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By Abbe Lewis Baker and Lukas Volger
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Deep-frying food is a unique thrill as a home cook, and an undeniable delight as an eater. With apologies to even the best air fryers, there just isn’t any other way to cook food that can achieve what a vat of hot oil can in terms of textural contrast. Behold what warm, creamy, soft, juicy delight might be hidden inside the crispy, golden-brown crust of whatever emerges — think jalapeño poppers, spring rolls, doughnuts, fried chicken, french fries, and onion rings, just to get started.
Our top pick in the deep fryer department, Cuisinart’s not-so-catchily-named CDF-200P1, hit home on creating those textures during our tests and also came with a few other smart design choices that made it stand out.
Cuisinart CDF-200P1 4-Quart Deep Fryer
Even if you’re doubtful you’ll deep-fry food all that often, an electric deep fryer might come in handy more frequently than you’d think. Frying on the stovetop can be tricky and stressful—it’s difficult to maintain a steady temperature for the frying oil, and easy to pick a pot that’s too shallow to protect from splatter. An electric fryer will adjust the temperature of the oil automatically, keep the mess contained, and provide maximum ease when adding or removing foods from the oil.
As you consider your choices here, know this: Most deep fryers are structurally the same. They’re designed to bring a significant volume of oil to frying temperature, in a significant enough depth that food can be fully submerged with some headspace to protect from splatter. Most have a heating element coiled inside a cooking chamber, a control panel for different temperature settings, and a mesh basket for filling with food to lower in and out of the oil. Fancier fryers, like our choice from Cuisinart, offer additional options, like timers, presets for different types of foods, and designs that actually make for easy cleanup (or at least as easy disposing of several quarts of oil can be).
Read on for more about our deep fryer short list, as well as what we looked for and which fryers didn’t make the cut.
Best deep fryer overall Best deep fryer for small kitchens What we looked for How we tested Other deep fryers we tested The takeaway
Of all the fryers we tested, Cuisinart’s 4-quart CDF-200P1 checked the most boxes. It’s easy to assemble and take apart, comes with a dishwasher-safe fry bowl, fryer basket, and lid (vitally important with something this oily and messy), and features an easy-to-use control panel with a timer that runs up to 30 minutes. The fryer weighs less than 13 pounds and comes with cool touch handles on the side that make it easy to move when unfilled, and reasonable to store in the harder-to-reach places in your kitchen, like high cabinets over the fridge or stove. The adjustable thermostat ranges from 175℉ to 400℉ and features thermostat overload protection to shut it down if it gets overheated. That range on the thermostat is wider than most fryers, going low enough that you could confit in it if you wanted to.
The actual cooking process was lovely too. The Cuisinart’s large capacity—a whopping 2.3 pounds of food—is big enough for multiple batches of chips as well as an entire package of chicken wings or a whole mess of french fries. This is the fryer to get if you have a large family or need to fry up a lot of appetizers for big dinner parties.
When it comes to oil disposal the Cuisinsart lacks a fancy filtration system that some of the other machines we tested have, but the fry tank comes with an indented corner that functions as a pouring spout, making it a relatively tidy process to get the oil out. Once empty, cleaning is easy with so many dishwasher-safe parts—the basket, oil container, and lid—fitting comfortably into the dishwasher.
This is a large fryer and it’ll take up a good amount of storage space in your kitchen. If you don’t need its large capacity, or have limited counter- and storage space, read on for a compact option.
Cuisinart CDF-200P1 4-Quart Deep Fryer
Size: 16.5" x 11" x 12.25" Volume: 4 quarts Temperature range: 175℉ - 400℉ Warranty: 3 years, limited
With dimensions of 11.22" x 8.07" x 7.68", the Cuisinart Compact Deep Fryer is great for city dwellers or anyone else with a small kitchen who might consider a deep fryer a luxury for which they have no room. We were delighted to see that it hardly takes up any cabinet or counter space. It uses only 1.1 liters of oil, and with its small basket, is designed to fry batches of ¾ of a pound of food at a time. So this electric fryer is better suited to single servings of chicken tenders than a whole fried chicken.
