Choosing a professional deep fryer from among the various choices available is no easy task. Choosing a fryer that is not adapted to your professional activity could result in fries soaked in oil or, on the contrary, overcooked.
Whether used in fast-food restaurants or restaurants, the professional fryer will delight both young and old fryers. We are going to give you several indications to help you make your choice.
The deep fryer will be appreciated for frying all types of food such as chips, crisps, fish or any kind of meat in fast-food restaurants.
Professional electric or gas fryer?
Electric power supply
It can receive fat, oil or grease to cook your food. Electric fryers generally have round, rectangular or square tanks that will reach their correct temperature thanks to resistances. This gives you the possibility to adjust the temperature to the exact degree.
If your fryer is equipped with two tanks, you can choose a different temperature for each of them. One or more baskets are present to hold your products, these baskets usually have a thermal protection handle to avoid burns as much as possible.
You should know that there are two electrical currents. On the one hand single-phase and on the other hand three-phase. The single-phase will be perfect for appliances powered up to 230 V, whereas the three-phase is suitable for appliances powered up to 400 V. A three-phase fryer will consume a little less power and will heat up faster.
The gas supply
The oil pan is heated by one or more burners (as on a stove for example). Gas fryers consume much less energy than an electric fryer because you can connect it directly to mains gas or gas cylinders. The vast majority of gas fryers have a cold zone.
Selection criteria
Power
The power can change dramatically from one fryer to another. You can find professional fryers ranging from 2 kW to 90 kW. It is very important to select the right power for the use you will make of it. For example, when you are going to put frozen products in your hot oil, the oil will drop in temperature, so you need a fryer with enough power to raise the temperature as quickly as possible.
The choice of power depends on the amount of fries you want to produce. If, for example, you produce more than 2 kg of fries, choose a model with a minimum of 5 kW.
The average power per litre of fat is around 0.7 kW for fresh fries. Count 1 kW/litre for frozen products.
A little tip to find out if your deep fryer is powerful enough:
Cook your frozen fries (your usual quantity) in oil at 173°C for 7 minutes. If after these 7 minutes your fries are cooked as you want them, then the power of your deep fryer is perfect. However, if they come out covered in oil, the power is too low or if on the contrary they are overcooked, then the power is too high.
Capacity
The capacity of your tanks defines the yield as well as the production volume. There are professional fryers from 1 to 5 tanks. A 5-tank fryer is perfectly suited for repeated and intensive use in an establishment where French fries are the order of the day.
Depending on the fryer, the tank capacity varies from 4 to more than 15 litres, so you have a wide range of choices to choose from. Don't forget that the larger your tank, the more satisfied customers will be.
Here is a list with the different capacities and the production rate.
3 to 4 litres => 4 to 7 kg per hour
5 litres => 10 kg per hour
8 to 10 litres => 15 to 18 kg per hour
15 litres => 25 kg per hour
Quality of stainless steel
In order to benefit from a device of excellent quality, stainless steel is one of the best materials to ensure robustness and ease of maintenance.
Thermostat
The thermostat is a control knob that will be very useful for adjusting the temperature of your tanks. The temperature must be adequate according to your preparation, which is why the thermostat must be precise.
Usually the temperature of a deep fryer rises to 180-200°C. The presence of a thermostat allows you not to exceed this temperature in order not to damage your appliance.
Timer
The timer will be very useful to indicate when the fries will be cooked. You will just need to remember to turn it on.