Commercial gas deep fryers - Practical Tips for Buyers

Foodservice businesses selling deep-fried foods need efficient gas fryers. While there is also an electrical variant of deep fryers, they often lack the capacity to serve the high demands of busy restaurants. Commercial gas deep fryers are powerful and are available in different specifications so that the buyers can choose as per their needs.

If you are planning to get a new gas deep fryer for your restaurant or food service, these essential tips are worth your consideration,

• Decide the type

Depending on the design and functionalities gas fryers are categorised into three different varieties – countertop, floor-standing and speciality. As the name suggests, the countertop version comes as a compact unit that can be placed on the counter. It saves floor space and is ideal for frying small items, like fries and chicken wings but not the thicker meat pieces.

These models are also not suitable if you make a lot of deep-fried items throughout the day.
For preparing fried foods in high volume, the powerful floor-standing models are most apt.

Floor-standing models offer great versatility as far as the type of food to be prepared is concerned. On the other hand, the speciality models are commonly used in bakeries, and outdoor concession stands for frying items like doughnut and corn dogs.

You should decide the type according to your specific needs.

• Decide the fuel type

In gas fryers, there are two variants, Natural Gas and Liquid Propane. Both types have their specific strengths and weaknesses. Both NG and Propane produces high heat that warms up the oil quickly reducing recovery time. Both types ensure even heating and maintain proper cooking temperature.

However, for NG, there’s no portability option, you essentially need access to a hard-line, whereas propane is highly portable and enables you to use the unit anywhere. On the downside, propane is more expensive than Natural Gas, and if you are opting for a propane-based device, you also need to stock the fuel.

The good thing is, the fuel type, NG or Propane can be changed easily in this device by adding a small kit to the unit. So, if you are not sure about which gas type will suit you better, there’s no need to worry. Talk to your supplier if you need to change the gas type for your appliance.

• Calculate the right size
Deciding on the right side of the appliance is an important point that often confuses the buyers. A smaller unit will not meet the demands and restrict any scope of scaling up, whereas a bigger unit for which you do not have fair use will cost you more for operation and maintenance. When it comes to deciding the size, minutely consider factors like portion size as well as the expected demand of the item per hour.

The thumb rule is, a high-quality gas deep fryer will produce 1.5x – 2x volume of foods of its oil capacity per hour. So, if the appliance has an oil capacity of 15 pounds, it will make 22 – 30 pounds of fried foods per hour. For smaller items like French fries, the amount should be estimated at 30pounds, and for bigger pieces, like chicken thighs, it should be around 22pounds.

Once you have calculated the expected volume of the fried item you will need per hour to meet the demands; it’s time to consider other factors like higher rush on holidays or serving a bigger portion or maybe adding up another deep-fried food to the menu as the first one start doing well. So, always buy a reasonably bigger size than the calculated volume.

• Quality and Warranty

For any commercial kitchen equipment, quality is a serious concern. You should not spend on an appliance that will not serve you long or will need regular repairing. Spend on high-quality equipment that comes with a warranty on labour and parts from a commercial gas deep fryers supplier in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, etc. with a good reputation in the market.

Buying high-quality commercial kitchen equipment need not be a hassle. Follow the tips mentioned above and see how easily you find the right product.