Foodservice Equipment in Action: Into the Deep Fryer

Trans-fat concerns don’t diminish consumers’ love of fried foods.

By Lisa Bertagnoli, Special to R&I -- Restaurants & Institutions, 3/1/2007

Even if the menu focus isn’t fried food, most operations need at least one deep-fryer to prepare crowd-pleasing foods consumers love. Seven of 10 people say they ordered french fries in the previous year; nearly half say they’ve enjoyed fried chicken tenders and more than one-fourth have indulged in deep-fried cheese sticks, according to R&I’s Tastes of America Study.

"People still eat fried foods," says Walter Zuromski, chief creative officer at Chef Services Group, a restaurant consulting firm in Lincoln, R.I. "It’s a big menu category, especially in restaurants that appeal to the masses."

Quick-service concepts such as Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits require more than one fryer per location. In fact, each of Bojangles’ 370 units uses five fryers to meet consumer demand, says Claude Clarke, director of engineering and construction for the Charlotte, N.C.-based fried-chicken chain. The chain is rolling out high-efficiency gas fryers in order to reduce fuel costs and cut down on ambient kitchen heat. The fryers "are a little more expensive, but with higher efficiency, we will recoup way more than the additional cost in energy savings," he says.

Each Bojangles’ has three 18-inch fryers and two 14-inch models. All are equipped with several key features: compensating timers, which adjust the cooking time to make up for the dip in oil temperature when cold product is dropped into the fryer; automatic filtering systems (the oil is filtered twice a day, after lunch and after dinner); and pipes for an oil-recovery system. The pipes deliver used fryer oil directly to a tank, saving staff the hassle and danger of manual removal. The piping system can reduce workers’ compensation claims for burns, slips, sore backs and other ailments, Clark says.

The deeper, 18-inch models are used to fry fresh chicken, which is breaded in house and cooked throughout the day. The smaller units prepare Cajun-spiced chicken, fillets for Cajun fillet sandwiches, chicken strips and seasoned fries.

Kitchen workers change the oil at least once a week and keep it free of contaminants that can shorten oil’s life: carbon (from burned food), water and salt. Excessive heat also damages oil, so the chain cooks chicken at 325F.

Currently, 60% of Bojangles’ menu is produced with deep-fryers, leading the chain to consider more nonfried menu items. "We work the fryers very hard already," Clark says.

Lisa Bertagnoli is a Chicago-based freelance writer.