At Flexikitch, we believe in deep-fried happiness. Fried food is found anywhere and everywhere. Supermarkets expanded their offering from just roast chooks to chicken strips. Sushi franchises produce tempura battered prawns for their sushi rolls even in the absence of a kitchen. Bakeries offer donuts without having access to the huge purpose-built Willy Wonka conveyor fryer found at Krispy Kreme. How about the wedges at those luxe cinemas? Yes, those wedges are fried, just not in the most conventional way. Commercial deep fryers are found in a few categories, including tube-type fryers, open-pot fryers, flat bottom fryers, commercial pressure fryers and the least known; ventless fryers.
Tube-type fryers & open-pot fryers are mostly found in commercial kitchens found in cafes, restaurants, pubs and anything in between. The primary difference between and open pot and a tube-type fryer is how the heat is effectively transferred to the oil. Each respective design has its own benefit. An open-pot fryer such as a Trueheat RCF4 is perfect for foods such as fries, chips and hashbrowns because the V-shaped vat design calls for less oil required to be heated or used for frying. Whereas the tube-type fryer such as an Anets AGG14 will have tubes positioned about one third away from the bottom of the fryer. This design creates a cold zone below the tubes and is profoundly effective at extending the life of the oil by allowing sediments to gravitate away from the tubes to the bottom which resists the sediments from overcooking and tainting the oil. Tube-type fryers are best used for crumbed products such as the ever-trendy panko crumbed katsu-style proteins.
Regardless of trends, the local chippies will always seek out a flat bottom fryer. Perhaps from a local manufacturer such as a Goldstein with their well established FRG24L. These fryers are highly versatile and are typically 3 baskets wide and one of the most important accessories to purchase along with it is a fish plate. As expected, these fryers are used mainly to fry wet-battered foods such as fish. The flat bottom of these fryers encourages the products to float and prevents sticking. However, these fryers typically require 30 litres to almost 50 litres of oil. Rendering it as a huge operation expense for cafes or restaurants.
In another corner of the hospitality world, there are quick service restaurants such as KFC. The majority of these venues will employ pressure fryers from Henny Penny. The capital required to purchase these may seem daunting. However, these fryers are designed with a skilled labour shortage in mind, with programming, integrated oil filtration systems, prompting & tracking etc all built into the fryer to encourage an efficient and safe work environment whilst keeping a consistent record of food quality.
What if you do not need some of the features such as the above? At minimum, and if your business requires a hefty amount of frying, an integrated oil filtration system should be considered as a priority. It aids in extending the life of the oil by making filtration less laborious and with less labour involved, your business will save on more costs. Notable brands such as Frymasters, Pitco, Anets are the few that excels in this segment of the market.
The last and least known product we'd like to cover is a ventless fryer from the Perfect Fry Company. This is truly still a fryer, unlike an air fryer which has captivated the domestic market, still employs the use of oil. The main benefit is that there is a built-in air filtration system to remove odours from the cooking process altogether. These Perfect Fry models are often found in kiosks, convenience stores, petrol stations, bars and clubs, even the cinemas. With its compact footprint, it does not compromise on delivering a properly fried product, making it perfect for all sorts of venues looking to increase their offering.
Other than that, most manufacturers have created fryers for many different needs and nuances. Roband has an offering just for frying donuts. Birko & Anvil has benchtop electric fryers for kitchens that do not necessary require a floor standing model. For venues which can only operate using electricity, most of the brands mentioned above will an electric version of their fryers with Austheat also offering 3-phase versions. There are many ways to achieve deep-fried happiness, get in touch if you have any questions on which is right for you and your business.