Understanding Restaurant Equipment: A Variety of Fryers

May 15, 2018

You may think of a fryer as a simple machine with a basket and hot oil.

If you do, you don’t quite understand this restaurant equipment. You’re missing out on the enormous range of different fryers available! The truth is there are four very different types of commercial fryers, each with their own ideal uses and space requirements. So whether you own a food truck, a small store, or a large restaurant, you can find a fryer perfect for you!

Tube Fryer

A tube fryer has a series of tubes running through the bottom of the vat. They house gas-powered burners, allowing even heat distribution and good energy efficiency. A tube fryer is highly versatile and has a large “cold zone” where sediment from fried items can settle without burning. The cold zone is below the tubes, however, which can make it hard to reach and clean that area. Also, the cold zone still has oil, which means that a large cold zone uses a lot of oil that could be heated for cooking. A tube fryer is ideal restaurant equipment for high-sediment fried items like breaded cheese sticks, breaded fish, or other non-battered items. Because they are versatile, if you only have room for one fryer, this may be the best choice.

Open Pot Fryer

Open pot fryers have no tubes, heaters, or other elements inside the fryer. The bottom is wide open and easy to access and clean. The fryer narrows at the bottom into a “V” shape, which is where the cold zone is located. The cold zone is relatively small, which makes an open pot fryer better for low-sediment cooking. Things like French fries, hash browns, or other non-breaded items are ideal.  The heating element is outside the fryer, which means that it can be less energy efficient. However, it is more reliable than a tube fryer, because you don’t have baffles – which can fail – inside tubing to distribute heat.

This easy to clean restaurant equipment is a great choice if you don’t cook a lot of highly breaded items.

Flat Bottom Fryer

A flat bottom fryer is the perfect restaurant equipment for a restaurant or food cart that relies on wet batter and dough. If you spend your time cooking donuts, tempura, onion rings, or battered fish and chicken, this is the fryer you need. Heating elements in a flat bottom fryer are located outside on the bottom of the frypot. The entire bottom surface is a heat-transfer area, and there is no cold zone. Any sediment that falls off of food will continue to cook and burn, so this fryer is not a good choice for breaded items. Also, because of the design, it’s not well-suited for high-volume frying. It needs frequent filtering, but is popular on food trucks and concession stands because they are perfect for battered foods.

Electric Burner Fryers

Have a small space but still need a fryer for some food items? Or maybe you want to fry, but don’t have access to a gas outlet? An electric burner fryer can be perfect. The frypot is quite different – the burners are actually right in the oil itself. They are the most heat-efficient fryers and can recover their temperature much more quickly than the larger gas fryers we’ve covered so far. There is a cold zone below the burners, and the size of the cold zone can vary. This will be a consideration based on how much breaded food you choose to cook. The electric heating elements often lift out or hinge up to allow for easier cleaning. If you want an energy efficient model available in countertop size, the electric burner fryer can be exactly the restaurant equipment you need. Be sure to get a lift out or hinging burner model, however, to avoid frustration while cleaning!

Get the Right Restaurant Equipment Today

Choosing the right fryer for your restaurant doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We can help! Now that you understand the best fryers for each type of cooking, you can get quotes on the exact equipment you need. Contact us today for quotes and availability!

How to Increase Sales From Your Cold Case

How to Increase Sales From Your Cold Case

As we move into May, it’s time to start thinking about ramping up your summer sales. One of the key focuses can be the cold case in your store. This piece of foodservice equipment can really boost your bottom line. A cold case gives you an opportunity to display...

read more
5 Keys to Creating the Perfect Restaurant Seating Areas

5 Keys to Creating the Perfect Restaurant Seating Areas

Restaurants are about so much more than just food. From the setting and layout of your restaurant to your choice of colors, it takes a lot more than an appealing menu to keep diners coming back for more. When setting up your restaurant, booths and chairs are important...

