Tips on Maintenance of Deep Fryers

December 7, 2005
Source: Yankee Food Service

The care and maintenance of commercial deep fryers isn’t a favorite pastime of many restaurant and kitchen employees because bad things seem to happen far too often. According to FiltaFry of Orlando, Fla., there are some telltale signals that can alert restaurant and kitchen management that they might be well served by using a fryer management service to improve the operation, safety and cost-effectiveness of their commercial fryer operations.

Increased insurance claims during the past year: A long-lasting effect of kitchen injuries such as burns caused by fryer mishaps is their impact on worker’s compensation premiums paid by restaurants. If a business has a poor safety record, its premium is likely to increase.

A detectable odor of oil: Depending on the type of restaurant and food being fried, cooking oil lasts for different periods but in the end, it always needs throwing away. Oil that tastes as though it is burned can spoil the flavor of whatever is being fried. Using “good” oil allows food to fry totally at lower temperature, allowing for more positive taste profiles.

High turnover among fry-staff personnel: Teenagers employed in restaurants as fry cooks are at special risk for burn injuries. Burns usually occur when workers are disposing of oil because they ignore safety rules, are unfamiliar with proper procedures or take ill-advised shortcuts to save time.

Fried food that is either burned or soggy: Fryer thermostats that are not properly calibrated can result in inaccurate temperature readings that are either too high or too low and result in fried foods that are either undercooked or overcooked.