Best Practice in Caring for a Commercial Fryer

As a restaurant owner, you want to provide an enjoyable experience for your guests. Whether you are serving up the best burgers and fries in town, or a fine dining restaurant offering world-class cuisine, the condition of your commercial fryer impacts the taste, safety, and appearance of the food you serve. In order to keep your fryer working properly, it requires regular commercial fryer maintenance. Here are best practices for caring for your commercial fryer.

Proper Boil-Out Cleanings

Commercial fryers perform best when you conduct regular “boil-out” cleanings. This is a good way to avoid the need for commercial fryer repairs. Boil-outs are especially important to maintain the quality of your food, while also avoiding food-borne illnesses for your customers. The process should be completed once per month or when the oil begins to appear darker, smells bad, or has an odd consistency. The boil out requires the removal of old oil, which ensures top quality for the food you fry. Follow these steps:

Interior Commercial Fryer Cleaning

• Turn off the fryer.
• Shut off the gas supply inlet and pilot light for gas fryers.
• Ensure the oil and fryer are completely cooled.
• Use an oil pan drum below the drain to drain the oil.
• If the oil stops draining or doesn’t drain completely, check the drain valve for blockages and remove them.
• Once the oil drains, close the drain valve.
• Wipe out the interior using a clean cloth or paper towels.
• Fill the fryer tank with cool water and add a deep fat fryer cleaner liquid based on the instructions. You can find a selection of cleaning products here.
• Turn back on the gas supply to the fryers and re-light pilots.
• Turn the heater on and boil the water with your baskets in place for about 20 to 30 minutes.
• If you have heavy build-ups or carbon deposits, you will have to boil the water longer to remove everything.
• Make sure you keep an eye on the fryer and keep it at a temperature that allows a slow boil. If the water is on too high, it can boil over and cause burns.
• Once it looks like everything is removed, turn the fryer off and let the water cool down.
• Follow the same process used to release the oil, to drain the water.
• Use a long-handled brush to scrub the walls as the water drains.
• Flush away the cleaning solution with clean water.
• Wipe down the interior and then let the fryer rest until it is completely dry.
• Make sure all parts including the baskets are completely dry and then close the drain valve. Never refill and use the fryer baskets if there are wet parts as this can cause dangerous spattering, leading to burns.

Fill your fryer with fresh oil, or if the oil you removed is still clean, you can recycle it. Never reuse rancid, cloudy, discolored, or smelly oil.

Exterior Commercial Fryer Cleaning

Use a grill cleaner to degrease the surfaces of the fryer and remove food debris and grime, a scrubbing pad will help remove stubborn buildup. You can shop for cleaning products here.

Wipe the cleaning solution away with a clean damp cloth and then allow the surfaces to air dry.  Never use harsh cleaning chemicals on touch controls or displays as it will damage them.  Use only warm water or cleaning products recommended by your manufacturer.

As the last step always make sure you thoroughly clean the floor in the area to remove grease and cleaners that can lead to slips and falls. These care tips will keep your commercial air fryer operating properly, and your food tasting delicious.

If you are in need of commercial fryer maintenance or repairs, we at General Parts Group are here to help.  Call us to set an appointment or submit a Book Service form here.