Have you looked at stainless restaurant/commercial work tables? They can come with storage and wheels too.

Ooh, no I did not - thank you!

Just make sure he never leaves it alone in there. My former SIL tried to fry a turkey in her garage and her boyfriend left it unattended for a short time…flash, and goodbye garage! On thanksgiving with a houseful.

May I suggest that while you're at it a good vent hood might be nice?

In Floriduh, I used to smoke in the garage. I had an exhaust pipe that went outside to remove the smoke. Deep frying is a whole different problem and I agree with sleevendog that it should be done outside because of the fire risk. Beyond that, what about eating healthier? Less fried food and more baked, steamed, or smoked will help you live longer.

Fire risk? You want to hear about FIRE RISK?!?!

He's a chef and works late, so I'm usually in bed by the time he gets home and starts the whir of cooking dinner at home. Because, you know, he wants HIS food, and leftovers won't do.

I woke up one night thinking man it smells like he burned something. Didn't think much of it and went back to bed...He told me a few days later he forgot he left the deep fryer inside the grill on the patio outside (was his usual MO to store it that way) and you can guess what happened. He lit up that puppy and Poof! the deep fryer went up in flames. THANK HEAVENS the fire extinguisher was nearby and he didn't get hurt, the flames didn't hit the propane tank or the house. The LOG SIDED house.

Sigh.... I liked things much better when he worked at the other restaurant that served employee dinner....

"Just make sure he never leaves it alone in there. My former SIL tried to fry a turkey in her garage and her boyfriend left it unattended for a short time…flash, and goodbye garage! On thanksgiving with a houseful."

Ack!

I'm with carolb on this one. I have Gadiator too and there is a lot of plastic there. You want something that won't catch on fire.... like stainless steel. And, I also agree that he should be out of the garage, but also know that you have to pick your battles.

Deep fryers are the #1 source of restaurant fires. And he’s doing it without a hood, spreading grease all over eveything, where gasoline and other go boom things are stored. Plus there is already history of carelessness with fire and frying.

What part of this says it is a good idea to enable him?

In addition to the real safety hazard, I would be concerned about the garage smelling like McDonalds. Even if it doesn't bother you, if you ever want/need to sell it would be a turn-off to most buyers. I don't think I would be able to sleep knowing he might accidently set the house on fire.

"What part of this says it is a good idea to enable him?"

Some battles are not winnable -- he's going to do it anyway, whether I buy him a table or not. I figure that's safer than on a shoe rack.

"In addition to the real safety hazard, I would be concerned about the garage smelling like McDonalds."

Better the garage than the house.

I would love to have a small outdoor kitchen put in, and so would he. It's not in the budget right now, but hopefully not too far down the line when we get our patio re-built. For now, it's the garage or the house.

I like the suggestion of wheels. It could include some kind of umbrella or canopy if he needs shelter.

But....he's a chef?? Did he have some bigwig he trained with to set him straight? I don't know many chefs, but the ones I do know are all about safety (for both cooks and diners) and cleanliness. Obsessively so. When I suggested a hood, I thought he was just a bro. You can get a decent hood at an auction or scratch and dent or something. I mean it's the garage. You shouldn't have to worry about noise or make-up air or such like. But if he's currently keeping the fryer in the grill, can't you set him up a station on the patio? One that's not as fine as your future plans, maybe, but which he will accept as being adequate to his needs? Where he won't burn down the house?

The magic words, said in a non-threatening, submissive tone, "Well, okay, Honey, if you think it's okay, but will the building inspector/safety officer/HOA/local authority allow it?"

It's OK to cook in the garage. Just make sure you do the following:

1. Get all gasoline cans, containers out. petroleum fume is explosive, so is propane fume.

2. Don't tell your insurance company.

3. get many fire extinguishers

4. get many rat traps.

5. Install better lighting.

6. Don't install a sink with water line, unless you heat the garage.

7. Don't cook with coal or wood with door closed. Its like people keep car engine running in the garage.

dcarch

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Restaurant supply stores also have things called appliance stands. It has a lowered surface so the surface of the oil will be at a more comfortable height. Some of them have a low shelf, perfect for a gas container if that's what he's using.

Then match it with an SS work table or one of the garage units so there is a place to put stuff like the platter of things he wants to fry and possible coatings to put on the food before frying as well as the tools, used oil container, etc. that go with frying.

