20cm 8'' Stainless Steel Wire Mesh Frying Basket with Handle – Round Chip Basket Deep Fry Strainer Cooking Basket for Fryer Pan

Stainless Steel Wire Mesh Frying Basket with Handle

Does What It Says

There is not much to explain about a frying basket. Food goes in, oil drains out, job done. The question is whether it holds up after twenty uses or starts warping and losing its shape the first time it sits in hot oil for any length of time. Cheap mesh buckles. Thin rims bend. Short handles put your knuckles too close to the surface of the oil.

This basket is made from stainless steel wire throughout and the rim is rolled solid, not just bent over. The handle is long, sits at the right angle for lifting a full load, and the mesh weave is tight enough to keep small pieces in but open enough that oil falls back into the pan in seconds rather than sitting in the basket and soaking into the food.

What to Look At

• The mesh weave is fine enough that smaller food pieces — battered chunks, bhajis, small potato pieces — stay in the basket rather than dropping through into the oil below
• The rolled rim running around the top edge is what holds the whole shape together under heat and weight — a basket without a proper rim will start pulling inward after regular use
• Handle length puts your hand well back from the oil surface when you are lifting a full basket — not just clear of splashing but clear of the steam rising off the oil too
• The angle the handle sits at is not flat — it pitches upward slightly, which gives you a natural lifting position rather than forcing your wrist into an awkward angle when the basket is heavy
• Chrome finish on the steel is smooth, does not flake, and takes nothing more than a wash in hot soapy water to come clean after a frying session

Using It

• Put the basket into the oil before the food goes in — mesh that contacts food before the oil gets to temperature will stick, and getting a piece of battered fish unstuck from wire mesh is not a good experience
• Keep the load sensible — too much food in one go cools the oil down too fast and everything ends up greasy and soft rather than crisp
• When you lift it out, hold the basket over the pan for a few seconds before moving it — the mesh drains fast and the oil that falls back into the pan is oil that does not end up on the plate
• No dedicated fryer needed — any deep pan or pot with enough oil depth works fine with this basket
• The shallow wide shape suits most everyday frying — chips, fish pieces, onion rings, pakoras, samosas — food that spreads out rather than needing to be submerged in a narrow deep container

What People Use It For

• Chips at home — the reason most people buy a frying basket and the job this one does best. Properly drained chips that are crisp on the outside rather than soft from sitting in oil
• Battered and breaded food — fish, chicken, courgette, calamari, mushrooms — anything with a coating that needs to come straight out of the oil and drain immediately
• South Asian fried food — pakoras, bhajis, puri, samosas — the wide open base fits more pieces in a single batch than a narrow basket would
• Vegetable frying — peppers, aubergine, chillies, potato slices — same principle, more pieces per batch, less time standing over a hot pan
• It also works as a strainer for boiling water — pasta, noodles, vegetables — not its main purpose but handy if you need it

A Few Things Worth Knowing

• Oil temperature matters more than the basket — food going into oil that is not hot enough will absorb heavily no matter how good the basket is. Get the oil right first
• Do not leave the basket sitting flat on the bottom of the pan while frying — it needs to be held or suspended, not resting on the base
• Hot soapy water is all it needs after use — the open mesh rinses through easily and a bottle brush sorts any grease sitting at the wire joins
• Dry it properly before putting it away — water sitting in the mesh between uses is what causes the surface to dull over time
• The handle will get warm during a long frying session — a folded tea towel wrapped around it is enough

What You Get

• 1 ×20cm 8'' Round stainless steel wire mesh frying basket with rolled rim and long wire handle