Are you wondering which foods to prepare in a deep fryer that can be quick and delicious at the same time? Well, you may be surprised by the versatility and functionality of your deep fryer.
Whether to cook your favorite fried snacks or to cook your favorite desserts, a deep fryer can facilitate satisfying your favorite cravings.
What are the best foods to cook in a deep fryer?
Nothing can quickly satisfy your sudden cravings for your favorite food other than a deep fryer. You not only get your food prepared in a record time by the usage of deep fryers rather you also get the perfectly flavored food.
Fried Chicken:
One of the best foods to cook in your deep fryer is fried chicken. Deep fryers do not make your fried chicken soggy rather make them tender, juicy, and crispy.
In addition, the oil of the deep fryer does not remove the seasoning of the chicken and makes your fried chicken very seasoned.
Funnel Cake:
For all the sweet lovers, a deep fryer can come in handy as they can cook their delicious desserts in it.
In addition, funnel cake is one of them. All you need to do is to swirl the cake batter around the oil and consequently, you will have delicious funnel cakes to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Corn Dog:
Corn dogs that combine both the sweet and savory flavors can be another food item to cook in a deep fryer. Due to the parameter and the size of the deep fryer, you will be able to fry your corn dogs in a large batch.
French Fries:
Perhaps the most common and famous food to cook in your deep fryer is French fries. In addition, cooking the fries in a deep fryer will make your fries crunchy, fluffy, and light.
Doughnuts:
If you want fluffy and flavorful doughnuts, you should use a deep fryer. In addition, you can also cook jam or custard-filled doughnuts right out of the flour dough with your trusty deep fryer.
What food can you cook in a deep fryer?
Nothing can prepare your food easier than a good trusty deep fryer. There are a myriad of food items that you can cook in your deep fryer. All you need to know is which kinds of food go into the deep fryer.
Bacon:
You can cook bacon in a deep fryer to make it crispier. No one wants their bacon to be soggy and stale and the perfect way to amend that is by deep-frying your bacon.
Hamburgers:
When it comes to hamburger patties you can quickly cook them in a deep fryer and then assemble the full burger.
Frozen chicken:
You can cook your frozen chicken in a deep fryer to quickly prepare your meal however, it is not advised to do so.
Steak:
You can cook some delicious steak in your deep fryer which will increase the tenderness of the steak. It will not dry out your steak, rather it will be juicy and tender.
Eggrolls:
To make your egg rolls very crispy and tasty, you can cook them in the deep fryer. However, frying egg rolls for too long can give them a funny taste.
Hot dogs:
Whether it is a bacon-wrapped hot dog or hot dog battered in buttermilk, you can nevertheless cook them in your deep fryer.
Salmon:
Frying salmon for making fish fillet or to make fish and chips, deep fryers come in handy with their easy and quick preparation of salmon. However, you must preheat the deep fryer first.
Marinated chicken:
Whether you are putting marinated chicken nugget pieces in the deep fryer or just making some regular fried chicken, your deep fryer can make the marinated chicken nice and crispy.
Roast:
You can also cook any kind of roast in the deep fryer to bring out the delicious flavor. However, you need to preheat the fryer and need to cook smaller portions.
Potatoes:
You can cook potatoes in a deep fryer. Whether you are frying potatoes in the form of wedges, fries, or tots, nothing can beat the taste that comes only by deep-frying potatoes.
Pork loin:
You can cook amazing pork loin in your deep fryer. However, you just need to make sure that you preheat the deep fryer beforehand.
Burgers:
You can surely cook burger patties in a deep fryer nevertheless, you should keep an eye on it as it is rather very easy to overcook the burgers.
Frozen drumsticks:
You can benefit from cooking your frozen drumsticks in the deep fryer to add more flavor and texture to your drumstick and this will also bring out a delicious smell.
Crab legs:
If you are into seafood and want to make yourself some delicious fried crab legs, all you need to do is to bather your crab legs and put them in the deep fryer.
Frozen veggies:
Frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots – these are great foods to cook in your deep fryer. As the frozen veggies are blanched beforehand, the deep fryer will cook them in record time.
Lumpia:
You can use a deep fryer to cook lumpia or Filipino spring rolls. Moreover, you will only need 3-4 minutes to make the lumpia.
Wontons:
You can deep fry wontons in your deep fryer as wontons are originally made to be deep-fried. Deep frying wontons will not only make them crispier but will also make them cook faster.
Ham:
Deep frying consists of a dry heat cooking method and it is the same process in any deep fryer therefore, cooking a ham or pieces of ham in a deep fryer won’t cause you any trouble.
Zucchini:
Whether cooking the zucchini in a round-shaped cut or a fillet-shaped cut, the flavor will be heightened if you cook them in a deep fryer.
Tofu:
Deep fryers can help you in making innovative recipes with tofu. By frying tofu in a deep fryer, it will give the tofu a golden texture on the outside and be soft on the inside.
Sausages:
Sausages can get nice and crispy if you deep fry them in a deep fryer. In addition, you can batter the sausages and put them in the deep fryer to make it extra delicious.
Shrimp:
Nothing can beat the flavor of fried shrimp especially when you cook them in a deep fryer. However, one thing you need to keep in mind is not to cook shrimp for too long.
Turkey:
You can cook a turkey in your deep fryer but not an entire one at a time. However, cooking small marinated turkey pieces in the deep fryer won’t be a problem.
What food can’t you cook in a deep fryer?
Deep fryer can make your life easier by reducing the cooking time without compromising on the flavor. However, it is not wise to cook all kinds of food in the deep fryer cause not all food tastes great after putting it in a deep fryer.