Is it possible to make him a little shack outside for the fryer? Not sure open flames and garage go together.

Better check your homeowners insurance for full replacement cost and not just value. And also any limitations on doing stupid things that they won’t cover. You might get a rude surprise if he does burn the house down.

Guys -- this is a small table-top home deep fryer, not an open set-up or huge turkey fryer or commercial fryer. Oster 3.7qt Deep Fryer - Stainless Steel Ckstdfzm37 : Target

See pages 8 and 9: Home Cooking Fires (nfpa.org)

Excerpt: Equipment involved in reported home cooking fires Ranges or cooktops were involved in three-fifths (61 percent) of the reported cooking fires, 87 percent of the deaths, and 78 percent of the injuries. Ranges or cooktops had higher death and injury rates per 1,000 reported fires than most other cooking equipment. Ovens and microwave ovens showed lower casualty and loss rates than most other cooking equipment. Cooking that is done in an oven or microwave oven is less likely to extend outside of the equipment. Grills and deep fryers had the highest average loss per home structure fire. Such equipment tends to be portable and may be used too close to things that can catch fire. Although deep fryers had the highest death rate and grease hoods had the highest injury rate per 1,000 fires, fires involving these types of equipment were less common than other types of cooking fires..

Are we talking about a deep fryer like you use for a turkey? Yeah, I share the above posters' concerns for frying inside ... even inside a garage. And I support the idea of keeping a fire extinguisher nearby.

My husband also loves his deep fryer, but I'm talking about an inside fryer. He places it on top of the range /turns on the range hood while he's frying. If anything spills over, it spills onto the stovetop, which has a "raised edge" and holds in the spill.

"Are we talking about a deep fryer like you use for a turkey?"

No. It's like the small, covered table-top unit I linked to in my above post.

Okay. I thought it was something that didn't belong in a kitchen, or an open pot on a hotplate, rather than a kitchen appliance you just banned from the kitchen. So if the metal cabinet is to match your others for style points, go for it! If it's saving money for the eventual outdoor kitchen, a freecycle cabinet with a sheet of construction metal or freecycle stone attached to the top should be stable enough to be a good replacement for the shoe rack.

If you like the commercial table/cabinet best, again, try restaurant auctions and scratch and dent outlets for a bargain, if you want to cut costs.

Sorry if I created the confusion by referencing my SIL’s turkey disaster. My son uses your same fryer for the 60 lbs worth of latkes he makes for their latke party each year. He does use it outside but even so makes extra sure to have lots of safety precautions around it, as well as a “spotter”. Sounds like your husband already keeps a fire extinguisher on hand. Still don’t think a garage is a great idea due to other flammables typically in one. Definitely an all metal table such as posted earlier, bigger if possible, is a good plan. I definitely identify with stubborn other half!

If you decide to go the stainless steel restaurant-style table, check out Craigslist. There seem to always be restaurant kitchen items for sale, at least on the ones I check.

I have created a cooking space in a garage. Basically for frying foods that create strong smells. Cooking is only done after pulling the cars out, there is no gas or flammable containers nearby, ceilings are tall, and the doors are kept open. This particular setup was just for cast iron pan frying on a propane stand, with oil poured from the 48fl oz bottles from the grocery store. This isn't a commercial deep fryer, boxes full of lard storage, and the house will not be remodeled for a 400+cfm hood or one that has fire suppression. Come on folks, basically a "messy" kitchen.

The oil splatter should be accounted for. FRP on the walls and a no-slip rubber pad on the floor (chose solid rather than restaurant style with holes to protect the concrete floor from the grease stains). I would not place the fryer on top of a tool chest for dual duty - as there are probably holes on the cabinet faces and the drawers/doors have slots/nooks/crannies. Besides, even though I predict there will be no fresh food storage, just oil and spices, it would be best to provide NSF-certified equipment for the workspace so it can be cleaned up easily. That basically means a stainless steel table or cabinet. You can find many on FB Marketplace for around $200-$800 depending on length (many restaurant closings this past year). Keep the auto tools on the other side of the garage.

Personally, during large winter parties, I have moved the countertop basket fryer out to the garage sitting on a card table just to keep the appetizer smells and splatter out of the jammed-packed kitchen. I'm smart enough to know about fire and nutrition, so I didn't need to run this past my insurance agent or nutritionist first.

Update: Here's what I ended up doing: