How to Cook with a Deep Fryer

It may look like a bunch of cooking oil in a stainless steel tank to some, but you know a deep fryer is an essential piece of equipment in a restaurant kitchen (even around the house). At some point in time, anyone opening or operating a restaurant may have to become familiar with how to use a deep fryer. Should you find yourself in a pinch, briefly familiarizing yourself with one now may be the difference between serving restaurant guests what they order from your menu or having to tell them what they're asking for isn't available.

Deep Fryer Setup

Make sure the deep fryer is on a stable, level surface. Pour appropriate cooking oil into the stainless steel tank until you reach the fill level line. If no fill level line exists, fill the tank so that the wire basket almost submerges completely into the oil when sitting in it.

Turn on the power. Set the temperature you want the cooking oil to reach. Use a deep fryer thermometer if the stainless steel tank doesn't have a temperature gauge.

Allow ample time for the cooking oil to reach the temperature. Fill the deep fryer basket no more than 7/8 full with the food you're going to cook.

Deep Fryer Cooking

Gently submerge the filled wire basket into the heated cooking oil. Cook the food until done. Cooking times vary depending on a number of factors, including but not limited to: what you're cooking; how much of it you're cooking; and whether the food was frozen or room temperature when put into the stainless steel tank.

Lift the wire basket out of the stainless steel tank or skim the food from the cooking oil, allowing the excess cooking oil to drip from the food and back into the tank. Safely remove the food from the wire basket or skimmer.

Skim leftover food debris from the cooking oil with a slotted skimmer, before cooking another batch of food. Turn off the power to the deep fryer.

Deep Fryer Dangers

Oil in a deep fryer is very hot, ranging from 325 degrees Fahreneheit to over 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Use extreme caution to avoid it dripping or splashing on your or surfaces unable to withstand high temperatures. The stainless steel tank may get very hot too. Even the deep fried food is very hot. Make no mistake about it; knowing how to cook with a deep fryer involves lots of caution.