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Are Deep Fat Fryers Safe?

Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 7:29 am

Chip pan fires can and do happen. But if you take sensible precautions, they should be avoidable. Here are some tips to help keep you and your family safe:

If using a thermostatic Deep Fat Fryer, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you’re using a ‘homemade’ chip pan never fill it more than a third full of oil.
Never leave any kind of fryer unattended. The phone will have to wait!
Don’t put too much food into the fryer at any one time as the oil could overflow causing a fire.
If the oil is smoking, don’t put any food in and turn the heat down immediately.

If A Fire Occurs:

- Turn off the heat if possible.
- Never throw water on it – this can make things much worse
- If you have one, put a fire blanket over the pan.
- Don’t try to move the pan or fryer.
- Call emergency services.

What to look for when buying a deep fat fryer

Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 6:22 am

Comments (1)

Probably the most important feature of a deep fryer is the food capacity. This is how much food the fryer can safely cook at one time. Think carefully about the quantities that you will want to cook. If in doubt, always buy bigger than you think you may need. Oil capacity is how much oil the fryer holds.

Go for a ‘cool touch wall’ model. This means that the outside surfaces of the fryer won’t get hot and will be safe to touch. This is especially important if you have children.

How much clear kitchen worktop space do you have? Will there be room for you new fryer? Remember it must be near a power outlet. If it’s not going to stay on the worktop permanently, do you have room to store it?

Look at the temperature control. Avoid fryers which just have an on and off switch – they will be no better than your ‘homemade’ chip pan.

Avoid ‘high, medium and low’ settings. They are not precise enough for good results.
You need a gauge that will tell you when the correct temperature has been reached for the food that you are cooking. Some more expensive fryers have two compartments, each with their own temperature gauge.

Some deep fryer models now feature an automatically rotating frying basket. This periodically takes the basket out of the oil during cooking which decreases the oil residue and still crisps the food.