Commercial fryers are a core piece of equipment in the majority of professional kitchens and where there is a fryer there is a necessity for cooking oil. Gone are the days of equipping yourself with a bucket and a towel to manually filter cloudy oil to get every last use out of it – you can now invest in a heavy duty fryer with built in oil filtration that can do the job for you.
Fryers and Filtration; Making an Informed Choice
Do I Need a Filter System?
If you frequently cook heavily battered or crumbed foods you will generally need more frequent oil changes. Instead of changing oil completely every time or messing around with manual filtering, an integral filter system makes much more sense. Ideally it is recommended that oil be filtered between each busy service to achieve the cleanest and tastiest results; whilst a tall order manually, oil filtration can cope with minimum fuss.
When browsing for commercial fryers with oil filtration don’t be alarmed. These advanced models may have a larger price tag but are well worth the investment. Not only do you save on the buying and disposing of oil and the manual labour during cleaning but also improve the overall lifespan of your equipment, making the initial extra cost back over time through operational savings. Plus you’re doing your bit for the environment by reducing waste oil. Don’t weigh up price on initial investment alone but rather the total cost of purchase and operation throughout the entire lifetime of your fryer.
Why Should I Opt for a Fryer with Oil Filtration?
- Reduced oil consumption leads to reduced running costs and increased savings.
- Oil life and overall lifespan of the fryer are extended.
- Fewer oil changes mean fewer man hours and less elbow grease.
How Does it Work?
When food is fried, pieces of batter or breadcrumbs will inevitably dislodge. This debris food will break down as the oil is reused and reheated. At first larger pieces can be skimmed out but eventually continual refrying will further break down the particles meaning they become too fine for common strainers. If left unchecked, oil will become cloudy and will lose colour and form leading to less effective frying and below par results. Rather than manual methods which bring increased safety hazards and a good deal more mess, filtration systems make light work of this time consuming task. Internal filters allow oil to pass through unobstructed yet trap food particles and sediment along with any oil contaminants separating them from the main product.
Simplicity and Convenience
Before starting the filtering process the unit must be switched off. The dirty oil is released from the tank, draining through internal filters which remove any sediment. The filtered product is then pumped back through to the tank ready for reuse. Filters can be removed and cleaned in the sink before being replaced ready for the next time. From start to finish the whole filtration process takes on average 5 minutes and can even be done when the oil is still hot for ultimate convenience. Check out this video from Falcon demonstrating exactly how simple increasing the life of your oil can be.
We Recommend
- [product sku="OG8115_OP"]
This outstanding single tank fryer from the Opus 800 range offers a 16 litre capacity tank and uses a two stage oil filtration process to remove particles and contaminants as fine as 0.5 microns, that’s a tiny 0.0005mm, from the frying oil. This feature alone can extend oil life by up to 75%. The whole process is so quick it can even be carried out during service if necessary. Not only are you guaranteed increased oil life, but independent tests also show 97% energy efficiency for this model. By mixing air and gas this unit delivers optimum combustion efficiency and unlike typical gas fryers that expel heat to the atmosphere, this model channels it back into the unit meaning that minimum heat energy is wasted.
- [product sku="E421F"]
Offering an independently controlled twin tank design, each pan holding 10 litres, you are in a position to produce a greater variety of fried foods with minimal risk of cross contamination. Designed with high performance elements and rapid heat recovery you can increase your output whilst guaranteeing quality results. This model also benefits from a filtration system to extend oil life and reduce running costs. Quick and simple to do, dirty oil can be filtered and ready for reuse in a matter of minutes.