How to extend frying oil life – Henny Penny

01/03/2024

We’re back with more helpful tips to ensure your frying endeavors are a sizzling success! In this blog, we’re exploring how you can extend the life of valuable frying oil, which is an increasingly expensive consumable for commercial kitchens. By implementing a few simple practices, you can keep your oil fresher for longer, resulting in better-tasting food and a more cost-effective frying program. Here’s how: 

 

1. Filter Frequently

One of the key steps in prolonging the life of your frying oil is regular filtering. Filtering helps remove food particles, crumbs, and impurities that accumulate during the frying process. These contaminants break down frying oil faster and negatively impact the taste and quality of your fried foods. In fact, there are several harmful consequences of not filtering your oil. 

How often you should be filtering depends on what you are frying, how much of it you are frying, how old your oil is, and many other factors. It can get pretty complex, which is why we created an Interactive Filter Frequency worksheet to help operators calculate just how often they should be filtering. 

Henny Penny fryers come standard with a built-in oil filtration system for fast and convenient filtering. And our newest low oil volume fryer, F5, features a 3-minute filter cycle that’s 25% faster than any other commercial fryer on the market.

 

2. Top Off Frying Oil

As you continue to fry load after load of crispy perfection, the oil level naturally decreases. Topping off your frying oil can help compensate for this loss and extend the overall life of the oil. Adding fresh oil also allows the oil to be “broken in” much faster than with complete refills, keeping the oil in the coveted “sweet spot” for a longer period of time. 

Several Henny Penny fryer models including the Velocity, F5 electric, and Evolution Elite gas are built with Oil Guardian™ automatic top-off to help high-volume operators maintain the right balance and get the most out of their oil. 

3. Avoid the Enemies of Oil

To preserve your frying oil, it’s crucial to protect it from its enemies. Heat, air, moisture, salt, soap and carbon build-up are the primary culprits that can accelerate oil degradation. Here are quick tips for battling each of these weaknesses: 

  • Heat – Cook at the lowest temperature possible and take advantage of features like idle mode. 
  • Air – For traditional fryers, use vat covers. For pressure fryers, keep the lid closed. 
  • Moisture – Always load frying baskets away from the fryer. 
  • Salt – Salt product at a station away from the fryer. 
  • Soap – Use only the cleaning solutions recommended by your fryer’s manufacturer. 
  • Carbon – Filter often so food particles don’t build up. 

Learn all about the enemies of oil (and learn how to defeat them) here. 

 

4. Educate Crew Members

Properly training and educating your crew members is essential in maintaining the longevity of your frying oil. Teach them the importance of adhering to the recommended frying programs, the significance of proper filtration, and the risks associated with neglecting oil maintenance. 

By fostering a culture of oil care and educating your team, you ensure that everyone is working together to maximize the lifespan of your frying oil. 

We understand that the current labor situation practically guarantees that there will always be inexperienced staff, which makes training time an ongoing issue. That’s why we built the new F5 fryer with an intuitive control that basically allows crew members to train themselves as they do the work. 

 

5. Leverage Prime Filter

When it comes to filtering frying oil, a high-quality oil life extender can double or even triple your oil life. Henny Penny Prime Filter products act as magnets to attract and remove even the smallest impurities that deteriorate oil quality and spoil fried foods. By leveraging Prime Filter products, you can elevate the quality and lifespan of your frying oil, ultimately enhancing the taste of your fried foods and significantly extending oil life. 

 

With these simple yet effective practices, you can maximize the life of your frying oil, reduce costs, and produce consistently delicious fried foods. Put these tips to the test and enjoy long-lasting, high-quality frying oil! And if you need help, FoodServ Solutions would be happy to help you implement an ongoing oil management program. 

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