read more
5 Essential Buying Tips for Your Next Food Prep Work Table

5 Essential Buying Tips for Your Next Food Prep Work Table

The right foodservice equipment is pivotal to the efficiency of your kitchen. One of the most important types of foodservice equipment for any kitchen is the work table. With limited room on countertops available for your food prep needs, the cooking process can drag...

read more
Tips for Keeping Your Commercial Sink Sparkling Clean

Tips for Keeping Your Commercial Sink Sparkling Clean

Your commercial kitchen, just like your personal kitchen, must be kept clean at all times. With all of the cooking and food processing you do, it is inevitable that your sink gets messy. Cleaning up your commercial kitchen is incomplete without proper cleaning of your...

read more
Food-Cutting Secrets to Beautiful Dishes

Food-Cutting Secrets to Beautiful Dishes

In the restaurant industry, presentation is often said to be just as important as the food itself. Using the right knowledge, skills and restaurant supplies, you can incorporate creativity into your presentation, making guests feel that they are getting something...

read more
Top Space-Saving Tips for Commercial Kitchens

Top Space-Saving Tips for Commercial Kitchens

Top Space-Saving Tips for Commercial Kitchens Space is always an important consideration when setting up a kitchen, and this is even truer for commercial kitchens. With a strong focus on functionality and the kitchen supplies that meet the needs of your commercial...

read more
5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Mixer

5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Mixer

No one wants to eat off of dirty or tarnished silverware. A stand mixer is a highly useful piece of kitchen equipment to invest in. Although this type of kitchen equipment does not usually come cheap, it can last a lifetime when properly cared for. Despite all your...

read more
Restaurant Prep Tool Selection Simplified

Restaurant Prep Tool Selection Simplified

What’s a restaurant kitchen without high-quality prep tools that can withstand the pressure of frequent use? Whether you already have a restaurant you’re running, or you’re just planning to launch one, one vital factor that could make or mar your business is how you...

read more
Beginner’s Guide to Choosing a Commercial Ice Cream Freezer

Beginner’s Guide to Choosing a Commercial Ice Cream Freezer

Ice cream is a delicious and appealing desert treat for everyone, young or old. Having made the decision to sell ice cream to your customers, whether you have a restaurant, convenience store, or specialty ice cream parlor, it is time to begin stocking up on the right...

read more
How to Choose the Right Kitchen Scales for Your Restaurant

How to Choose the Right Kitchen Scales for Your Restaurant

A food scale is an essential item in every restaurant’s store of kitchen supplies. Designed to take the guesswork out of food measurement and maintain consistent food serving sizes, food scales are indispensable kitchen supplies in the commercial kitchen. With such a...

read more
Beer Chilling Systems: Which Type Is Right for My Restaurant?

Beer Chilling Systems: Which Type Is Right for My Restaurant?

A refrigeration unit is integral to the functioning of any restaurant. Beers are best served cold - there’s no questioning that! But which beer chilling system is the best? From reach-in coolers to glycol chillers, a beer chilling system is an important piece of...

read more
What Equipment Will I Need to run a Food Truck?

What Equipment Will I Need to run a Food Truck?

There’s a lot of planning that goes into starting your own food truck business. Before you hit the road with your delicious food offerings, you’ll need to fill up your truck with all the right foodservice equipment. Considering the lengthy list of possible items to be...

read more
8 Types of Food Thermometers: What You Need To Know

8 Types of Food Thermometers: What You Need To Know

Food thermometers are essential restaurant supplies for your commercial kitchen. They ensure that foods prepared in your commercial kitchen are cooked to the right temperature and held at that temperature for as long as necessary to kill any harmful bacteria. This...

read more
How to Identify the Best Food Processor for Your Needs

How to Identify the Best Food Processor for Your Needs

Highly versatile and extremely efficient, food processors are designed to take away the hard work from repetitive kitchen activities. This type of cooking equipment can quickly become an invaluable tool in your kitchen. From chopping, to shredding, grinding, mincing,...

read more