How can you best minimize the smell, mess, and waste of deep fat frying at home?

Less than once a month I’d like to deep fat fry something at home.

The smell and mess combined with the waste of cooking oil (I mean, how long can it sit there between uses?) dissuades me. I wonder what tips you can come up with.
Certainly, during the summer I could use some ‘Fry-Baby’ type of appliance outdoors. I wonder straining the oil back into it’s original container and refrigerating it might add life?

Currently my rule of thumb is, “If you want fried food, eat it when you eat ‘out’.” But I hate that limitation. The Dollar Tree (yup, a Super Dollar Tree) had frozen samosa that, when microwaved, had a delicious filling and disgusting ‘crust’. I really want to try them fried, but at what cost?

Thanks!