Out of the frying pan and into the...deep fryer

Both of my husband's parents were born in Morocco. Consequently, my husband grew up eating a lot of traditional Moroccan foods, most of which involve oil. And deep frying.

As it turns out, if you do use a deep fryer and oil heated to the proper temperature, the food you cook actually absorbs less oil than if you used a pot of oil on the stove. What's more, a deep fryer is far less likely to spatter oil all over your kitchen (or worse, your face) than that giant pot.

Hot oil. Cool to the touch.

(Credit: Hamilton Beach)

But a deep fryer does have a few drawbacks. Namely, you fill it with oil, and it can get sticky and disgusting fairly quickly. So, in my mind, one of the most critical features in a deep fryer is that it comes apart easily and that as much of it as possible be dishwasher safe.

The Hamilton Beach 35020 Cool Touch Deep Fryer seems to fit the bill. The interior pot can be lifted out easily when cool, and it's easy to dump the contents and stick it in the dishwasher. Even better, the lid of the machine is detachable and cleans up easily. This is a huge benefit--if you've never owned a deep fryer you can't possibly understand how gross the lids get. Even the filter pops out and could probably be washed in the top rack of your dishwasher, although hot soapy water does the trick quite nicely.

If you want French fries, eggrolls, battered fried chicken, and other delicious foods that may not be the healthiest choices but that taste really good, check out this fryer. Bon appetit!