I just bought John Lewis's Tefal deep

Despite the dwindling options for fans of real frying, there are many who share my appetite for crisp, burnished batter and perfect chips

I love my air fryer as much as anyone (and, among Telegraph readers, that's a lot). It's the single-most versatile appliance in my kitchen and is kept busy most days with tasks as varied as heating-up a slab of frozen lasagne to speedily roasting a couple of peppers at full blast. But, being ultimately a small, high-powered oven with a good fan, it can't fry for toffee.

I mean really fry. You know, for a batch of Scotch eggs with jammy yolks at their centre, for golden-battered haddock or crisp vegetable tempura. The dishes that call for a jacuzzi session in incredibly hot oil. Nothing else will get the results I’m after.

A wok or a deep saucepan with a few centimetres of oil will do the job if you’re frying in small quantities. There is a need, though, in order to hit the right temperature, for either an accurate thermometer or employing a bit of guesswork involving cubes of bread. Previously, this has been my approach.

Last week, however, I made the decision to finally invest in a small deep-fat fryer which, despite my lifetime of cooking, would be my very first one. And, yes, it was a desire for shoestring fries (to accompany barbecued prawns I’d planned for a garden lunch) that drove me to it. I wanted real chips, crispy ones with the skin still on, but I was unwilling to dedicate a sunny afternoon to frying them in a saucepan in tiny batches while everyone waited and I refused to reduce them, in an air fryer, to what would be essentially roast potatoes.

Deep-frying chips (and battered fish for that matter), "cannot be substituted with any other cooking method", asserts Emile Bernard, the chief innovation officer at Juicy Brick, a food and drink innovation company, whose advice I sought on the subject. "Personally I think it's even better when the oil is a bit old and has taken on the flavour of a few thousand chips, which just can't be replicated in any other cooking medium."

Before I could change my mind, I logged onto John Lewis to make my selection. Just a small fryer, big enough for weekend chips and maybe a batch of churros on special occasions; must have a filter lid to limit odour and a thermostat. I scrolled through 28 (!) air fryers to get to the deep fryers and was gobsmacked to discover the range available consisted of just one, a Tefal EasyPro for £79.99. Luckily for me, it did fit the bill. But only one? Is deep frying really in such decline?

Over on TikTok the hashtag #airfried has an astonishing 141m views but #deepfried is currently riding six times higher at 880m. Yes of course, these are mostly crazily decadent ideas featuring ice cream, blocks of mozzarella, bars of chocolate and giant pickles, but there are also lots of useful tips including perfecting chips and how to keep your oil clean. Bernard's suggestion to try deep frying seaweed with rice paper to make Korean-style crisps is indeed trending with millions of TikTok views. Maybe I’m not so alone in my desire to harness the transformative properties of hot oil.

Equipped with my new purchase, I set about experimenting, including posting a four-second video on Instagram of my first batch of chips sizzling, just to canvas some opinion. I was surprised by the response. Having expected a fair bit of backlash at what many might consider an unhealthy, out-of-touch cooking method, it turned out that every single commenter was also a lover.

"Welcome to the deep fryer club. There is no substitute," wrote one. "I’ve always had one," said another, "not used too often but nothing beats proper chips." Doughnuts are "a must", I was told by one follower who said, "I love mine – it comes out a few times a year."

Therein lies the secret to our love of deep frying. Yes, it's a bit of a faff and for the sake of good health should be kept only for occasional use, but the results it produces cannot be successfully replicated by any other cooking method. And I for one have no intention of giving up proper homemade chips, even if they come along only once in a long while.

Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as sunflower or generic vegetable oil. "A good rule of thumb is only use light colour oils, not dark as they burn at a lower temperature," advises frying aficionado Emile Bernard. "Stay away from extra-virgin anything."

If you don't have a deep-fat fryer, it's safest to use a deep, heavy saucepan with high sides to prevent splattering and maintain a consistent temperature. Don't fill the pan higher than half way. Dry food well before adding it to the hot oil. Moisture will cause excessive spluttering and make the food less crispy. Fry in small batches so the oil temperature doesn't drop and so there's enough space for the food to sizzle freely. Drain cooked food on a plate lined with kitchen paper to blot any excess oil. Then season straight away so it attaches to the surface.

And for the best chips… Choose the right potatoes (I like Albert Bartlett and Maris Piper). Cut the potatoes as evenly as possible and soak in a large bowl of cold water for 2 hours to remove excess starch. Dry in a tea towel and cook for 5 minutes at 130C then raise the temperature to 190C and cook again for 6-8 minutes until really crisp. For the crispiest sweet-potato fries, add some cornflour to the soaking water so they’re lightly coated once drained.