lot more fun (and I could invite more people) if the food were made in larger batches. I'd also be more likely to make potato chips from scratch, something I generally only do once every few years because it's too easy to eat them all up as you fry them in a home-sized pot.

[maggiethecat]

Wanting to spend huge amounts on oil. Delighting in ways to dispose of it. Deep frying for more than twenty people.

If these reasons don't resonate, spend 30 bucks on our beloved Presto Multicooker. I've owned deep fryers that cost 100X as much, and this baby works. best.Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's bad.

Not that a commercial fryer wouldn't be cool. Especially if you wanted to set up that masterpiece of French Canadian commercialism, the frite wagon. Or a pop up corn dog place.

[LindaK]

Fritters. Clam fritters, corn fritters, apple fritters. Enough for a party.

[Marmish]

donut holes with mascarpone and jam for breakfast

donuts

beignets

corn dogs

[Chris Hennes]

You would definitely be the only one on the block that has one. On the con side, it probably doesn't do much for your home's resale value.

[Snadra]

So many upsides.... but I could think of at least one major downside: the likelihood of a house full of grease drift that smells like a chip truck (or frite wagon). You'd have to get a commercial exhuast to match!

[CFT]

Change over to a diesel powered motor vehicle and make home-made bio-diesel from the used cooking oil.

[Pam Brunning]

We put a Valentine 5lt commercial unit in 40 years ago when we built the kitchen and it is still going strong - I wouldn't be without it. Pots of oil are messy and dangerous. You must have a commercial extraction unit as well though.

[Kouign Aman]

tempura

[Chris Amirault]

Serving entire plates of fried foods all at the same time for a meal, instead of staggering them over time.

Not missing out on eating the hottest, freshest food at the table because you're running back and forth dealing with those staggered batches.

So many upsides.... but I could think of at least one major downside: the likelihood of a house full of grease drift that smells like a chip truck (or frite wagon). You'd have to get a commercial exhuast to match!

A legitimate excuse to build an addition to the house for all of the crazy stuff -- commercial deep fryers, wok burners, smokers -- you keep in the garage.

[codheadred]

Scotch Eggs

[johnnyd]

Bolinhas de Bacalhau - Salt Cod and potato fritters

[janeer]

Fritters of all kinds, especially corn, onion rings, shrimp, and fried cheese puffs like these. Spring rolls like these. Fried zucchini blossoms. Everything.

I have always wanted a commercial fryer. Maggiethecat mentioned the Presto; I have sworn by the Betty G Cooker Fryer in the absence of a commercial one.

[Edward J]

Are you sure you guys actually want one of those beasts?

I've filled out more WCB (workers comp board) forms than I want to, and all dealing with cleaning out the fryer.

I haven't been back to Europe since the early '90's but even then, the Euros were waaaaay far more advanced with fryers and fryer safety than the N.American mnfctrs.

To drain a N.A fryer you have to manually screw on a spigot, then turn a ball valve to release the oil into a separate bucket or pot. This bucket or pot may or may not be equipped with a paper filter cone to strain the oil. This is where the majority of accidents happen. True, many of the chains have a bank of fryers with a "dummy' fryer that is actually a pump, and all draining and filtering is done without any human contact. Many kitchens with just one or two fryers don't have this though.

The Euro fryers come equipped with a self-contained draining tank. With the oil COLD, you drain directly into the drain tank. No messing with spigots or ball valves. The tank has built in receptacle for a nylon filter--which can be washed and re-used over an over again. As the straining of oil is done cold, fewer accidents take place.

I think, if provoked, I could live very nicely without fryers.........