If your cast iron pan is shallow (2 1/2"- 3"-H) The amount of oil used will vary,for the amount of chicken frying in the same pan,of course if using this type of cast iron pan the chicken isn't submerged were by the oil is not covering the entire pieces being fried,(never over crowd the pan)using high heat.Oppose to medium heat usually end results are more splatter,more saturation of oil, and the end results,half cooked or oily greasy chicken. Yuck!! Presentation is the utmost of importance when placed before your eyes.Food should looks so good you almost don't want to eat it however it looks so good it makes your mouth water,from smell&eye appeal.The Art to frying takes skill,and a little common approach.My suggestion, invest in a fryer with at lease 4" or more inches in height,(side dimension)usually breast is the biggest part of the chicken(my favorite)boneless&skinless, which takes a little more depth (covering)while frying,as to ex : wings,legs or thighs so a deeper pan IMO is required. anyway,if you don't like the style or you don't have space (stove top) for a Dutch Oven style, I would look to a 11 1/2" by 4" cast fry pan, w/ iron Lid (splatter screens eventually are hard to clean,unless you use Easy off after each use, OIL buildup is inevitable if you fry a lot (more then just chicken) ex: seafood.I enjoy batter fried (fresh) Oysters. Oh one more thing cooking requires the use of both hands(ambidextrous in the Kitchen is almost a must if, your blessed with both extremities use them) an turning chicken is easier with less splatter in a deep pan as to using a shallow pan. Its an old tradition just takes a little old fashion way of thinking an using the right tools(whichever works)for you in the application.Good luck and eat well.

10 inch is pretty good,,,,and old is better than new! Check the one in the link below!! Linda C Here is a link that might be useful: chicken fryer

i use canola oil for deep frying or high heat stir frying, evoo(extra virgin olive oil) for salads, over pasta for flavoring, light olive oil for sauteing, i don't use coconut or palm oil in cooking too much saturated fat bad for my health, don't get me wrong i eat it because its in many types of cookies or snacks but i try. canola oil, light olive oil from costco, evoo from farmers market. we are so spoiled in san francisco with farmers market all year, whole food 2 in the city ,3 trader joes within 5 miles of my house, Happy New Year

A Bit of Nostalgia.......does anyone remember the Chalfont in Cape May, N.J. or the Chalfont-Haddon Hall in Atlantic City ?? Chalfonte's Southern Fried Chicken 1 frying chicken -- (3-pound) quartered Salt 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons paprika Black pepper to taste 2 cups shortening or corn oil (or a 2-inch depth for frying) 1 medium onion -- sliced 1. Soak the chicken in salted water for 1 hour. (Add 1 tablespoon salt to each quart of water.) Drain chicken and pat dry. 2. Meanwhile, in a bag or bowl, mix flour, paprika, salt to taste and pepper. Add the chicken and shake to coat thoroughly. 3. In a large skillet or deep fryer, heat the shortening or oil to 365 to 375 degrees. Place the onion in the hot oil. (Adjust the heat as needed to keep the oil sizzling moderately, but don't let it burn.) 4. Add the chicken to hot oil, again adjusting the heat. Fry for 10 minutes. Turn chicken and fry until tender, crisp and browned, about 10 more minutes. (Test for doneness with a fork, or watch for the breast meat to split along the muscle.) Note: As long as the oil is sizzling, moisture is being forced out of the chicken as steam, preventing the meat from absorbing excess oil. The Chalfonte chicken still sizzles in the pan Today's request takes us back to 1990, when a visit to the Chalfonte in Cape May, N.J., found the chef at that grand Victorian resort hotel holding court in her bright, airy kitchen on a sunny August day. Quick as any teen, Helen Dickerson simul- taneously supervised the dinner preparation, answered a reporter's questions, and kept an ear tuned to her favorite afternoon soaps. At 81, Miss Helen (as she liked to be called) still ruled her kitchen domain, though the heavier cooking chores had been delegated to her two assistants, her daughters Dorothy Burton, then 63, and Lucille Thompson, 61. Miss Helen shared memories of her more than 70 years at the Chalfonte, 45 of them in charge of the kitchen, along with recipes for dishes such as the fried chicken that continues as the star item on the hotel's Sunday dinner menu. It is that recipe, clipped from The Inquirer's Food section but later mislaid, that reader Joe Ochman mentioned first in his recent e-mail to us. Miss Helen's talent for Southern-style cooking brought her national attention. Her recipes were collected into a cookbooklet by the hotel. And the outspoken Miss Helen often stole the show during television appearances with talk-show hosts such as Phil Donahue. Miss Helen died just a few months after our article about her was published. Her daughters, now 75 and 72, inherited their mother's kitchen at the Chalfonte. And hundreds of chickens continue to be fried there on summer Sundays in the aged, oversize cast-iron skillets, each holding a dozen or more chicken quarters at a time. Keys to the recipe's success are the soaking, which keeps the chicken moist, plus the onion flavor and the sizzling temperature of the oil. The onions go into the hot fat first and stay there until the chicken is done, Burton said. Source: "Marilyn Marter Column, Phila Inquirer, April 4, 2001 Yield: "4 servings"