"Everything you wanted to know about frying"
Welcome to a page dedicated to frying and specifically deep fat fryers. There are two popular way of frying chips/fries, chicken, fish etc., 1. - the traditional chip pan which is placed on a gas or electric hob 2. - the stand alone deep fat fryer
There isn't much explanation of a chip pan, it's placed on electric/gas hob and filled with oil. The major drawback is the oil/food capacity they offer and the lack of any safety features. The safety guidelines listed below specifically deal with chip pans. Deep Fat FryersThis is my guide to understanding deep fat fryers, there are lots available
from brands such as Tefal, Delonghi, Breville, Kenwood, Russell Hobbs
and Philips. The deep fat fryer has become a very common kitchen appliance,
they are used to fry food like chips, battered fish and chicken. The
benefits they offer families is a larger capacity to fry more food in
one serving, free up a hob on a cooker and usually come with a few
safety features like a coolwall. Some of the things to look for
when buying a deep fat fryer is of course the capacity, most manufacturers
list the oil and food capacity a fryer can hold. Out of the two it's
probably most important to take note of the food capacity, as this tells
you how much food the deep fat fryer can handle at any one serving.
There are a couple of standard safety features to look for when buying
a deep fat fryer, the first being a coolwall which means you can safely
touch the side of the fryer when it's heated up. A mechanism to raise
and lower the basket is also important, the food will be gradually dropped
into the oil to ensure no splashes of hot oil. A large and clear viewing
window is another important aspect of a deep fat fryer, it means you
can close the lid and keep a close eye on the food and avoid any oil
splashing out. A major drawback of chip pans is you usually have to
leave the lid off and your worktop gets splashed with hot oil which
can stain and burn. Now we get onto the advanced features offered by
some fryers, and adjustable thermostat control being key. They can cut
out the power when the temperature gets too hot, and when packaged with
an inbuilt timer can fry food to perfection. SafetyThe traditional chip pan has been the cause of many household fires and has resulted in many burns injuries. Reports have estimated that one fifth of accidental fires attended by the Fire and Rescue services are caused by chip pans and deep fat fryers. Accidental fires started in the kitchen kill on a daily basis, therefore most people should be concerned by deep fat frying. Enough to read up on how to minimise the risks and fry in a safe manner. Both have safety issues, but with the advent of technology the stand alone thermostat-controlled electric deep fat fryers promise to fry your food to perfection in total safety. The most advanced of these come with safety features like,
Of course the problem is that not all stand alone deep fat fryers come with all the above features, in fact very few do. Therefore the security cautions listed later will be of value to owners of all but the most advanced deep fat fryer. I will first highlight the common safety guidelines of frying,
What to do if a fire occurs? Don't
Do
|