This Starch Madness, Grab Our 9 Tested-and-Approved Frying Essentials

Starch Madness 2025 has been off to a crispy and sizzling start. As the brackets continue to narrow, your mouth might start to water at the mere thought of crunchy French fries or thick slabs of tonkatsu. If you’re simply itching to tackle a few of the recipes yourself, you’ll first need all the frying essentials. Whether you go all-in on an All-Clad deep fryer or keep it simple with a sturdy Le Creuset Dutch oven, we rounded up the best frying tools we’ve tested over the years.

All-Clad Electric Deep Fryer with Basket and Lid

This deep and narrow electric fryer has a built-in cleaning function that drains cooking oil through a filter into a storage container. It excels at producing golden deep-fried pickles and beautifully browned fried chicken (with all the crispy bits!).

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

If you’d rather go old-school, grab this Dutch oven that makes the best fried plantains. It holds heat incredibly well and keeps oil piping hot for each round of frying. When you’re not frying with it, the heirloom piece of cookware can stew, bake, and braise. It’s also $127 off.

Instant Pot Vortex Plus Air Fryer

We like to offer plenty of options, so here’s the best air fryer you could get if you want shatteringly crunchy chicken wings—minus the frying oil. The Instant Pot Vortex aced all our tests and is on sale for 36% off.

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

We adore multitasking appliances, which is why this toaster oven air fryer ranks at the top in our review. It can toast, bake, broil, warm, and, of course, air fry. We were impressed with the golden chicken wings that came out of its easy-to-clean stainless steel basket.

ThermoWorks Thermapen One

Small yet mighty, the Themapen One is the best instant-read thermometer we’ve ever tested. It’s accurate, fast, and easy to read from any angle. It’s essential for measuring the temperature of your oil to make sure food will fry just right.

Hiwire Spider Strainer

This editor-loved spider strainer is an expert scooper. It’s great for grabbing dumplings out of boiling water or snatching just-done doughnuts. It also wicks away liquid and oil to preserve the best possible texture in foods.

BergKoch Splatter Screen for Frying Pan

If you’re scared of stray oil that’s sizzling hot (we’ve all been there), grab this splatter screen designed to keep grease from ending up on your counters or your arms. When we tested it, there wasn’t any residue on the stove after frying eggs, and the silicone handle stayed cool.

Mrs. Anderson's Baking Half Sheet Baking and Cooling Rack

Once you’ve scooped out your fried chicken or calamari, you’ll want to ensure it doesn’t get soggy in a bowl or on a plate. We recommend resting them on a cooling rack like our favorite one from Mrs. Anderson’s. This way, any excess oils can wick away, and the food’s heat doesn’t create moisture, ruining all your hard-earned crunch.

Nordic Ware Naturals Quarter Sheet, 2-Pack

A quarter baking sheet is essential for coating tonkatsu cutlets in an even layer of panko crumbs. The flat, wide surface allows plenty of room for getting into every nook and cranny of a piece of meat. Plus, they’re handy for roasting vegetables and housing bottles of oil on the countertop.

Why We’re the Experts

• An Uong is a writer for Serious Eats.
• An has been testing kitchen gear for Serious Eats for over two years.
• She loves fried foods, especially a just-out-of-the-fryer apple cider doughnut.