Everyone loves fried food—it’s an American classic. The possibilities for creative dishes are endless. Here, we’re going to break down the different types of commercial fryers and their benefits to help you find the best fryer for your space, staff, and menu.
Types of Commercial Deep Fryers
Stand-Alone Fryers
Stand-alone fryers are the most common in the industry. The different types allow you to accomplish a range of tasks.
Typically, stand-alone fryers are for kitchens that have a menu heavily oriented toward fried food. For restaurants or kitchens that serve French fries, onion rings, fried appetizers or fried chicken, these units will deliver. Stand-alone units are ideal for daily use—they are durable, easy and safe to operate, and simple to maintain. Plus, stand-alone fryers are available in a variety of deep fryer sizes and configurations (from freestanding to battery).
Stand-alone fryers come in four different styles: gas tube type, gas open pot, gas flat bottom and electric. They differ in their heating methods and in vat shape and size.
Tube Type Fryers
Designed to have a designated cold zone at the bottom of the tank, tube type fryers work best for frying foods that produce a lot of sediment, such as freshly-breaded fish or chicken. The cold zone also helps extend oil life.
Open Pot Fryers
Great for high volume frying, open pot fryers have their heating elements on the outside of the fry pot, rather than inside. This makes this style easy to clean and best for low-sediment items and frozen foods.
Flat Bottom Fryer
Ideal for foods with wet batter or dough, flat bottom fryers allow foods to sink and rise as they cook.
Electric Fryer
Similar in design to tube type fryers, these fryers use electricity to heat oil. Heating elements are submerged in the oil, causing fast recovery and high energy efficiency.
Countertop Fryers
Countertop fryers are best for smaller kitchens or restaurants that do not have a fry-heavy menu. These units offer many of the benefits of stand-alone units in a more compact size. In some cases, they can hold the same amount of food inside the frypot, use less oil and take up less space.
Smaller electric countertop fryers can be unplugged and moved around the kitchen easily.
Electric or Gas Fryer?
The choice of electric or gas for your fryer depends primarily on your access and the relative costs of each power supply in your location.
Finding the Right Size Commercial Deep Fryer for Your Business
To determine what size deep fryer is best for your business, you first need to know and understand how much food you will be frying and how often. At Vulcan, our team can assess your menu, your staff and your kitchen to determine the best fryer for you. Reach out to us today to get the best fryer for your operation.
About the Author
Vulcan, a division of ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, is a leading manufacturer of cooking equipment in the U.S. with a broad line of products including ranges, convection, and combi ovens, fryers, griddles, charbroilers, steamers, braising pans, kettles and heated holding cabinets. Vulcan sells both to the foodservice and food retail end-user segments, including chain and independent restaurants, hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, K-12 schools, colleges/universities, hotels, casinos, recreation, corrections, and grocery stores.
