Choosing a Deep Fat Fryer

Here is something that you may not know if you are considering buying a Blue Seal fryer. All foods float in the top two inches of oil in a deep fat fryer while cooking, so this could mean that you have invested in a fryer which is too deep and which is using more oil, and also fuel, than necessary.

The industry-wide performance of a deep fat fryer – including the Blue Seal fryer – is usually measured in the number of pounds of chips per hour it can fry, which sounds sensible on the face of it. However, this could cause you to make the wrong decision, because almost no food outlets have a steady rate of requirements for chips per hour. In many fish and chip shops, and others as well, there is a huge burst of sales at lunch time, so chips per hour doesn’t allow for the fact that in the lunch hour you have to produce a far greater number of chips than at three in the afternoon.

Another point to consider is the type of chips you are frying, and the type of chips quoted in a manufacturer’s figures. For instance, the size of the chips can vary considerably, and also the frying times will vary according to whether you are frying frozen chips, fresh chips, chilled chips, blanched chips, and so on.

Then there is the question of whether to have a gas fryer or an electric one. You can get either a gas Blue Seal fryer or an electric one. Overall, electric fryers are a little cheaper to buy and suitable for anything up to mid volume requirements. If you are frying large quantities, especially chips, then a gas fryer will be more expensive to buy but will be cheaper to run. Operating costs should always be taken into consideration.

There are other factors to consider as well, such as the cool zone required by many gas fryers, and some electric ones as well. The best option – especially in a busy outlet, is to have two fryers – one for chips, and the other for everything else.