Deep frying is not something we do often in Italy, it belongs to Carnevale, to Christmas and to special celebrations. Because it happens rarely, I would rather fry properly than eat a poor imitation, which is why I use a proper deep fryer and have never bought an air fryer.
The fryer
I use a free standing electric fryer that sits on the counter rather than on the hob. It is a deep square tank with a lid, a thermostat and a timer, and a large wire basket that hangs inside it on a long handle.
You fill the tank with oil and set the temperature, and it holds that temperature, so the food fries at the right heat from the first batch to the last, it does not absorb the oil and it does not go soggy.
You set the timer, lower the basket and leave it.
The french fries show why that matters.
They are fried three times, at three rising temperatures, and the fryer holds each one exactly while a pan on the hob would drop every time the potatoes went in.
The body is a simple square with no corners where the fat can collect.
The basket, the cable and the body all come apart and go in the dishwasher, and I change the oil regularly.
If you entertain, this is what you need.
I can fry large quantities and serve warm food to fifteen or twenty people in one evening.
You can also buy it with a double basket and fry two things at the same time.
Frying leaves the smell of oil through the whole house, so I take mine outside into the garden.
If you have nowhere to do that, choose a model with a lid that filters the smoke and reduces the smell.
Why a pan of oil is not the same
A pan of oil on the hob does not hold its temperature.
You put the food in and the oil drops, and it drops again with every batch, so the food sits in warm oil and absorbs it instead of sealing.
The fryer keeps the temperature you set from the first piece to the last.
It is also safer.
The oil is enclosed rather than standing in an open pan that can be knocked, and the basket lowers the food into the oil and lifts it out again, so you are never leaning over hot oil with a slotted spoon, and nothing has to be dropped in by hand.
You can also fry a great deal more at once.
The oil
I use peanut oil, because it reaches a high temperature safely without deteriorating. Most of what I fry goes in at 180C, 355F.
I reuse the oil, but only if it is still clean, with no sediment at the bottom, and only for a few days.
I never pour oil down the drain, because it blocks it. I keep an old olive oil tin, pour the used oil into that, and take it to the dump to be disposed of properly.
What I fry
- The crispiest french fries
- Panzerotti, the fried calzone
- Mozzarella sticks and balls
- Fried stuffed olives, the olive ascolane
- Calamari fritti
- Gnocco fritto
- Deep fried deviled eggs with ricotta
- Crispy fried polenta cakes
- Deep fried meatballs
- Crema fritta, the fried custard
- Chiacchiere, the Carnevale cookies
- Crispelle, the fried dough
- Graffe and zeppole
- Pizza fritta montanara
- Cannoli shells
- Struffoli, the Neapolitan honey balls
The rest of my kitchen
The fryer is one of the few appliances I keep, and frying is one of the few things I do rarely but properly. Everything else I cook with, and the things I have decided not to own, are in How To Equip Your Kitchen If You Love To Cook Italian.
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