Pasta:
Pasta is not typically submerged with oil rather uses very little oil. Therefore, it is wise not to cook pasta in a deep fryer.
Cookies:
You cannot cook or bake cookies in a deep fryer as the temperature will not be quite accurate. Cookies will fall apart if you try to put them in a deep fryer.
Meatloaf:
Meatloaf has a scrambled texture to it and due to that, even if you batter the meatloaf and try to cook it in a deep fryer, it will fall apart.
Rice:
You can’t cook rice in a deep fryer. Typically, you only need very little to no oil while cooking rice, therefore, there is no point in cooking rice in the deep fryer.
Foods that can or cannot be cooked in a deep fryer:
| Food | Can Be Cooked |
|---|---|
| Asparagus | Yes |
| Bacon | Yes |
| Battered Fish | Yes |
| Beef | Yes |
| Beef Jerky | Yes |
| Beignets | Yes |
| Biscuits | Yes |
| Brats | Yes |
| Bread | No |
| Breaded Chicken | Yes |
| Broccoli | Yes |
| Brownies | No |
| Burgers | Yes |
| Chicken | Yes |
| Chicken Katsu | Yes |
| Chicken Legs | Yes |
| Chicken Livers | Yes |
| Chicken Wings | Yes |
| Chips | Yes |
| Cinnamon Rolls | Yes |
| Cookies | No |
| Corn Dogs | Yes |
| Corn In The Cob | Yes |
| Crab Legs | Yes |
| Dim Sims | Yes |
| Donuts | Yes |
| Dough | Yes |
| Drumsticks | Yes |
| Duck | Yes |
| Dumplings | Yes |
| Egg Rolls | Yes |
| Eggplant | Yes |
| Eggs | Yes |
| Empanadas | Yes |
| Enchiladas | Yes |
| Fish | Yes |
| Frozen Chips | Yes |
| Frozen Food | Yes |
| Frozen Hash Browns | Yes |
| Gammon | Yes |
| Garlic | Yes |
| Garlic Bread | No |
| Garlic Knots | Yes |
| Gizzards | Yes |
| Gnocchi | Yes |
| Goetta | No |
| Greens | Yes |
| Grits | Yes |
| Ground Beef | No |
| Gyoza | Yes |
| Ham | Yes |
| Hamburgers | Yes |
| Hog Jowl | Yes |
| Homemade Chips | Yes |
| Hot Dogs | Yes |
| Italian Sausage | Yes |
| Jalapeno Poppers | Yes |
| Jambons | Yes |
| Jerky | Yes |
| Jicama | Yes |
| Jiffy Cornbread | Yes |
| Kabobs | Yes |
| Kale | Yes |
| Kebabs | Yes |
| Kielbasa | Yes |
| Kievs | Yes |
| Lamb Chops | Yes |
| Lasagna | Yes |
| Liver | Yes |
| Lobster | Yes |
| Lumpia | Yes |
| Macaroni | No |
| Meatballs | Yes |
| Meatloaf | No |
| Mince | Ys |
| Morels | Yes |
| Muffins | No |
| Mushrooms | Yes |
| Mussels | Yes |
| Naan Bread | No |
| Nachos | Yes |
| Neck Bones | Yes |
| Noodles | No |
| Nuggets | Yes |
| Oysters Kilpatrick | Yes |
| Pancakes | No |
| Pasta | No |
| Pastry | Yes |
| Pierogies | Yes |
| Pies | Yes |
| Pizza | No |
| Popcorn | No |
| Pork Chops | Yes |
| Potstickers | Yes |
| Quail | Yes |
| Quesadillas | Yes |
| Quiche | No |
| Quinoa | Yes |
| Quorn | Yes |
| Ramen | No |
| Rashers | No |
| Ravioli | Yes |
| Ribs | Yes |
| Rice | No |
| Roast | Yes |
| Roast Vegetables | Yes |
| Rolls | Yes |
| Salmon | Yes |
| Samosas | Yes |
| Scallops | Yes |
| Scones | Yes |
| Scotch Eggs | Yes |
| Scrambled Eggs | No |
| Scrapple | Yes |
| Shrimp | Yes |
| Squash | Yes |
| Steak | Yes |
| Tater Tots | Yes |
| Tempura Vegetables | Yes |
| Tofu | Yes |
| Turkey | Yes |
| Veal | Yes |
| Vegetables | Yes |
| Veggie Burgers | Yes |
| Venison | Yes |
| Wontons | Yes |
| Yorkshire Puddings | Yes |
| Zoodles | Yes |
| Zucchini | Yes |
Can you deep fry with water instead of oil?
Technically you can fry with water instead of oil which is the same as boiling with water but logically, the food will not be as textured and crispy as one may like.
In addition, it will not be as effective as water and oil do not have the same boiling point consequently, water does not reach the temperature of the oil.
Can you use a deep fat fryer without the basket?
You do not always have to use the basket that comes with a deep fat fryer but it is better to use one for safety.
For battered and breaded food, you can do without the basket and can simply use the metal spoon that comes with it.
Can you use a deep fryer without oil?
You cannot use a deep fryer without oil as it beats the purpose of the deep fryer. A deep fryer is designed to cook food by submerging the food in oil/fat.
In addition, deep fryers use a dry heat cooking method and for that, you need to add oil.
Final Thoughts:
From fries to doughnuts, there are so many things that go in deep fryers thus making the food both appealing, flavorful, and crispy to the taste. Deep fryers do not only satisfy your food cravings but also offer durability and versatility.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does Deep Fryer Oil Need to Be Refrigerated?
Is a Deep Fryer the Same As an Air Fryer?