Article
Deep fryer innovations save money, time
New technology developments are designed to help operators cut oil, labor and costs.
April 13, 2009
As any quick-serve restaurant with a fried food menu knows, the cost of oil is a significant expense. With operators trying every way they can to trim costs, deep fryer manufacturers have developed equipment to reduce oil and energy use as well as labor.
Eaton, Ohio-based Henny Penny Corp. recently debuted its Evolution Elite series of open fryers designed for ease of use and oil reduction. The Evolution Elite is a recipient of the National Restaurant Association's Kitchen Innovations Award for 2009.
The Energy Star rated Evolution Elite features a smaller frying well that allows operators to cook the same amount of product with 40 percent less oil than a standard 50-pound vat. The new design has eliminated the "cold zone," the area of the vat that is designed to hold fallen breading to prevent scorching.
Eliminating the cold zone requires frequent filtering, an operation that normally would disrupt operations because of its time-consuming and complex nature.
"Most people don't want to do filtering," said Rob Connelly, president of Henny Penny. "We had to make filtering very simple, so operators could do filtering multiple times a day."
The Evolution Elite is designed to simplify the filtering process and reduce the time of traditional filtering. Instead of pushing a number of buttons and opening several valves, the filtering process begins with the press of a single button.
The deep fryer uses an external drain to release the oil into a pan underneath the vat where it is filtered before being returned to the well. The process takes about four minutes and can be done in one vat while others in the unit continue to operate.
An alert notifies the operator of the predetermined filtering time. The default can be set for product types or volume of cooking used in the vat.
Connelly said the frequent filtering extends the life of the oil, as does another feature, the Oil Guardian. That feature monitors the oil level in each vat and automatically adds more oil as needed.
The fryer also uses computer controls with 10 programmable cook cycles. The intuitive controls are designed to make the equipment easy to operate, Connelly said.
"We know that there is typically high turnover (in QSRs), so we want to make our fryers not only easy to use, but easy to learn how to use," he said.
Fried chicken made easy
Concord, N.H.-based Pitco Frialator Inc. recently debuted its Rack Fryer to make fried chicken preparation more efficient. The Rack Fryer uses 35 percent less oil than traditional free-float fryers but is also smaller than traditional rack fryers.
Using a rack fryer produces "a more consistent product than in a drop operation," said Mark McCabe, manager of product development for Pitco. Dropping the product into the oil and removing it individually creates a variation in cooking time. Also, individual handling of the product means batter is more likely to fall off the product, creating more sediment in the fryer.
The Rack Fryer's EZ-Lift system holds up to six racks and can cook up to 48 pieces of chicken. The system allows for raising or lowering of the racks by simply lifting a handle. The unit has a 37 percent smaller footprint than traditional rack fryers while still able to cook the same amount of product, McCabe said.
Pitco also improved the design of the fryer's heat exchanger to extract more energy out of the combustion gases, McCabe said. The new design uses 18 percent less energy than previous Pitco models.
The Rack Fryer also uses the same self-cleaning burner technology of Pitco's Solstice Supreme high efficiency fryer line. The technology ensures the combustion system operates at peak efficiency by automatically cleaning the burners daily upon equipment start up.
The fryer has a choice of three control options — Solid State temperature controls, a digital controller with two product cook keys or a computer controller with 12 buttons. It also is available in a configuration that includes an integral filter drawer.
Portable filtering
Along with new developments in fryers, advances in filtering technology have also hit the market. Lietchfield Park, Ariz.-based Zachary Co. is a distributor for the VITO Oil Filtration system. The system was developed by SYS Systemfiltration of Germany in 2001, and introduced to the United States in 2007.
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When the monitor signals the oil needs filtering, the VITO unit is placed into the vat, eliminating the need to remove the oil. Within a five-minute process, the unit uses a 5 micron filter to remove micro-particles and sediment from the vat while maintaining cooking temperature.
By emphasizing oil management, Zachary Co. helps operators produce "a more consistent quality fried product" and extend cooking oil life, Canter said. Typically, using the VITO filter as part of an oil management system can extend oil life 30 percent to 50 percent.
Too often, he said, operators rely on the color of the oil or a specified day of the week to change the oil. By measuring oil quality throughout the day, operators can maintain product quality and extend oil life.
"It helps the operator manage oil based on real quality, not suspected quality," Canter said.
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