When the chips are down

Once upon a time, the only considerations that really mattered when buying a new deep-fat fryer for a pub were its frying speed and cost.

Cooking speed for chips is still important and manufacturers commonly rate the performance of a fryer in "chips per hour", but new performance factors have emerged.

Price is always an influential factor, but as with many other items of kitchen equipment, the cost of a deep-fat fryer when calculated against its lifespan tends to take priority over its price tag.

The chips-per-hour rating can serve as a useful guide, but energy used in the production of fried food also demands attention.

Logic dictates that those with the most to gain from lower energy consumption combined with cooking efficiency are the big chain operators who produce vast amounts of chips and fried food across their extensive nationwide estates.

While chain restaurants can make huge savings through higher levels of frying efficiency, Lincat marketing and export director Nick McDonald says smaller operators can also benefit enormously.

"Energy efficiency is just as important to the independent pubs as to the chain pubs - probably more so," he says.

"In smaller independent pub kitchens, operating budgets tend to be tighter and economies of scale are harder to find. Fryers may not be in constant use by these establishments, so finding a suitable fryer with a quick heat-up time and fast oil-temperature recovery ability can become an important purchasing issue."

With a product range of 29 deep-fat fryers varying from light to heavy-duty, Lincat focuses on product efficiency as a key fryer design issue. Design developments include frying baskets that fit more snugly into the fry tank, saving energy by not heating more oil than is necessary.

Lincat thermostats are designed to be much more sensitive to temperature drops, kicking in after the heat varies by just 2% from the setting. This ensures energy is not wasted by the need to bring the oil back up to the temperature required for efficient frying. Tank insulation on more powerful fryers reduces heat loss and maximises energy efficiency.

McDonald says that frying the optimum basket load is a key factor: pub kitchens need to avoid using too little product, which can waste energy, or overloading the fry basket, which affects hourly production and delivers poorer, over-saturated food.

The Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA) points out that pubs o often fail to realise the level of wasted energy costs arising from fryers that are switched on permanently.

CESA director Keith Warren recommends best practice is to make sure power is only consumed when kitchen equipment is in use.

"A lot of older fryers were designed at a time when output performance rather than energy consumption was of primary concern," he says.

"No pub kitchen wants to get rid of a fryer that may still have some life left, but continued use of an inefficient fryer can end up costing its owners more than replacement of equipment."

Cooking oil

Cooking oil is a significant and fundamental cost element in deep-fat frying, but it can have a very short fry-tank life.

Constant heating breaks down oil gradually, but overheating resulting from leaving an inactive fryer switched on has a rapid and destructive effect on the oil.

The type of food product used also affects oil quality and lifespan - items such as breaded or battered foods accelerate the breakdown process as food debris carbonises through constant hot-oil immersion.

Salt in fried items such as sausages can cause oil to degenerate quickly.

Tell-tale signs of oil past its use-by date include discoloration, an acrid smell and decreased ability to crisp fried food quickly. Any pub with a heavy throughput of chips and coated products should run a separate fryer for each type of food.

While oil in the coated-products fryer may need to be changed every week, a dedicated chip fryer can often retain oil in good condition for up to a fortnight.

Frying in out-dated oil increases the absorbent tendency of fried food. And a strong burnt taste, prevailing over the food ingredient, usually indicates the final demise of the oil.

Increasingly, fryers have the option of in-built filtration - at the touch of a switch, oil is cleansed of contaminating food debris.

Falcon Foodservice Equipment development chef Neil Roseweir says that Falcon has installed in-built filtration in its Infinity gas fryers and Fri-Fri electric fryers and recommends simple steps for pub chefs to keep oil clean and prolong its life before a filtration need arises.

Roseweir says: "To help preserve oil,

staff in pub kitchens should constantly

skim debris from the fryer with a fine,

flat sieve.

Isa Lennox-Moor, landlady of the food-led Royal Arms at Tockholes on the outer edge of Blackburn in Lancashire, is about to replace both of the pub's fryers. A key factor is the energy consumption.

"At night we're very busy but we don't

do many midweek lunches. However, our

fryers have to be on for two hours throughout lunchtime," she says.

"Our old fryers have no stand-by

heat setting to reduce their oil temperature - it stays at 180°C, even when they are

inactive."

Isa admits the pub's oil maintenance system is less than scientific: the oil is changed every Monday morning. Plus, the pub buys good-quality oil and uses separate fryers for chips and coated products.

Tips on choosing a fryer

Nick McDonald, Lincat marketing & export director

A cheap fryer with an unfamiliar brand name is likely to have been imported. The price may be low, but is it a real bargain?

Possibly not. The smart way to buy catering equipment is to consider whole-life cost as well as studying the purchase price. That means taking into account purchase, operational and maintenance costs and life expectancy and setting those factors against performance and profit potential.

There are several ways for the money you save by buying a cheap fryer to disappear rapidly - for example in servicing or repairing defects. Spares can be expensive to import or impossible to obtain. And the chances of a part arriving within a couple of weeks could be remote. Don't forget to think about the loss of earnings which can result from your fryer breaking down.

If you purchase a recognised brand it is more likely that the part will arrive within 24 hours using normal distribution systems.

Buyers should purchase from a reputable UK-based manufacturer, not out of some altruistic sense of national pride, but because it makes good business sense.

Lincat offers a range of 29 commercial fryers, ranging from a 2.5kW electric counter-top model at £199 to a 32kW free-standing gas twin-tank model at £2644.

For more information contact Lincat on 01522 875500.

Hot air means cooking's a blast

The Bishop of Norwich bar in Moorgate, London, is part of the 44-strong family-owned Davy's Wine Bars chain. Managed by Julian Dove, it is home to one of the UK's most innovative pieces of catering equipment - the Quik 'n' Crispy hot air fryer, supplied by equipment specialists Valera.

"With most of our customers facing time pressures, we are often asked for snack items such as scampi or spring rolls. We'd like to expand our buffet using the Quik 'n' Crispy fryer in the same way as our sister wine bar, the City Boot," Julian says. "The Quik 'n' Crispy is fast and effective - it reduces our cooking time by up to 50% of the pack's cooking instructions."

Valera's hot-air fryer dispenses with the need for bulky and expensive ventilation system and oils. For more information contact Valera on

01708 869593.

Products

Ital fryers

Ital offers four fryers, ranging from the FR4 single-pan four-litre model to the double-pan eight-litre FR8/2 model. All are compact and ideal for pubs with occasional deep-frying needs, especially where space is at a premium.

Ital fryers have easy-clean stainl