problems with deep-frying is the buildup of detritus in the
fat. Bits of batter, flour, and bread crumbs all fall off your
food when you drop it in the fryer and stay there after you
take your cooked food out. What happens to this debris?
Eventually it completely dehydrates and subsequently sinks
to the very bottom of the oil. In a restaurant fryer, this isn’t
much of a problem: the debris sits in the relatively cool
section of oil, underneath the heating element. At home,
however, your wok or pot of oil is heated directly from
underneath. Fallen particles burn, wreaking havoc on the
quality of your oil and sticking to subsequent batches of
food you drop into it.
So, what can you do at home? The key to preventing the
oil from ruining your meal is to be very meticulous about
cleaning it between batches of food and between frying.
There are also some countertop small-scale electric deep
fryers that have heating elements that work like the
restaurant fryers, allowing you to get more out of your oil in
the long run. However, they also take up counter space and
most take a long time to heat up. The trade-off is largely a
matter of personal preference.
Q: Any other advantages to a restaurant deep fryer?
Restaurant deep-fat fryers are designed for volume: most
have a capacity of at least 10 gallons. At home, you’re more
likely to be cooking with a couple of quarts of oil at most—
about twenty times less. The advantage of using a ton of oil
is easier temperature management. Drop a handful of room-
temperature French fries into 10 gallons of 375°F oil, and
it’ll lose at most a degree or two. Do the same in two quarts