For those who want to create crispy fried chicken and chips at home, the best deep fat fryers will make it safe and easy to create restaurant-quality food at a fraction of a price. These machines are versatile, too. Deep fat fryers can create sweet treats such as donuts and savory snacks like onion rings with ease. They will also cut down on mess and spills, and offer smart extras such as adjustable temperatures and in-built timers.
The Hamilton Beach Cool-Touch Deep Fryer is our top pick. It has a two-liter capacity and a cool-touch exterior that will ensure it's safe for use in any household. Choosing the best deep fat fryer for you is important, so take into account the size you require to save on oil and time when you use it. Discover the rest of our top choices below.
Hamilton Beach Cool-Touch Deep Fryer
A family-sized deep fat fryer
Safe and easy to use, this is a great deep fat fryer for everyday use.
Pros:
- Two liter capacity
- Adjustable temperature
- Cool-touch exterior
- Easy-view window
Cons:
- No timer
The Hamilton Beach Cool-Touch Deep Fryer has a convenient two-liter capacity that will fit up to six cups of fries or chicken tenders, meaning it can cater to a crowd. It's designed to be easy and safe to use, which is essential when dealing with boiling hot oil. Its exterior is cool-touch, and it has a window that allows you to watch your food as it fries. This means less opening the lid, which in turn cuts down on spitting.
This air fryer is smart to look at and comes with a variety of temperature settings on its front dial. It also has a light that comes on when your oil reaches the desired temperature.
Cuisinart CDF-100 Compact 1.1-Liter Deep Fryer
Compact and easy to use
Easy to operate and with extra fast heat-up, this is a great deep fat fryer for most families.
Pros:
- 1.1-quart oil container
- Cooks 0.7 pounds of food
- Cool-touch basket handle
- Three year warranty
Cons:
- Won’t cater for a crowd
The Cuisinart CDF-100 Compact 1.1-Liter Deep Fryer is an easy-to-use appliance that’ll feed the family whether we’re talking fries, onion rings, seafood, chicken, vegetables, or donuts, as well as other fried favorites. It has a 1500 Watt heating element for quick heat-up, and the control panel has a temperature control dial.
It’ll cook up to three-quarters of a pound of food. The mesh basket has a cool-touch handle, and the machine looks sleek and professional without taking up too much space.
T-fal Odorless Stainless Steel Lean Deep Fryer
Filtration system to reduce odors and large viewing window
This small appliance has variable temperature control to suit a variety of foods, an adjustable timer and dishwasher-safe parts.
Pros:
- Large anti-fog viewing window
- Active filtration system to reduce odor
- Adjustable timer
- Cool-touch handle
- Variable temperature control
- 3.5 liter
Cons:
- The design’s not super sleek
The T-fal Odorless Stainless Steel Lean Deep Fryer is designed to fry without spreading the smell of your food around the house thanks to its active filtration system. You can control both time and temperature to cook a variety of foods in it, and it’s easy to check on progress through the anti-fog viewing window.
There’s reduced clean up with this model as you can lower the basket into the oil with the lid closed and avoid oil splatters. The oil tank, lid, frying basket, aluminum filter, charcoal filter cover and excess oil tray can all go into the dishwasher to make life easier.
Presto 05420 FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer
Uses just four cups of oil for four big servings
An easy to use design that sets the temperature automatically and cooks a range of foods.
Pros:
- Automatic temperature control
- Reduced oil use
- Non-stick interior
- Snap-on lid
Cons:
- No frying basket
- Not dishwashable
If you’re searching for a deep fat fryer that saves oil, the Presto 05420 FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer is a top choice. It uses just four cups for four big servings, and stores the oil for re-use under the snap-on lid, so grocery bills will be lower.
The compact appliance is really straightforward to use, maintaining the frying temperature automatically, and you lift the food out with the supplied scoop. The inside and out are non-stick for easy cleaning , but you can’t clean it in the dishwasher.
Cuisinart CDF-500 Extra-Large Rotisserie Deep Fryer
Create plenty of portions with an extra large fryer
Offers rotisserie function and steam cooking as well as deep frying potatoes, onion rings, seafood and chicken.
Pros:
- 5 liter capacity
- Adjustable temperature control
- 120 minute timer
- Cool-touch handle
- Rotisserie function
- Steam cooking
Cons:
- Investment buy
- Takes up counter space
For a large capacity deep fat fryer, look no further than the Cuisinart CDF-500 Extra-Large Rotisserie Deep Fryer. It’ll cook up big portions of sides, entrees and treats like donuts to feed a hungry household and visitors, plus it can cook a 14 pound turkey in an hour with the rotisserie function. You can also use it without oil to steam food when you’re watching the calories.
You’ll need a kitchen with space to fit it: it measures 20.18 x 15.96 x 16.44 inches, but it looks great on show.
Our verdict
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With a two liter capacity and family-friendly design, the Hamilton Beach Cool-Touch Deep Fryer is our top pick. It has easy-clean parts and can make six cups of fries in one use. For something a bit bigger, check out the Cuisinart CDF-500 Extra-Large Rotisserie Deep Fryer, which can fit a whole chicken.
For small households we recommend the Cuisinart CDF-100 Compact 1.1-Liter Deep Fryer. It can cook 0.7 pounds of food in one go, which will work well for meals for two. The Presto 05420 FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer is another smart choice if you want to cut down on oil, and it has a simple design that's easy to use. To cut down on that fried food smell, we suggest the T-fal Odorless Stainless Steel Lean Deep Fryer.
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