Wahei Freiz Deep Frying 3-Piece Set
This Milk Street-exclusive, three-piece set from Wahei Freiz is made for the smoothest, streamlined deep frying experience. The first piece: A deep frying pot, complete with a flat, sturdy base, which allows plenty of depth for oil, sits safely on a burner and makes for more even heating than a sloped wok. The pot has a wide opening, so there’s plenty of room to move utensils freely within and fry evenly.
The second piece is a drop basket, which makes for easy loading and unloading, without risky dropping and splashing even when frying heavy chicken thighs. The stay-cool handles of the fry pot hold the basket so that it functions as a draining rack, too. And the final piece is a custom-fit splatter screen, made of black mesh that’s easy to see through. Using this well-designed set when frying makes for a more even, consistent result, reduces mess and even limits oil waste, as everything drips and drains neatly back into the pot. Bonus: While the set’s designed for frying, we also tested it for pasta and other items that require boiling and draining, and it works like a charm. All three items stack compactly for easy storage.
Wahei Freiz 6-Piece Breading and Mise Set
Exclusive to Milk Street in the U.S., this six-piece Breading and Mise Set from Wahei Freiz is the end-all tool for breading and frying. The durable set comes with four stainless steel rectangular containers, one stainless steel rack and a single snap-on lid. Most cooks grab a handful of bowls to dredge and coat food before frying, but that can make a mess and lead to uneven breading. Instead, this set is a perfect solution for breading and frying chicken cutlets or slabs of eggplant: Use one tray for flour, a second for liquid binder or beaten egg and a third for your breading mixture. Then, once your food is fried, use the fourth tray fitted with rack to allow any excess oil to drip off. The compact, stackable pans are excellent for all kinds of small tasks, like collecting prepped vegetables, herbs, cheese and nuts as you mise en place.
Our favorite feature might be the snap-on lid: Rather than clumsily dredging food in flour or bread crumbs with hands or forks, click the lid on and simply shake the tray until your food is evenly coated. And use the lid to store any leftovers or—even better—other mise en place jobs, like marinating meat or fish. Once you’re done, run the set through the dishwasher, then stack the pieces compactly together to store until your next job.