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Kalorik 2 Quart Deep Fat Fryer with Removable Bowl [New] - $44.99 + $5 shipping
1 * Kalorik FT 17444 Deep Fat Fryer with Removable Bowl
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I want to know if it REALLY hits 375 degrees (or preferably higher). IMO, a lot of deep fryers don’t reach the max temp they claim.
I picked up one of these from woot a couple of months ago. Overall, I’m quite happy with it. The modern look doesn’t do a lot for me, but it all actually serves a purpose. The metal bands around the outside protect the bowl from things banging against it. The glass bowl may slow heating a little, but it helps prevent big drops in temperature when dropping cold food into the oil.
Pros: Really easy to clean. Immersion coils heat up pretty quickly, reaches temp in 12-15 minutes. Removable bowl is really nice, can be put in the dishwasher.
Cons: The round shape makes it take up more counter room than a rectangular fryer would.
For frying, the round shape can be both good and bad. On the good side, it handles large things and batches of non-linear things better. I also suspect the heat is more even. On the bad side, things like french fries don’t fit as efficiently.
The thumbnail makes it look like some kind of futuristic… parking garage!
I’d be in for one if I did a lot of deep frying, but I’m more of a griller/skilliter/put it in a bowl and pour milk on it-er.
Guessing that the 5th setting on there is 375ºF what are the other 4 listed as?
Those oils listed as “healthy” oils are not. Any modern/industrial oil such as cottonseed, soybean, corn, canola, etc. is highly refined. These types of oils are processed at extremely high temperatures using solvents like hexane. Among other undesirable results of this is the creation of trans fats. For deep frying, peanut oil is best (source: food genius Nina Planck).
The information about polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats is outdated as well. Saturated fat was only accused of being evil because of flawed studies, which, if reviewed today, aren’t very convincing. As evidenced today by the sad fact that nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight, the “low fat” fad has obviously failed. With advances in science, we’re now beginning to understand that saturated fat was never the problem. The real culprits are cheap industrial fats such as partially hydrogenated oils.
I second your comments. Also, a random factoid from as a chemist who actually studied edible oils for some time. The longer oil is exposed to heat, the higher the heat, and the amount of exposure to air under these conditions increase exponentially the amount of trans fats / saturation in whatever you cook.
In other words, even though a restaurant makes the claim that they use “healthier oils”, if they are using the same batch of oil at 4pm that they used at 10am, they are creating a large amount of trans fats / saturated fats and a whole lot of other oxygenated unhealthy stuff as well.
Still, I love a good main-chain french fry. Kill me slowly <3
Totally agree!
I think the best oils for frying are peanut, palm (natural and sustainably harvested of course), coconut and refined safflower and sunflower are also decent.
I personally am pro-saturated and monounsaturated fats, and the only significant unsat fats that I consume are fish oil and small quantities of cold expeller pressed, very fresh nut and seed oils. Also, butter (or ghee actually for deep frying) and animal fats are great.
I have a high fat diet and I am very healthy and technically underweight. I consume 100-200 ml of EVOO a day and about half a stick of butter a week (used to be a full stick or more till I found some amazing EVOO).
I think soy and canola are horrible and avoid them very carefully. Refined GMO polyunsat plant oils like those two (and corn, cottonseed, etc - cottonseed is really bad bc of the pesticide residue) along with SUGAR are the real food evils. I try to keep as much sugar, especialy HFCS, out of my diet as possible, and I consume almost no processed food (beyond bread, cheese, wine, and high quality chocolates and some toffee & caramel - my latest weeknesses, but in moderation!).
I LOVE fried foods, and fried quickly at high temperature in good quality oils, and consumed in moderation - I don’t see a problem. I certainly think some organic potatoes fried in a stable oil are healthier than Sunbeam white bread with margarine & HFCS pesticide-laden berry jam! And as with all things, a little less-than-perfect food consumption is worth it - we only have one guaranteed life and we should make the most of it while still balancing health concerns.
I just try to use the best ingredients - the freshest and least processed and preferably organic - whenever I make special treats. I made a red velvet cake for my bday a few days ago and no, it wasn’t vividly red, but it was all-organic and it did have a noticeably reddish tint from my homemade dye of beet powder & black cherry juice concentrate. There are many ways to make delicious classics in a more healthy fashion without sacrificing taste at all.
I echo your comments about rancidity which is one of many reasons polyunsat fats are so horrible - they are just so unstable chemically! It’s a problem with nuts too - fortunately most people are able to smell rancid oil in minute concentrations, so if they’re wise they’ll discard those products.
And I too have a chemistry background, btw. 
I note that the instruction manual says, “Please consider the environment when disposing of the oil.” That is one of the things I ponder every time I consider deep frying (nothing beats home-made doughnuts!). How is one supposed to dispose of several quarts of used vegetable oil? When we were kids our folks used melted shortening to deep fry, poured it back into the can (real cans then), let it solidify and then tossed it into the garbage. Even if you pour cooled oil back into its original bottle, once it gets crushed (in your own garbage or the garbage truck or at the dump) it would make a terrible mess. And it doesn’t seem very sustainable to convert food into oil which you will use once or twice and then throw the greater part away.
(Sigh) I have once again talked myself out of deep fryers and (sigh again) home-made doughnuts.
City of Seattle suggests:
“Fats, Oils & Grease
You may dispose of small quantities in the garbage in a sealed container. However, it is better to solidify fats and oils first, using cat litter or another absorbent, and then put these solids in the garbage.
Please do not put fats, oils and grease down your garbage disposal or drain. It might clog up your home system, and also can cause problems at the sewage treatment plant.”
Many have suggested that you mix old cooking oil with soap and use it to kill weeds.
Most gasoline stations will take used oil, vegetable as well as motor oil. In some areas they are required to accept it.
Also, there are an increasing number of biofuel reprocessors these days. In quantity, they may pick up.
Know anyone with a biodiesel car? Great way to get rid of unwanted oil!
“consider the environment”?!! What about our bodies?! Kind of creepy that one should dispose of it in the same way that motor oil is disposed of.
Can we get a case of Rolaids in the next W00T-off?