My new deep fryer

[Marlene]

I ordered the Waring Pro deep fryer some time ago, and yesterday it finally arrived. There is a slight difference between the Canadian and Amerian versions of this fryer. To meet Canadian code, the deep fryer only heats to 1500 watts, whereas the American version goes to 1800 watts.

No matter, I'm ready to fry.

The first thing I'd like to try is a "blooming onion" type thing. Naturally, I've lost the recipe I once had. If anyone has an approximation of such a recipe with dipping sauce, I'd be forever grateful!

And what oil is best for deep frying? Regular vegetable? Peanut oil?

[Dana]

I always use peanut oil for deep frying. It has a higher smoke point than veg oil so it doesn't break down as quickly. Here's what I do for bloomin' onions:

Peel a large onion and cut into petals, leaving the root end intact (I put a wooden spoon on each side of the onion, so that my knife will not go all the way to the bottom.) Depending on how large your onion is and how narrow you like your petals, this could be 8 or more cuts.

Place the onion cut side down in boiling water for 1 min, then plunge in ice water for 5 min. Let drain well, loosening the petals if necessary.

Place a couple of tablespoons of well-seasoned flour in a zip loc bag and put in the onion. Shake well till the petals are coated.

Place a well-beaten egg in a bowl and coat the onion with the egg. This gets messy. I use a spoon to pour the egg on to the onion.

Put finely crushed cracker crumbs - about a cup- into the zip loc (use the same one, just dump out any remaining flour) and coat the onion with the crumbs. Put the onion into the fridge for at least an hour - I have made them in the morning for frying in the evening without problem. Fry till golden.

As for a dipping sauce, I use a combo of mayo, ketchup, and horseradish or I also like honey mustard.

[eatrustic]

I ordered the Waring Pro deep fryer some time ago, and yesterday it finally arrived.  There is a slight difference between the Canadian and Amerian versions of this fryer.  To meet Canadian code, the deep fryer only heats to 1500 watts, whereas the American version goes to 1800 watts.

Dammit! Thats why my W. Pro doesn't recover well at all when I fry. I specifically bought it because it was rated (on the net) higher than most others. I find that it has this annoying tendancy to cycle down longer than it should before it starts to recover and bring back the temp. to the original level ( I checked with my digital thermometer) ....and this is with things like donuts. I can only imagine what would happen with fried chicken.

I guess I'll consign it to poaching tuna loins (lo temp) ala French Laundry and slip across the line to pick up the juiced version.

[Jason Perlow]

Peanut oil is good for French Fries but I tend to prefer soybean oil for everything else.

[fierydrunk]

We got a nice big deep fryer as a late wedding gift--anyone want to give us some suggestions of a good fish recipe (or whatever really) to christen it tomorrow??? We've never used one before. We live in Portland, OR and can get good seafood for the most part.

[ChefCrash]

Delicious yet simple is well made Fish and Chips.

Cod is what I like to use.

For the batter:

1/4 cup corn startch

3/4 cup self rising flour

light beer

Mix flour and corn startch and whisk in enough beer to get the consistency of a runny pankace batter, and refrigerate.

Cut the Cod into sticks or flat chunks.

Preheat corn oil to 375 F, using tongs, dunk the fish into the cold batter and place in the oil. Try not to over crowd the fish in the oil (this depends on the size of your fryer).

Fry until golden brown and crisp.

Serve with Tartar sauce.

2 T dill pickle relish (Vlasic)

2 T finely diced onion

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 tsp Tabasco

Mix well.

I like to use partially cooked and frozen fries ( frozen section at the supermarket) since they only take 90 seconds to fry. Season with salt and serve with malt vinegar.

[pedro]

Olive oil, of course.

[maui420]

hey, that sauce:

2 T dill pickle relish (Vlasic)

2 T finely diced onion

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 tsp Tabasco

Mix well.

:

do they also use something like that on flounder po'boy sandwiches?

Delicious yet simple is well made Fish and Chips.

Cod is what I like to use.

For the batter:

1/4 cup corn startch

3/4 cup self rising flour

light beer

Mix flour and corn startch and whisk in enough beer to get the consistency of a runny pankace batter, and refrigerate.

Cut the Cod into sticks or flat chunks.

Preheat corn oil to 375 F, using tongs, dunk the fish into the cold batter and place in the oil. Try not to over crowd the fish in the oil (this depends on the size of your fryer).

Fry until golden brown and crisp.

Serve with Tartar sauce.

2 T dill pickle relish (Vlasic)

2 T finely diced onion

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 tsp Tabasco

Mix well.

I like to use partially cooked and frozen fries ( frozen section at the supermarket) since they only take 90 seconds to fry. Season with salt and serve with malt vinegar.

←

[Raoul Duke]

I'd like to get a deep fryer again, 20 year hiatus since my last, but this time I want to be more selective. Any help in answering these questions would be appreciated.

I don't deep fry that often, but when I get the urge I want to do it NOW and minimize cleanup or dealing with the oil.

Is there a better size 4 quart vs 6 qt. etc..?

What can be done with the oil for storage?

Is the oil filtered by the unit or is there some way to do this prior to storage?

Just how long are oils good for, if stored under optimal conditions?

I noticed that your (Marlene) unit is 1500 watts vs. 1800. Is it adjustable?

Comments are appreciated.

Raoul

[CtznCane]

I have a Krups 4 liter size fryer. Something a little larger would be nice but this fills the purpose pretty well. I typically use Wesson vegetable oil for the frying and have been pleased with the results. I buy my oil from Costco in the 1.25 gallon size. I always keep an extra container so that I can pour the oil back into it. I just use a funnel along with a double thickness of cheese cloth to filter it when pouring it back in.

Possibly my favorite thing to fry is yucca. After peeeling it and cutting it into about 2" lengths I'll parboil it for about 20 minutes and then drain it and let it cool to prep it for frying. Then cut it into french fry wedges and then deep fry it as you would french fries.

[jayt90]

We got a nice big deep fryer as a late wedding gift--anyone want to give us some suggestions of a good fish recipe (or whatever really) to christen it tomorrow???  We've never used one before.  We live in Portland, OR and can get good seafood for the most part.

←

Firm white fish fillets will work well. The suggestion by Chefcrash to use cod and beer batter is good. Halibut and haddock are great if you have them. Sole, flounder, turbot etc can be a little soft. Ditto catfish.

The best potatoes will be Russets or large oval baking types. Smaller ones, such as Yukon Gold, or the reds, may be too soggy.

[Marlene]

Let me caution you about using the deep fryer basket to do battered fish in. Somewhere around here I have a pictorial of how my lovely halibut stuck to and bled through the little holes in the basket, thus firmly adhering my fish and batter to the basket. A sandblaster wouldn't knock it loose!

[ChefCrash]

do they also use something like that on flounder po'boy sandwiches?

It's just good tartar sauce. Good on fried Clam po boys or with any fish. When I had a restaurant, it was even used on hamburgers and Cuban sandwiches.

[Clerkenwellian]

I've been wondering about getting a deep fryer.

The Waring fryer doesn't seem to be sold in the UK and I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations. The Magimix model here looks good, and apparently 3.2KW (an advantage of 240V vs 120V?). Any thoughts?