After putting it together and wiping it down, we poured a liter of canola oil to the max fill line and turned the temperature control to 350℉. After 10 minutes, a ready light showed that the oil was at temperature. The lid is outfitted with both a steam vent and a viewing window (though it fogged up due to the heat). After a few minutes, the jalapeño poppers we put in were ready for retrieval; we were happily surprised not only with the perfectly golden poppers, but also that the basket handle remains cool to touch.
With an easily detachable lid, collapsible fry basket handle, and nonstick bowl, cleanup in the dishwasher is a snap. It also uses less oil, so the process is a little faster and cleaner.
It’s hard to find too much fault with something self-consciously designed to compromise features in favor of size, but cooking for more than two people at once would be a hassle with this fryer. It also didn’t have a timer, which would have been a nice addition.
Cuisinart CDF-100 Compact Deep Fryer
Size: 11.22" x 8.07" x 7.68" Volume: 1.1 quarts Temperature range: 325℉ - 375℉ Warranty: 3 years, limited
There are a few pieces to the countertop deep-fryer puzzle that need to fit together just so—typically a heating element, a fry basket, an oil container, a short power cord, and a lid. Though it was mostly straightforward, we took note of the assembly of each and went through the instruction manuals to see if the directions were clear. We also made note of any safety features like thermostat overload protection.
Using a countertop deep fryer in your home can be an ordeal, so we looked for things that made the experience as smooth as possible. Did the oil heat up quickly? Did it return to the desired temperature after we dropped food in or did we have to make adjustments to the temperature dial? How long did it take for the oil to cool down after cooking? Did we have to empty it or did the fryer have a filtration system for oil storage? Bonus points went to any fryer with multiple dishwasher-safe parts, because getting a clean deep fryer after cooking is often tough and being able to stick most of the pieces in a dishwasher eases the process quite a bit.
Few people are going to use their deep fryers frequently enough to keep as regular countertop fixtures. As deep fryers come in a variety of sizes, we recommend taking a look at your storage situation and deciding if you can have a standard large fryer or if you need a small deep fryer (like the Cuisinart Compact) before making the purchase.
Countertop deep fryers generally cost between $50 and $200, with the more expensive models featuring the aforementioned built-in oil filtration system. We considered whether the pricier models could justify their higher prices.
We chose to prep foods that were practically fully cooked so we could reuse the oil and test the built-in filtration systems. We first chose foods that all cooked at 350℉, taking note of how long it took for the oil to heat up and of any temperature variance between the models. Once we were done frying, we unplugged the equipment and took note of how long it took for it to completely cool down and/or dispense the oil through the filtration system.
All-Clad is well-known for producing some beautiful products, and the Easy Clean Pro—a stainless-steel stunner outfitted with a digital timer and an oil filtration system—is another one. But weighing 50% more than the Cuisinart (the All-Clad is nearly 17 pounds), it’s a bit more of a hassle to cart from cabinet to counter. The fry basket on the All-Clad comes with a retractable handle, a fry bowl that can hold up to 3.5 liters of oil (less, actually, than the Cuisinart winner), and a plastic oil box for filtration.
After our jalapeño poppers emerged, we unplugged the machine to let the oil cool down and moved the lever from Fry to Automatic Oil Filtration. The machine is designed to automatically drain once the oil temperature is cool enough. It did take several hours, but we returned to a fryer with filtered oil, ready to reuse in the future, in the oil box and a fry bowl encrusted with remnants of popper batter, but nothing else. The fry basket, bowl, and oil storage container are all dishwasher-safe, so we could enlist some mechanical help in cleaning.
All-Clad products generally carry a hefty price tag, and the Easy Clean Pro is no exception. As of publish time, it cost nearly double what the winning Cuisinart did. Though the filtration system and easy-to-use features are great, they just aren’t double-the-cost great.
All-Clad Easy Clean Pro Stainless Steel Deep Fryer
The Hamilton Beach is a good option if you want an in-between size fryer—not party-size, but not compact either. It is deeper than it is wide, which can be an advantage for certain foods, but we find it to be a little less versatile this way. It’d be harder to cook dishes like fried chicken. And while not a deal breaker, it doesn’t include a timer. But at the same price as the Cuisinart, we don’t think it’s as good of a value.
