Wahei Freiz Deep Fry Pot
We love this new Japanese-made tempura pot from Wahei Freiz. To make tempura, veggies or seafood are deep-fried in a thin batter until puffed and crispy with a light texture (often referred to as “bloomed”). But more often than not, cold oil or a crowded pan delivers soggy, dense grease bombs, even if everything else is right.
Wahei Freiz’s pot is built to avoid this. Compact and shallow, like classic tempura pots, the carbon steel pot is about 10 inches in diameter and deep enough to hold over two liters of oil. The brilliance of its construction is in its details: A built-in thermometer with a highlighted frying range shows you exactly how hot your oil is, so you can heat or cool it for your recipe’s needs; we tested it against our gold standard thermometer and found complete accuracy. The removable lid sits open on an angle and with a built-in rack. So the moment a piece of tempura is ready, it can drain and cool on the pot lid while any extra oil drips back into the pot (meaning less oil waste, too). The rounded opening of the pot reduces spatter, or simply lower the lid for any bigger pops or splashes. Try the pot for any small or batchable fry jobs, like fritters; the pot works on induction, electric and gas stovetops.
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.