We noticed that there were a few popular types of fryers people looked for that usually aren’t discussed enough anywhere on the web. These are the kinds of fryers that are more popular than, say, “12 inch tall turkey fryers with 2 gallon oil capacity”, but less popular than, say, “the best fryers”. We did not find enough helpful information in this ‘gap’ of the market, so we decided that every time we found a somewhat popular type of unit, we’d add a section to this page.
If you’re looking for:
we’ve got something for you. Click one of these to jump directly to the right section. So keep on reading and hopefully your questions will be answered!
The Best Small Deep Fryer
If you want a unit that won’t take up a lot of space (either you don’t have the kitchen space, or you won’t be deep frying much food at one time), we can’t recommend anything more than the Presto FryDaddy.
It comes as no surprise to us that the FryDaddy takes the cake in this market, because it’s bigger brother, the GranPappy, is our top rated deep fryer overall (and is only about half a liter of capacity bigger than this one).
Basic, yes, but it absolutely does the job it’s meant to do and will not break the bank (last time we looked, you could find it on Amazon for under $20!).
The 1200 Watt, 0.95 Liter-capacity bucket shaped fryer has a built in thermostat to regulate temperature and is coated on the inside with a non-stick surface for easy clean up. Unlike some of the larger versions, you don’t get a basket to lower food, but instead are equipped with a slotted spoon to put food into the oil and take it out.
It’s easy to store oil inside the bucket between uses (if you filter and re-use your oil) thanks to the plastic snap-on lid, and will obviously save you a lot of money on oil compared with other units that use much more of it.
If all of that doesn’t sound amazing, let’s have a look at what actual users have to say about it. Real users have given it a 4.3 out of 5 rating on Amazon, which is very high, particularly considering over 65% of people give it a perfect 5 star rating. If you’re looking for a little fryer, this is the one for you!
Click here to see pricing, ratings, and reviews on Amazon.com.Get a Large Deep Fryer
If you want a big unit, you’ll definitely want to go with one of our Top 5 overall picks: the Presto Dual ProFry Immersion Element Deep Fryer. This bad boy boasts a 4.7 Liter oil capacity, an 1800 Watt heating element, and ships at a size of 12 inches x 19 inches x 12 inches. You can get up to 12 cups of food frying at once.
The dual baskets are really useful so you can do multiple foods at once, or simply get more in there. If you want maximum frying capacity for just one type of food, there is a single, large basket that you can buy to give yourself some more options.
One of the things we like about this, other than the fact that it’s huge and is made by Presto (quality), is that it’s actually loved by people who own and use it. Looking at various reviews, including Amazon’s, we find the majority of people think this is a great unit. In fact, on Amazon alone, we see a 4.4 out of 5 rating and a whopping 65% of users giving it a perfect star rating.
We like to see products that not only stand up in a single test kitchen, but are well-liked in homes across the country. This is where the real tests come in with things that you could never think to come up with in a lab.
Even though this is one of the largest fryers out there (until you get into turkey fryers), we found it on Amazon for around $50, so it’s a total bargain – you get outstanding value. If you want a large fryer, it’s hard to imagine a case where this wouldn’t be the perfect fit for you.
Click here to see pricing, ratings, and reviews on Amazon.com.Save Money with a Cheap Deep Fat Fryer
Now, while prices fluctuate on Amazon sometimes, we’ve found that we could get the best deals through Amazon.com. At the time of writing, there are two models under $25 that we wanted you to know about.
The first one is the Presto FryDaddy, which we think is the best small fryer (just have a look at our run-down above to get a sense of what you get with it). The other one is the Presto 05471 1000-Watt 1-Liter Stainless-Steel Electric Deep Fryer. It may not have a fun name like the FryDaddy, but it’s similar in size and price, but has a basket instead of just being a bucket.
Because of that, we thought you’d want both the bucket option and the basket option, depending on what you prefer. The 05471 has a 1 Liter oil capacity, an adjustable thermostat, anodized-aluminum interior, an ‘on’ indicator light, a stay-cool outside, and even comes with a 1 year warranty from Presto. The 1000 Watts aren’t a lot, but it’s a small unit, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting to the right temperature.
This unit is, admittedly, a bit difficult to clean, but it works well and you do get the functionality of the basket. It’s got a pretty good 4 star rating and is generally well-liked by the people who own it and have used it.
Either way, you’ll do well with the Presto FryDaddy or the Presto 05471, it just depends on what you value in your cheap fryer!
Click here to see pricing, ratings, and reviews on Amazon.com.Our Recommended Propane Deep Fat Fryer (and more gas deep fryers)
There are a few propane powered fryers, most of which are quite large. Many of these are specified turkey fryers. We found one that outranked the rest. You can check out more of these gas fryers right here, but our top pick is the Bayou Classic 700-701 4-Gallon Fryer. It’s stainless steel, well designed, and quality construction.
At 4 gallons, it’s got a huge amount of room for oil and food, and it comes with two frying baskets, which you can cook up all sorts of things, even doing different foods at one time.
The design is great, as it’s got a V-shaped bottom, allowing the oil on the top to be hotter than the oil on the bottom. This serves to make the oil last longer (the propane going through to heat the oil cycles the oil a bit while going through it), and also means that the bits and batter that come off of your food will drop down into the cool oil, not burning. This is a really great design and deals with one of the most oil-ruining issues out there.
It’s 38.5 inches high and 14.5 x 11.5 length by width. The stand comes with it, so it’s easy to use wherever you are, as long as you have a bottle of propane.
75% of people who use it give it a perfect rating over on Amazon, and overall it gets rave reviews. Use it for big family events, sports events, or anything else you can think of. We’re confident that this is the right unit for people into serious propane frying, but as we said, check out the rest of the options for yourself here, if you’re interested.
Click here to see pricing, ratings, and reviews on Amazon.com.
One Response
Thank you for putting together all of the information needed to make a good choice of which fryer is best suited for your needs and also the reasons why one vs another would be best for your family. I’m also very happy that you also listed the best oils bc that was one of the things I had a hard time finding prior to Googling and getting the link to your site. Thanks again, the info was very helpful