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Rockstar_pizza

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Has anyone used a gas deep fryer to cook pasta (of course it would be used only for that and never mix oil in it…just wondering if it is even possible.
 
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we purchased a used deep-fryer once, and that’s all the people had used it for was water for pasta maybe for 2 to 3 years.

that was about 10 years ago, and the deep fryer is still in use. (we used oil in it).

IMHO seems like an expensive piece of equipment to purchase to just boil water in.
 
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Hi rock star:

Using a conventional fryer is not the best way.
There are pasta cookers that are much like a fryer except they have an auto-fill/starch skimmer that keeps the water level at the correct height and removes excess starch residue from the water’s surface. There is no need for refills, so the water is ready to cook, saving energy and time.

George Mills
 
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I am backing up Mr. Mills statement that a fryer is not the best option.

I don’t see the thermostat or heat exchangers on a deep fryer being optimal for boiling pasta. I am stating this due to my experience boiling out deep fryers during cleaning, it was like I could never maintain a soft boil, it was either boiling like crazy, or simmering with no median point. I am betting it is due to the design of the heat exchangers designed for very rapid recovery while frying.
When boiling, I would fill fryer baskets with ice and hang them over the vat so we wouldn’t have the caustic contents boil out over the edges and onto the floor.

Back in the day, I had a steel tank on our stove that covered 2 burners, and we used smaller baskets from a deep fryer to keep the pasta separated and an easy to drain before tossing it into a saute pan or on a plate for finishing. This was fresh pasta, so the cook times were very rapid. We would skim the water and replenish as needed. It sure beat a round pot with triangle shaped baskets.

Do you have a fabricator near you that can fabricate a stainless rectangle tank to fit your stove? Maybe add a petcock on one edge for easy draining?
 
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I’d suggest if you go GotRock’s route you simply invest $70 or so in a standard pasta pot with the traditional 4 baskets. Costs would surely be less than customizing something at a local shop. We purchased ours used for under $25 and it’s used all day everyday. The trick is to par-boil and portion your pastas till just below al dente, then it’s a simple dunk back in the hot water for maybe 60 seconds to retherm for finishing.

There have been posts in the past that ought to be searchable concerning a few small hot pots that folks were having good luck with on heating up pastas also. (If you don’t have a hot plate/stove for the pasta pot option)
 
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