Deep Fry Baskets

Frugal fryers don’t bother with an electric deep fryer; they simply use a heavy Dutch oven. It offers the ultimate in heat control, easy access to the food being fried, and can multitask as, well, a Dutch oven. Of course, you don’t get a thermostat (a big drawback) or fry basket. But one company has attempted to deal with the second issue. For years, we’ve used (and liked) Lodge’s cast-iron Dutch ovens in the test kitchen. They do not break the bank, and an occasional deep-fry is a great way to keep them seasoned. We recently noticed that Lodge was selling chrome frying baskets for use with its Dutch ovens. Was this option worth considering?

The Lodge Deep Fry Basket (about $25 to $30, depending on size) saves you time spent fishing around for that last onion ring, and the tailor-made fit utilizes the space efficiently. The basket handle collapses for easy storage. The mess on the stove is unavoidable, but you have fewer parts to wash than with an electric deep fryer. Also, adjusting the flame offers much more control than the thermostats on electric fryers.