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Best deep fat fryer UK: litres, a tank you can empty, and a filter

Updated: 23 October 2026

You already want hot oil for fish and chips. A search for the best deep fat fryer UK then piles wattage, a window and family size into one line, and a 3 litre listing starts to look like a promise about how much haddock you can cook. Oil capacity, food weight and a tank that lifts out are three separate facts. This page is the criteria. The [fish fryer comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/fish-fryer) holds the twelve model rows, with shelf prices and review counts. We read those amazon.co.uk listings and public UK safety pages. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already want hot oil for fish and chips.

Our top picks

Quest Quest 35140 (3 L)

Best overall

Quest Quest 35140 (3 L)
8.7/10about £32.99
View offer
Quest Quest 35239 (2.5 L)

Best value

Quest Quest 35239 (2.5 L)
8.6/10about £28.99
View offer
Tristar Tristar FR-9327UK (3 L)

Rank 3

Tristar Tristar FR-9327UK (3 L)
8.8/10about £34.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Match litres to the people at the table
  2. 2.Tank, window, filter and timer
  3. 3.What the GBP bands buy
  4. 4.Checks before you order

Match litres to the people at the table

Start with who is eating, then read the oil line and the food line as different measurements. The Quest 34250 title says 1.5 litres and 900 W at £26.99, while the same file's oil-capacity line says 3 litres. Treat the title as the claim in front of you. Two people usually land in the 2.5 to 3 litre band. The Quest 35239 says 2.5 litres serves one to three. For two fillets and chips, the common size here is 3 litres: the Tristar FR-9327UK, the Quest 35140 and the Daewoo SDA1550. The Chefman is the only 4.3 litre tank, at £59.99.

Tank, window, filter and timer

A removable tank changes cleaning more than a window does. The Swan states a fixed oil container, so you lift the body. Its 16,383 reviews and a rank of 1 in Deep Fryers are a sales snapshot, not a fact about how the oil leaves. The Quest 35140 title says a removable oil container, and those reviews do not repeat a will-not-lift-out complaint. On the Quest 35239 and the Quest 34250, a reviewer said the tank or pan did not come out. Filters differ: a carbon odour filter, an anti-odour filter, a filter lid, or the Oleoclean drain into a storage tank at £84.77. A cool zone is a claim, with no probe reading here. Only the Chefman states a timer, and a timer does not mean you leave the room.
Quest Quest 35140 (3 L)

Testsieger

Quest Quest 35140 (3 L)
8.7/10about £32.99
View offer

What the GBP bands buy

Shelf prices fall into three rough bands, and they move, so check the live amazon.co.uk figure. Entry is about £27 to £35, including the Quest 35239 at £28.99, the Quest 35140 at £32.99, and the Tristar and the Daewoo at £34.99. Mid is about £40 to £68, including the Chefman at £59.99 and the Tefal Easy Pro at £67.99. The Oleoclean at £84.77 buys filtration on a 2 litre fryer, not a bigger basket. The best fish fryer page names a top pick and a best value from these rows.

Checks before you order

UK mains are 230 V, and Electrical Safety First expects a UK three-pin plug. Do not overfill, leave the fryer unattended, or immerse it. These listings do not print a fuse for each model. When the Quest 34250 title and a spec line disagree on litres, order against the conflict. When the Morphy Richards title says 3.5 litres and a bullet says 3 litres, use the smaller figure. Household fryers in the scope of BS EN 60335-2-13 go up to 5 litres. Every tank here sits under that ceiling. That is a scope note, not a certificate on the box. Tristar, Russell Hobbs, Morphy Richards, Emperial and Oleoclean print no warranty length. Fire and smoke rules are on the deep fat fryer fire safety page.

Common questions

How many litres do I need for two people?
For two, look at 2.5 to 3 litres of oil, then at the food line if the listing prints one. The Quest 35239 says 2.5 litres serves one to three. The Russell Hobbs states 1 kg of food in 2.5 litres, though one review says the basket sits too high for more than a single portion of chips. A 3 litre tank gives more oil volume. It still does not state a kilogram of fish.
Is oil capacity the same as how much fish I can cook?
Litres are the oil. Kilograms, where a listing states them, are the food. The Tefal Easy Pro is the clear pair of figures: 3 litres of oil and 1.2 kg of food, with a highlight that says it serves four. A review of two adults and a child finished in one batch. A larger sitting cooked twice. If the page only gives litres, you still lack a portion count.
Is a removable tank worth checking the reviews for?
Yes. The title and the reviews disagree on more than one ASIN. The Swan states a fixed tank, so you lift the body. The Quest 35140 states a removable oil container, and the reviews we used do not repeat a will-not-lift-out complaint. On the Quest 35239 and the Quest 34250, a reviewer said the tank or pan did not come out. If emptying oil without carrying the whole fryer is the point, those reviews matter more than the adjective in the title.
Do I need a timer?
The Chefman RJ07-45-SS-UK is the only fryer in this batch that states a timer, at 4.3 litres and £59.99. A timer helps you remember a batch. Electrical Safety First still says you should stay with a deep fat fryer. Buy the beep if you want it, and stay in the room either way. The other eleven listings do not state one.
Is 900 W enough for a fillet?
The only 900 W fryer here is the Quest 34250, titled at 1.5 litres and £26.99. Most of the batch is 1800 W or 2000 W. We have no timed test that says 900 W fails a fillet. A colder piece of fish drops the oil temperature, and lower wattage has less power to recover it. Its spec line also claims 3 litres, which conflicts with the title.

Related pages

Deep fat fryer or air fryer

Fish fryer

Best fish fryer: top pick and best value explained

How to deep fry fish: temperature, time and basket

Deep fat fryer fire safety: smoke, water and the plug

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. London Fire Brigade: deep fat fryers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. London Fire Brigade: pan fires (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First: deep fat fryers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First: plugs and fuses (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. BSI: BS EN 60335-2-13:2010+A1:2019 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Seafish: principles of frying fish and chips (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. BBC Good Food: how to deep-fry safely (retrieved 22 October 2026)