| Fryers: Questions & Answers |
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A fryer represents a major investment for any foodservice operation. But with the huge variety of sizes, features and options available, choosing the right one can be daunting. Here are the questions to ask before you buy. What type of food do you serve? The type of food you fry often determines what fryer fits your operation. A fryer with an open pot configuration, in which the heating units are outside the frypot, collects food sediment internally. These are best for lightly battered or non-battered items, such as French fries. The tube-type fryer has heating tubes inside the frypot; sediment collects below them in the “cold zone” at the bottom of the tank. It’s well suited for heavily breaded items, like chicken or fish. Flat-bottom fryers have no sediment collection area, so they’re best for lighter items that will float to the top of the tank, such as wet-battered fish or tempura vegetables. If you’re going to be frying two strongly flavored foods at the same time (such as fish and onion rings), you’ll want a “split-pot” model with twin fryer tanks to avoid flavor transfer. What oil do you use? 
Alto-Shaam's Frytech ASF-756
The fryer you buy may also determine what fat you’ll use. For example, fryers that automatically replenish the medium, like Frymaster’s Protector model, use liquid oil, while other fryers can use either a liquid or solid shortening. If you decide to go with solid shortening, make sure the model has an automatic fat melt cycle, like the Hobart HG65 and Alto-Shaam ASF-75 models. With any new fryer, you should do some test runs to determine which frying medium provides the best flavor, filtration and length of usage. For operators who are avoiding trans fats, there are a number of trans fat-free oils to choose from, including ACH’s Frymax ZT and Bunge’s Nutra-Clear NT. Performance for these oils is comparable to that of traditional hydrogenated oils. |
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