Quote Originally Posted by hambandit View Post
I dont currently own a deep fryer apparatus of any sort. Ive been frying on the stove in a big cast iron. Looking to add something to the arsenal and not sure what would be best. Outdoor cooking is something I enjoy - have a smoker, grill, and a griddle that get used once a week or so. I have a tendency to go big or go home and am considering a propane something - cajun fryer or something along those lines to keep the mess out of the house. Would that be worthwhile for a family of 4? Or is it overkill? I would keep it on a covered patio - any issues with leaving the oil in it? I see guys talking about filtering the oil, hows that work?
It's not overkill at all. It's the right tool for the job. I use mine to cook for a family of 3 occasionally. It doesn't take much longer to heat up than oil on your stove and your results will be way more consistent.

I do leave oil in mine, but I keep in a garage. If you leave it outside, you might end up with bugs in it. I filter my oil with the funnel/filters you can get at BPS. I'm not sure it's even necessary though, I just use that funnel to get the oil back into the bottle and figure I might as well filter it when I do. It keeps the breading that settles at the bottom from getting in the oil. You'll want to flip the top over and rinse it out/use a metal spatula to get all the breading out occasionally.

If you watch the video on how the burner in the Cajun Fryer works, you can see why the oil lasts longer and the fish tastes better.