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When I moved into my apartment, I spent hours degreasing the cabinets. I could tell by the sticky sheen on the doors that the previous tenants were big fans of frying and that the perfunctory exhaust system—a mounted microwave with a vent that theoretically filters the air it sucks up before feeding it back out into my open-concept space—hadn’t done much to capture the oil particles that dance around the kitchen when cooking at high temperatures.
To be fair to my rental-issue appliances, a better exhaust system wouldn’t have left me with squeaky clean cabinets either. As I learned last year when talking with an indoor air-quality expert, cooking is the primary source of air pollution in a home and not even the kind of commercial ventilation systems found in restaurants can suck everything up and out of the kitchen.
Unfortunately, the particles released when cooking will gunk up more than just cabinets; cook over high heat for long enough and they can also make their way into your lungs and may eventually lead to damage. But before you swear off of deep frying and pan frying altogether, consider taking it outside. You don’t need a grill, or even a lot of outdoor space. Here's what you do need.
A basic outdoor cooking setup
You don’t need much equipment—or much space—to create a simple outdoor frying station. And you might already have some of this stuff at home.
A portable induction cooktop lets you boil, brown, and fry anywhere you have access to a flat surface and an electrical outlet. And because there’s no flame or thermal heating element, it won’t violate any fire or grill rules that might prevent you from having a grill on your apartment patio or balcony. This is the portable induction cooktop that works best for most people based on the testing I did over the course of a couple years
If you want to really dial in the oil temperature for deep frying, the Breville Control Freak Home has a connected probe that rests in the pan and automatically adjusts the power to maintain the temperature of your oil, without ever overshooting when you add cold ingredients.
A stainless-steel prep table provides a smooth, heat-safe surface that can stand up to the outdoor elements. As long as you have some sort of outdoor living space, you can find a table that will fit. You can go really small here, but make sure you have enough room for whatever plates and platters you’ll be removing food to (it will be really hot and need to happen quickly). Because I only cook outside occasionally, I use a sturdy camping table with an aluminum top so I can fold it up and put it away when not in use.
Enameled cast iron Dutch ovens are super durable, so if you already own one, you don’t necessarily need a separate one for outdoor cooking. But if you prefer to keep your beloved Le Creuset indoors (and looking showroom ready), you can get a dedicated outdoor Dutch oven for a fraction of the price.
Outlets are few and far between outdoors, so if you need an extension cord to power your induction burner, be sure to check the manual for voltage requirements. Don’t worry about getting a cord that’s rated for outdoor use since the burner and cord shouldn’t be stored outside, left plugged in, or be used in the rain—but do worry about what the cord can handle. Most small appliances require a heavy-duty extension cord that won’t overheat when pulling enough electricity to cook your dinner. This is a case where you definitely want something dedicated too; don’t ever plug an appliance into a power strip or an outlet that’s already powering other devices.
Upgrade your outdoor frying setup: Get an outdoor wok station
If you’re at all familiar with wok cooking, you’ve likely heard the term wok hei—a seemingly elusive flavor or “breath of a wok” that comes from just the right combination of cookware, seasoning, temperature, and technique. But it’s nearly impossible to reach the kind of searing temperatures required for wok hei on a conventional stovetop, even on the most powerful residential gas ranges. Dedicated wok burners typically put out 5 to 10 times the power of even the biggest burner on a stove. They’re concave high-BTU burners that, when used with a well-seasoned wok and lots of cooking oil, will heat a wok beyond your 30-inch range’s wildest dreams. They can feel a little unwieldy for less experienced wok users though because they’re so powerful.
But last month Cuisinart released an outdoor wok station that makes wok cooking safe and accessible—as long as you have ample outdoor space. The single, 50,000-BTU propane burner is built into a prep cart with casters for easy movement and it gets so hot it’s not something you’d want to (or should even be allowed to) use inside your home. It’s not something I’d be allowed to have on my apartment patio either, so I had it shipped to my friend’s house and once we figured out how to temper the temperature a bit, we made amazing stir fry and fried rice thanks to the super high heat and the included carbon steel wok. My friend has even started using it to boil bagels—a task that had previously been a challenge since adding cold dough to the water would drop the temperature of the boiling water.
