Deepfrying for beginner bozos on the cheap - advice please

Hi everyone

I am somewhat new to cooking. I also grew up in a part of the country where deepfrying is not as ubiquitous as it might be in some locations. I have never deep fried and never been around people who do it.

I will deep fry some mozzarella sticks as a trial run, and then I might deep fry a flatfish. Not just the filet, but the whole fish, perhaps minus the head. I might try to do some softshell Maryland blue crab this spring, too, albeit it's difficult to find them fresh.

I am super stingy and I'm also limited on storage space. I love saving money buying used crap as long as it's usable. I don't like modern cheesy stuff, and I don't care if it looks like something a broke person would use.

So if I want to get started, I think all I need to buy is:

● Heavy duty large pot with corresponding lid

●Electric single burner 120v, so I can do it outside, instead of on the electric range with the glass top in my kitchen. I could always use a camp fuel or propane camp stove in a pinch.

●Possibly something to strain it with unless I can just use tiny coffee filters

Pot recommendations? I know it has to have a tight fitting lid in case it catches on fire. What material and how thick do the walls of the pot need to be? I am under the impression you can't safely use a thin chincy pot. Also, I know it's important to keep the oil level well below the top of the pot so you don't have a boil-over. What type of items should I be looking for on facebook for a used pot?

Can I even use an electric 120v plug in single burner?

While it's boiling, I expect small amounts of oil and grease to get flung dverywhere, even if everything is going safely and as planned. I have screens with handles that I lay over nonstick pans when I panfry sausages or bacon or whatever. Should I use one of these screens? Obviously when you check the temp you will have to momentarily remove the screen.

I think I already mentioned that I want to do this outside. My justification is as follows: Knowing that I'm an all around bozo, but more specifically, I don't want to buy a K rated fire extinguisher (I'm American. That's what they're called here), and I don't want to make a mess and get grease everywhere, and I'm worried about fire, not to mention stinking up the whole house.

What thermometer do people use? So, allegedly it's really important that you maintain a steady temp? If you get too hot, bad things happen, but too cold is also bad? You really want the temp to hold fairly steady, it sounds. Are people sticking normal needle thermometers into the boiling oil? I actually have an expensive thermal imaging camera that mechanics use. I also have Klein needle thermometer that I think is made for cooking, but I use it for HVAC. I definitely have the kind of cheesy analog needle thermometer you use for the oven Thanksgiving turkey too.

What do people strain oil with when done? Can I use a small coffee filter, or will that take too long? Do I need to wait for it to be pretty cold before I strain it with a real strainer? Obviously, it would need to be cold for a coffee filter. Once it's strained and in the fridge, will it stay good in the fridge for a month? Or does it spoil quick? I bought a gallon of Great Value peanut oil at Walmart already. It was unclear if the oil was refined or not.

Once I fry seafood in the oil, should I keep that oil separate from the chicken/mozzarella stick oil? It might suck to bite into a chicken wing but taste like you're biting into a bass?

Thank you so much