We Tested 22 Deep Fryers to Find These 4 Best Picks

Our Favorite Deep Fryers

The Breville Smart Fryer is our standout choice for its capacity, ease of use, and effective presets. If you're looking for a no-frills workhorse under $100, the Hamilton Beach Professional-Style Deep Fryer is an excellent option for cooks of all skill levels.

How We Tested Deep Fryers

We chose a total of 22 deep fryers to test side-by-side in our lab, including 16 indoor models and 6 outdoor turkey fryers. (One of the indoor fryers was also large enough to handle a turkey.) We evaluated the design and setup as we assembled each fryer, and then performed a series of identical tests.

• Potato chips test: We filled each fryer with oil and set it to heat to 300°F, using an instant-read thermometer to measure the amount of time it took to reach temperature as well as accuracy. We added a pound of potato slices (or as much as would fit) and fried until browned. During cooking, we measured the oil temperature to see how quickly it recovered and observed how much room the slices had to float around without clumping together. We also tasted the finished chips for texture and greasiness.
• Chicken fingers test: We pre-heated the fryers to 350°F and fried 12 ounces of frozen chicken tenders, making the same time and temperature observations as with the chips. We tasted the tenders for crispness and noted how juicy the interior stayed during frying.
• French fries test: We fried 12 ounces of frozen French fries at 375°F, using a similar procedure to the previous cooking tests. This faster, higher-temperature cook let us observe how evenly the fryers heated oil by comparing the color and crispness of individual fries within the same batch.
• Turkey test: For the outdoor fryers (and the single turkey-friendly indoor model), we fried a whole 12-to-14-pound turkey until it reached an internal temperature of 165°F. We measured the oil temperature throughout the process, noting how difficult it was to maintain the correct level. We also taste-tested the finished turkey for crispy skin, moistness, flavor, and residual oil. (For more details — and results — see our roundup of the best turkey fryers.)
• Cleaning: After completing the cooking tests, we followed each fryer's directions to drain the oil and wash all the parts. We used the dishwasher when allowed and hand-washed otherwise, noting any pieces that were especially difficult to reach or held on to burnt bits and grease. We also paid attention to whether the fryers offered an easy way to strain and collect the oil for reuse.

When we finished the tests above, we revealed the retail prices of the fryers to consider value for money. At the time of testing, the indoor fryers ranged from $27 to $299, with an average of $110. The outdoor models ranged from $70 to $289, with an average of $134.

Factors to Consider

Capacity

The indoor fryers we tested can hold anywhere from a single quart to more than a gallon of oil. More oil means you can fit more food at once, and a larger amount of oil will also hold its temperature better during the cooking process. On the other hand, oil is expensive and you don't need a huge machine to fry a single serving at once. For best results, you want whatever you're frying to have enough room to float freely without individual pieces sticking together.

It's also important never to overfill your fryer! Check the manual for details about proper oil fill levels and how much food can go in at once. (If you're frying a turkey, you should do a test run using water to determine the exact correct amount of oil; turkey-fryer overflow can cause a serious fire.)

Safety Features

Deep-frying requires extra care in the kitchen: A vat full of hot oil is no joke, and you want to be sure that you're set up for safety — especially if you're a beginner. Many deep fryers have magnetic cords that automatically disengage when something yanks them to prevent accidentally tipping over. Handles and exteriors are often heat-resistant, and there are also commonly sensors that cut off the heat if it gets too high or if the oil level gets too low. Lids that cover that oil during cooking can be helpful, especially if they have a clear lid to let you observe your food. However, some of these are difficult to open and close, and others are poorly ventilated and can trap and condense steam to cause spatters.

Settings and Options

If you fry many different things frequently, you might want a unit with more bells and whistles. Fancier fryers not only let you set a temperature and timers but also have preset programs designed for specific foods, plus a screen that displays all the info you need. Simpler ones have an on switch and...not much else. Multiple baskets can also be helpful for multi-course meals (or a house with picky eaters). These let you remove one batch from the oil while another continues cooking — and ensures that the fish folks and chicken folks don't have to have their proteins mingling.

Cleanup

Working with oil is always going to be messy, so finding a fryer that helps to mitigate excessive scrubbing is important. The worst part of cleanup is usually getting the oil and crumbs out of the machine; a few models have a drainage spigot and filter, while many others have a removable oil bowl you have to dump out on your own. The more pieces that disassemble, and the more of them that are dishwasher-safe, the easier it is to clean your machine.

Just like with a slow cooker or mini slow cooker, tne part of an indoor deep fryer that is usually the most complicated to clean is the heating element. This part is submerged in oil during cooking, but it's also connected to a plug and has to stay away from being submerged in water. Check your machine's instructions for the exact procedure, but you'll generally have to wipe this piece down with a soapy cloth or sponge, then rinse and dry carefully.

Other Deep Fryers We Tested

Strong Contenders

*Editor's note: The Cuisinart CDF-500 Extra-Large Rotisserie Deep Fryer was previously on our list as the best large-capacity deep fryer. It has been discontinued and is no longer available.

Presto FryDaddy Deep Fryer (Amazon)

An icon since 1977, this tiny fryer stood out in testing for its quick heating, overall heat retention, and low price. It is no-frills, however, with no internal thermometer or ability to adjust the frying temperature. It does the basics well at an extremely low price, but it's very small and pretty tough to clean.

Presto Dual Basket ProFry (Amazon)

Presto's larger model is still impressively inexpensive, and it includes dual baskets for frying two foods at once. It took a long time to heat up, though, and all of our test foods came out a little greasy. Plus, none of the parts are dishwasher-safe. There are simply better basic machines in the same price range.

Cuisinart 4-Quart Deep Fryer (Amazon)

Where many of the other models we tested fought to maintain or recover temperature, the Cuisinart retains heat possibly too well, racing past the desired temperature in our tests. An experienced cook with an accurate thermometer would have no problems adjusting to the temperature variations, but this is otherwise a very standard machine at a somewhat below-average price.

T-fal Deep Fryer (Amazon)

The strongest feature of the T-fal is its automatic oil filtration and storage setup, something usually found only in more expensive machines. Its major downfall is the thermostat calibration; it ran several degrees cooler than it claimed to. It was never able to reach the 375°F needed to make frozen French fries.

What Didn't Make the List

The main problem we found with poorly performing machines was lack of power: They simply didn't heat the oil quickly enough to keep food from winding up limp and greasy rather than crisp and crunchy. Many models include a lid to help hold in heat, but some of these caused an additional issue by trapping steam that dripped back into the oil and caused spatters. Cleaning was another important consideration: A few models had okay cooking performance but were pushed off the list for being a huge pain to disassemble and scrub.

Our Expertise

• Greg Baker is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and food writer with decades of experience in the food industry. His written work appears in Food & Wine, Food Republic, and other publications.
• This piece was updated by Stacey Ballis, a freelance writer, recipe developer, and product reviewer. Stacey has been published on Food & Wine, Eating Well, Allrecipes, MyRecipes, Delish, and more.