Frying is one of the most popular cooking methods. The browning, crunchiness and flavor of the fried food make any food more delicious. For those who work in the catering sector, it is essential to know how to choose the right model. Not all fryers have the same features. Using the wrong one means failing to offer a quality product to the consumer.
Electric fryers and gas fryers
The first distinction is between gas fryers and electric fryers. The choice depends on the kitchen or the context in which the fryer is to be placed.
The gas models are easy to use and the pilot flame is lit by piezo. After lighting the pilot flame, the temperature knob can be turned and the burners ignite automatically. Once the pre-set temperature has been reached, the thermostatic valve turns off the burners and turns them on again only when the temperature drops. The gas fryers have a manually reset safety thermostat located inside the dashboard which intervenes in the event of an emergency. In fact, it acts by interrupting the heating if the oil exceeds the maximum permissible temperature.
Electric fryers stand out for their ease of use and maintenance. In fact, they work simply by plugging them into the socket. Thanks to these machines, the oil is heated faster and kept at a longer temperature. The presence of armored, tilting and rotating heating elements also facilitates cleaning operations.
Kitchen fryers and pastry fryers
When talking about deep fryers, there is another classification to be made: between professional kitchen fryers and pastry fryers. The former are the classic fryers found in restaurant kitchens, they are used for immersion frying and must be able to work continuously for several hours, to cover even a high demand in terms of productivity. Pastry fryers have a larger tank and fry by floating.
Countertop fryers and free-standing fryers
The fryers are also distinguished between countertop models and free standing models. The countertop ones, which are small in size, are ideal for places where they are used only for a limited time. A smaller quantity of oil is used and the cooking of snacks is optimized. They are the correct solution to fry French fries, mozzarella, chicken wings, etc…
The free-standing fryers are used in kitchens where a lot of food is fried, even of different types, with work peaks at certain times of the day.
Size of the tank
When deciding to buy a fryer it is good to focus on the size of the tank. Fryers range from around 6 liters for the counter-top fryers to 25 liters for the more capacious cabinet models (for single tank). Restaurants with a limited number of seats, which do not offer a particularly wide choice of fried foods, can for example easily opt for models between 15 and 20 litres; locations that handle a much larger demand will have to equip themselves with double-tank models with high capacity.
There are various types of foods to fry: ranging from chips to fish, through chicken and vegetables. Contamination of the oil can damage the quality of the final fried food, for this reason the choice of a double tank fryer can be useful, which also allows you to cook different foods at the same time. Furthermore, if most of the products to be fried are covered in batter (fried fish or battered vegetables) it is advisable to choose a fryer with protected heating elements or, in the case of a professional gas fryer, the heating elements must be external. The batter tends to get dirty making heating less efficient and requires more maintenance.
Accessories and advanced features
Other factors that can influence the choice of a professional fryer are those related to accessories and additional functions, which can simplify use and improve the final results. Think, for example, of the various user programs, the melting function or the tank cleaning function, the automatic basket lifting function or the integrated oil filtering system. Fryers can be governed by digital thermostats or by mechanical thermostats. Machines equipped with a digital thermostat are more sensitive and therefore more precise, thus ensuring an improvement in the quality of frying.
Amortizing expenses
Approximately 75% of frying costs are represented by the oil and energy/gas used to operate the fryer. Only the remaining 25% is represented by personnel and machine costs. This means that carefully choosing the most suitable equipment for your needs allows you to amortize the costs incurred for the purchase of the fryer very quickly and quickly move on to a profitability phase.
Undersized fryers
- Delays in service due to inadequate capacity and long frying times
- Reduction of the life time of the fryer and higher maintenance
Oversized fryers
- Higher energy consumption in oil heating
- Significant increase in management costs (energy, oil..) which would make it impossible to amortize the costs of the machine
Elframo fryers
Elframo has a wide range of electric or gas fryers, with a choice between electromechanical or electronic controls. For more information click here
Contact your Sales Representatives for further details.
