How To Make Deep Fryer Oil Last Longer
A commercial fryer is an integral part of most commercial kitchens. If your restaurant serves burgers or sandwiches with fries, it’s a safe bet your patrons will try a French fry before biting into a burger. That first bite can set the tone for an entire meal. Deep fryer oil is an organic compound, meaning it will break down over time just like any other food product. If your fryer’s oil is old or improperly maintained, the quality and taste of your product will suffer. Here are tips to extend the life of fryer oil to keep food quality high and save money.
Tips for Making Fryer Oil Last Longer
- Cover the fryer – Air breaks down oil through oxidation and vaporization. To combat oxidation, cover fryers when they are not in use after shutting them down.
- Manage the oil temperature – Heat also breaks down oil, so fry below 350 degrees Fahrenheit and decrease to 280 during lulls in meal service. Overheating oil wears it out quickly and can ruin it if it’s heated to the smoking point. Using the best deep fryer oil for your business is important as well. Many higher volume operations use vegetable oil for deep frying.
- Avoid moisture from getting into the oil – The mixture of oil and water forms acidic compounds that affect the taste of your food. All foods you fry will have some moisture inside, but you can fight this by shaking ice crystals off frozen product before frying and by shaking off excess batter.
- Season after frying – Salt and other seasonings cause oil to bond and become thicker, darker and foamy, especially when frying foods that leave behind more particles. This will cause your fried product to absorb more oil and produce undesirable colors and flavors in your food. Only season after frying.
- Filter oil regularly – Have an authorized technician install a deep fryer filtration system or use filter paper to make oil last longer. How often you change oil depends on what you fry, its volume and how often. For example, breaded foods like chicken and fish leave behind more particles, meaning the oil will require more filtration than a vat devoted to just making French fries.
- Test oil frequently – Use testing strips to test the lifecycle of your fryer oil. There are also vials which show what the fryer oil looks like when it is new, when it can be reused or needs to be replaced.
- Use oil stabilizers – There are numerous antioxidant oil stabilizers on the market which are designed to improve the lifespan of fryer shortening and oil. When used in conjunction with fryer filtration systems, reusing deep fryer oil will double its lifespan and you’ll use less oil on top offs.
- Clean the vat before refilling – Eventually, you’ll need to refill the deep fryer with a new batch of oil. Cleaning the fryer vat before refilling is very important because the buildup of food particles will degrade new oil quickly. Always follow your manufacturer’s maintenance instructions.
Proper care of your fryer oil will save you money in materials cost. As a result it also can help generate revenue when you continuously serve consistently high-quality fried foods to your customers.