Emerilware Deep Fryer: [Insert BAM joke here]

After almost five years of faithful service, our Philips deep fryer became deplorably grungy. And so, we set out to find which new deep fryer would become our third. Searches on Amazon did not yield any results for the same Philips model. I was quite satisfied with it- it had a removable oil bucket- this was a step up from the GE model that we initially had.

However, we tended to only clean this removable bucket when we changed the oil. When you are working with fried foods, especially handmade ones, flour residue tends to collect on the bottom. This thick sludge and assorted cooked-on bits adhered themselves to the surface of the oil bucket and would not scrub off.

It would have been time-consuming to pour the oil out after each and every time, but when I proposed that we purchase a new deep fryer, I swore up and down that this is what I would do- like a kid promising to clean up after a new puppy. But I was serious- I really intended to pour the oil back into the jug and scrub out the oil bucket if that is what it was going to take to maintain our deep fryer.

Luckily, it did not have to come to this. I asked for fryer recommendations on my mommy board, and several people mentioned the Emerilware one (manufactured by T-Fal). It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but I was intrigued by the possibility of automatic oil filtration. When a 20% coupon arrived from Linens and Things, I was sold.

The Emerilware fryer is a little larger than the Philips model. It also has more parts. There is the frame, the oil bucket, the heating element, the oil box, the basket, and the lid.

The first thing that I noticed was that the heating element goes inside the oil, so it is heating the oil itself. This is contrary to what we had with our last fryer, where the oil bucket sat on the heating element and was warmed up that way.

The second thing that I noticed was the oil bucket is stainless steel. I was surprised that this was much easier to clean up that the “non-stick” surface of the last bucket. When I am ready to clean my deep fryer, I simply remove the oil bucket, and spray all the gunk at the bottom off with the sprayer from the sink. It washes away easily.

I love that I can clean the bucket after each and every use without exerting too much effort. The oil filtration system is foolproof! The front of the fryer has three settings: oil box, fryer, and automatic oil filtration. The first setting, oil box, unlocks the oil box. Simply slide it out from under the fryer, unscrew the cap, and pour the filtered oil back into the oil bucket. We do tend to get a couple of drips when doing this, so be careful. I am literally talking about a couple of droplets- nothing too concerning- but you wouldn’t want to get any oil on your clothing, would you? When you are ready to fry, turn the knob to fry. And when you are done, turn the dial to automatic oil filtration.

After a couple of hours, when the oil has cooled down, it will automatically drain into the oil box, leaving any residue on the bottom of the bucket. This filtration process is seamless. We have probably drained the oil about twenty times already and never had any problems with oil leaking out. If there are any problems with oil leakage, it is probably due to user error or a defective unit. This is not a normal occurrence.

We have been going out of our way to find reasons to use this fryer. Admittedly, this family tends to like salty snacks more than sweet, but food tastes delicious after coming out of the fryer. It doesn’t taste oily or greasy like fried food often does. So far, we have fried frozen pierogies, waffle fries, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, and lots and lots of homemade buffalo chicken bites- yum! I do fully intend to try frying some Twinkies and I might even try making some fried dough/funnel cake.

There are a couple of design issues that I have. This machine is rather bulky-it takes up a bit of room on the counter. It takes up more room than it should because the basket handle cannot be folded against the machine when not in use. The handle does fold in on itself if you are going to wash it in the dishwasher, but this does not help when trying to get some more counter space. Also, I loved that my old deep fryer had a hinged lid. This Emerilware fryer has a lid, but it is more like a lid on a pot- it just sits on top of the fryer. In the grand scheme of things, this does not affect my enjoyment and appreciation for this machine. The automatic oil filtration and the ease of cleaning that said filtration brings more than make up for these design issues.

I highly recommend the Emerilware deep fryer. As I have already mentioned, this is our third deep fryer. The Emerilware fryer is by far the best one that we have ever had. There is even a change oil light that flashes to let you know when you need to change the oil. Because we are also transferring the oil back into the bucket, we are able to see it changing color as it is used multiple times.

This fryer is easy to clean and maintain- I am so thrilled with our new purchase- it was totally worth the extra money. The Emerilware fryer might be bigger than some of the other fryers, but it is much more durable- at least when compared to the models I saw at Target.

Remember don't pour used oil down the sink!