How To Make Deep Fryer Oil Last Longer
A commercial fryer is an integral part of most commercial kitchens. If your restaurant serves meals with a side of fries, it’s a safe bet your patrons will try a French fry before biting into their meal. 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
For starters, you can make deep fryer oil last longer by covering the fryer when not in use to avoid vaporization, using test strips to know when to replace the existing oil and more. Here are a few other tips:
- Manage the oil temperature
- Avoid moisture from getting into the oil
- Season after frying
- Filter oil regularly
- Use oil stabilizers
- Clean the vat before refilling
Let’s dive deeper into how to make cooking oil last longer below:
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 from your fried foods 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.
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 material costs. As a result it also can help generate revenue when you continuously serve consistently high-quality fried foods to your customers.