Frank A. Chris Dohrmann wrote:

> I just bought my first covered deep fryer with a thermostat, ready
> light, and timer.
> I would like to know if you can let the oil sit in it for a period of
> time or do you have to empty it after each use.
> Any experience you can pass on to me would be highly appreciated

Oil will wear out over time. The variables a how much is it used,
at what temperature, to cook what, filtered?

You can let it sit in the fryer and it'll be usable for a couple
months assuming you don't use it very often at high temperatures to
cook a lot of fish and offal and you filter it. It's a better idea to
filter it and put it into a container that you can tuck into a cool,
dark cupboard. Some people put oil in the fridge or freeze it. I don't
find that necessary and never did it in my restaurants.

Even in daily use, our fryers didn't need the oil changed any more
often than every two weeks or so as determined by the test kits from
the oil manufacturers. And that's with 6 am to midnight operation,
every day.

And when you discard the oil, save a cup or so and dump it into the
new oil. New oil doesn't brown food as well as the used oil. I
wouldn't discard the oil any more often than about a dozen uses and
maybe not even then. It will darken over time, but that's not, in and
of itself, the test for replacement. The smoke point will gradually go
lower and lower until it's smoking at normal frying temps (325F to
365F). Then it's time to see if the flavors are still good. If not,
dump it.

The used oil is good for lots of non-culinary things. Brush it on your
flagstone walks. Brush it on clay flower pots. Mix a lot of bird seed
in it and let it harden in the winter cold to feed the wild critters.
Brush it on unfinished fence rails and posts. Pour it down mole holes
and vole holes (they don't like it).

Pastorio