Commercial Gas Fryers

Common Questions About Commercial Gas Fryers

What are my gas fryer options?

Finding the right model for your restaurant comes down to knowing which types of food you're going to be cooking, how much you'll need, and how frequently you'll be cooking in a day. There are three basic types of gas fryers in this category, and although some of them can cook most foods fairly well, they each suit a different type of food. A variety of specialty options are also available to help your business run more efficiently and produce a more consistent product.

Flat bottom, open pot, and tube type are the main varieties of gas deep fryer we offer. The difference between them comes down mostly to the way their frypot – the vat that contains the oil – is designed. Some are flat, while others are shaped so that loose food and breading can be caught at the bottom and stay cool, preventing the particles from burning. The type of food you want to cook will determine which style is the best choice.

How can I select a gas deep fryer based on food type?

Battered Food

If you're serving mostly wet-battered, free-floating items, such as fish and tempura, go for a flat-bottom model. This style of commercial gas deep fryer features a simple rectangular frypot that's heated from underneath by gas burners. They're designed for foods that'll lose a lot of breading, most of which will float to the top and need to be skimmed off. Sediment at the bottom will also need to be cleaned several times throughout the course of operation. These are utilitarian pieces of equipment that can fry anything from catfish to candy bars (in separate vats), but they require the most attention for cleaning.

Frozen Foods

If it's mostly frozen food you'll be serving, especially French fries and prebreaded snacks such as cheese sticks and jalapeño poppers, an open-pot design might suit your needs best. Like the flat-bottom version, these units have frypots that are heated from the outside. The main difference is the shape – open-pot models have bottoms that slope down into a cold zone where sediment collects and stays cool to prevent burning. These fryers must be cleaned regularly but can handle higher volumes than a flat-bottomed version.

High Sediment

For powerful, all-purpose frying, choose a tube-type model. These units are heated from inside the frypot by tubes that contain gas flames – a design that lends itself to energy efficiency and quick recovery times. They have larger cold zones to catch more sediment than an open pot, so they're good for high-sediment breaded foods, such as chicken.

Concession Foods

Donut fryers are equipped with special racks that fit the dimensions of the frypot for moving snacks in and out safely and quickly. Funnel cake fryers are very similar, but they come with rings used to form batter into the shape of a cake. Finally, corn dog fryers include special clip rails that hold the famous snacks in place while they fry.

Snacks and Appetizers

Although most countertop commercial gas fryers are powered by electricity, a few use gas. These compact models are designed for cooking in low volumes in places that only fry a few batches a day or in establishments that need a separate unit for special dishes and appetizers such as onion rings that must be cooked separately to avoid flavor transfer.

What are my commercial gas deep fryer specialty options?

Because a gas fryer is one of the most in-demand pieces of equipment in the kitchen, several innovations have been made to make them more efficient and user friendly:

• Oil is gradually lost as it's absorbed by food and evaporates into the air, so an automatic top off feature keeps oil at an optimal level. This can save on labor and keep your equipment running efficiently.
• Basket lifts are controlled by a timer and will automatically lift baskets out of the oil when the cooking time is finished. This can cut down on operator error, free up staff to do other tasks, and prevent overcooked and burned food.
• High-efficiency fryers are designed with cutting-edge features that conserve energy. Innovations such as atmospheric burners can cook foods using less fuel than traditional technology.
• In most kitchens, a commercial gas fryer needs to be installed underneath a hood to vent away grease-laden vapors and dangerous fumes from combustion. When no room is available under your hood, consider a ventless model that includes a built-in system to remove harmful vapors.
• Programmable controls can aid your staff members in cooking different items, storing details such as cook time and temperature for multiple recipes so they don't have to tend to every step in the process. This feature can reduce operator errors in kitchens where staff turnover is high.
• A melt cycle is essential for the efficient use of solid shortening, which can be burned and cause damage to the frypot if it's not brought to cooking temperatures gradually. Some fryers also include features to preheat liquid oil, which can extend the oil's life by avoiding rapid changes in temperature that can break the product down faster.
• Choose a fryer with a split pot if you want to avoid taste transfer as you cook two different products at the same time.
• Most restaurants that want to have popular sides such as French fries on hand will have a dump station. To save a little room and money up front, choose a fryer with a built-in dump station.
• Filtering your deep fryer oil is the most important step you can take to extend its life and keep your fried products tasting fresh batch after batch. Choose a gas deep fryer with a built-in filter to make the process quick and painless.