Hamilton Beach 35032 Professional Style Electric Deep Fryer
The Breville Smart Fryer is a great option. It’s a little deeper than the Cuisinart, but since it has a 4-liter capacity, it’s not nearly as narrow as the Hamilton Beach. Like lots of Breville products, it has configured presets for specific foods like twice-fried fries, wings, calamari, and doughnuts, and is extremely easy to navigate. But it was one of the two most expensive fryers we tried (the All-Clad is the other) and we’re not sure even these details justify the extra cost.
Breville BDF500XL Smart Fryer
The Elite Gourmet 4-quart capacity deep fryer is virtually indistinguishable from the Chefman Deep Fryer discussed below, except for the addition of basket options — this deep frying set includes one large basket and two smaller ones, meaning you can cook two different foods at the same time using the smaller baskets at the same time. (Note, however, that the smaller baskets only fit a small amount of food, and regardless of which basket you use, you’ll need to fill up the oil reservoir to capacity in order to reach the necessary depth.) Its temperature range is slightly more limited than our top pick, going from 250°F to 375°F, and it has a 60-minute timer, which functions as automatic shut-off for the fryer once the timer completes its cycle. The Elite Gourmet has a large capacity and is a good option if you plan to cook for a crowd — we could easily fit three to four pieces of chicken into the oil while cooking — but because its design favors width over depth, it requires a surprisingly large amount of oil to fully submerge larger pieces of food. This makes it slow to heat up, but once it is heated, we found it held its heat well. The instruction manual recommends hand washing only (though the dishwasher is apparently fine for its twin, the Chefman). It has a limited 1-year warranty.
Elite Gourmet Electric Immersion Deep Fryer
The Chefman Deep Fryer is a few dollars less than the Elite Gourmet Fryer, owing to it including just one large frying basket, but in every other way it’s exactly the same: It has the same temperature range of 250°F to 375°F, the same 60-minute timer that functions as an automatic shutoff, and the same shape and large capacity that requires an almost alarming amount of frying oil. Like the Elite Gourmet, this is a popular item among buyers on Amazon, with its relatively low price point. It could be a reasonable choice if you will need to deep fry large amounts of food. The brand claims its parts are dishwasher safe, and it has a limited 1-year warranty.
Chefman 4.5 Liter Deep Fryer w/Basket Strainer
Some of us (like your product tester!) have a real soft spot for the Presto FryDaddy — loving it for its elemental simplicity, compact size, and quick and effective deep frying of small-sized and small batches of food. However, we can’t make it one of our top two picks because of some of the features it’s missing. There’s no timer and more importantly no temperature dial. Simply plug it in and the oil will come to the target temperature of 360°F. Also missing: a frying basket. Instead it’s just a nonstick-lined bucket and a detachable power cord. To use it, you fill the bucket with about four cups of oil (about 25% the amount of oil needed for larger fryers), wait for it to heat, and place your to-be-fried food in. Then you use a perforated scoop, sized to precisely fit the bucket to its edges, in to remove the food when it’s done.Cleaning is easy — once you’ve removed the oil, there’s just a single bucket to wipe down. The FryDaddy also a lid that allow you to store cooled (and strained) oil in the fryer between uses. At $40 it’s a great value and a terrific option for smaller kitchens and smaller, less frequent frying projects that can be done at standard deep frying temperatures.
Presto 05420 FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer
Like the All-Clad, the T-Fal deep fryer also has a 3.5-liter oil capacity, fryer basket with retractable handle, and an oil filtration system. Aside from the control panel, it’s practically identical to the All-Clad, but at a lower price point. We actually found the T-Fal to cool down faster than the All-Clad, speeding up the cleanup process somewhat, though still longer than Cuisinart. It also didn’t have as wide a temperature range as the Cuisinart, although it still should offer enough settings for most users.
T-fal Deep Fryer with Basket
A deep fryer isn’t an everyday kitchen appliance, but it is a fun, rewarding gadget that can—both metaphorically and literally—enrich your cooking repertoire. And if you’re someone who deep-fries with any regularity, it’s a worthwhile investment. The Cuisinart CDF-200P1 4-Quart Deep Fryer has great features—it’s easy to use, heats up and cools down quickly, has maximally adjustable temperature, is easy to clean, easy to maneuver, and it’s a great value as well. And for a smaller option for less frequent frying, that holds less food but has a smaller footprint, the Cuisinart CDF-100 Compact Deep Fryer will deliver the same crispy-golden thrills, but with a smaller kitchen footprint.
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