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You must get a fryer for good chips, or else use a jam/oil thermometer, but it is tricky without a thermostat. What is a good idea is to buy the fryer and then calibrate it using a thermometer, so you can see whether it is accurate or not.
I use half beef dripping and half corn oil. I think this give the best compromise between flavour and convenience. fry for 5 to 10 mins at 150 and then 2 to 5 mins at 190. Lovely rustling crispy on the outside and fluffy tender spud inside.

Just wondering how to make the best chips according to various chefs/cooks i.e.cook the chips at 180 so that they are nice and soft and then drain, heat the deep fat fryer to 190 and cook the chips again until they become crisp on the ouside. I use a chip pan and cannot get this degree of temp control........so would have thought fryer would be better for this. Also...it's rather awkward frying a piece of fish in the chip pan.........

ok i have a deep fat fryer on the safety factor side - i am disabled and have already had 1 wok fire in my flat (put the fire out with pouring loads of salt onto the wok and then covered it with a soaking tea towel) - and i had not even left the kitchen to do anything else - but i need some help on the cleaning side of my hinari dff - it does not come apart and obviously cannot get the electrics wet by dumping it in the kitchen sink, so how do i clean it ?

iiksmron my old mate!!! Knew I could rely on you.

I'm with you on this one ykalf. I've had quite a few deep fat fryers and have binned them all after one or two uses. Chip pan every time.

Yes it has been fun jennifer! I must admit, I wouldn't change back to a DFF now, but I wouldn't try and sway anyone (no disrespect Terry ). Each to their own. I find it amusing that people think you can cook things differently in one of these than a chip pan! I too double cook my chips, start it low then get the fat hot and crisp them up. It's not rocket science...

To those who prefer DFF's - I salute you. I will stick to my very safe (because I am) chip pan.

mmmm, well I don't have any words of wisdom here, but I agree with both of you, Flaky and Terry.
Had a dff years ago, and it was big and hard to clean, so eventually got rid.
Had loads of chip pans, which I thought I preferred, but hated cleaning these too, and ended up throwing them out and replacing, on a regular basis, when they looked too disgusting to bring out.
But...I'm converted, to a point, bought a new super duper dff a few months ago, there's no smell of frying, and It's so quick, unbelievably so, and I'm quite impressed.
It's still large and cumbersome, but then, maybe that's because I wanted one with a large capacity, there are much smaller ones available. I'm also lucky enough to have a larder, to hide it away.
I know of people coming home from a hard day at work, falling asleep, and setting fire to the kitchen, it's easily done.

What a laugh this thread is..I feel like I've been watching a tennis match
personally I'd go with Oven Chips
Are you Sourdoughing yet Terry??

i bought myself what they call a professional chip fryer, i think i saw Gary Rhodes use one on the telly for his cod and chips recipe, you can buy them most places now, i find it great, it doesnt have a lid when in use but temp control to help guide and when finished with it all comes apart for ease of cleaning, the greasiest bits can go in the dish washer, never looked back since i bought it.

Hooray for sense and reason, but avoid non-stick inner unless you are going to clean it every time, unless someone can suggest one where this is not a problem.

Like you I use the two separate fryings, the first at a low temp to cook and the second much higher to crisp the outside.

Hi imjustachef - It's not difficult at all to gauge the temp with a chip pan - how do you think everyone managed before DFF's were invented!!

Good luck with your decision anyway.

what have i started?!!?!?

i am still not sure. I just think the ability to control the temperature that you get with a dff is an advantage, as when making something like chips you need to do two frys at different temperatures - harder with a chip pan i think.

So i think i will give that swan number a go and see where i end up... Thank you for all your advice and stuff!

Hi --, no need to apologise for the interruption and a warm welcome to the boards.

If I am deep frying fish at all I do it in a batter anyhow so the fish is sealed and protected. I am assuming you mean is there a fishy smell or taste to the oil afterwards. The answer is very little. With the first deep fat fryer I had that was not the case. Mind you with the normal fire hazard chip pan that was not the case either.

If I am frying fish or other seafood without batter I always shallow fry or stir fry. In fact if the fish is very thick such as a salmon fillet I might even finish it off in the oven.

I hope that was what you meant.

hi .. sorry for the interruption
but just for curiosity .. Terry, what do you use if you want to deep fry a whole fish or other seafood ?
since you can use the oil again other for seafood

cat

In my final defence I can only say my deep fat fryer doesn't pong.

Safe frying tonight girls.

PS Essex girl, spot on with the stats - mainly males and between 10 at night and 4 in the morning! Flaky you were right too keep those 28% out of the kitchen. Gentlemen up and down the country take note, the ladies will rustle up the late night snack from now on.

terry looks like flaky one this one lol i'm with flaky and essex girl on this one, DDF smell

I have both types, used the chip pan for years without setting fire to the kitchen, and I always used lard. Then I bought a deep fat fryer.It was a pain to keep clean,and the smell the next morning was horrible.So I don't use either.Most food can be shallow fried or baked in the oven.I read somewhere that many chip pan fires happen late at night after the pubs close and people get home and fancy some chips, so on goes the pan. Maybe the fall in fires has something to do with oven chips.

Lol Terry. Sticks and stones!

Still like my chip pan...

So then imjustachef, what do you think?

Which way are you going to go on this?

I guess that was one of the strong points about the magimix fryer for me, I used to filter every time with the chip pan. You don't need to filter every time with the magimix as most of the bits stay under the element and never burn and contaminate the oil. Not completely foolproof but pretty good.

So the image of the lounge/living area is ok then. I guess not many people see the kitchen.

Re Oil - no Terry I don't. I used to, but then decided to use the oil until it was no longer useable and then replace it completely. What a wastrel I am.

Hey Terry - I'll have you know I have a beautiful leather corner group suite and a massive LCD telly! (Trendy!) Now who doesn't move with the times?

LOL - by the way do you filter the oil every time?

What has fashion/trends to do with it?