There are many commercial fryers on the market today. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide which commercial air fryer to choose. The following information can help you choose the right air fryer for your business.
What size commercial fryer do I need?
Determining the size of the commercial fryer you need is the first step in choosing the right fryer for your business.
- Fuel tank capacity
Tank size determines the capacity of most commercial air fryers. Still, the number of french fries you can hold at one time or fry in an hour dictates some fryer sizes.
Typical fryer tank capacity is measured in pounds of oil it holds. Typically, a 40 lb deep fryer holds 40 lbs of frying oil. As a rule of thumb, a good commercial air fryer can produce up to twice the weight of oil per hour. So a 40 lb deep fryer can produce 60 to 80 lbs of food per hour.
To determine the correct commercial air fryer size for your business, use this formula as a starting point.
Amount of food/hour = (1.50 x (Fryer size in lbs)) x (Number of fryers)
We use 1 ½ times the capacity of the deep fryer as a multiplier to determine minimum food volume requirements.
Example: We need to fry 120 pounds of French fries per hour.
How many 40 lb fryers do we need? Or, will a 40lb commercial deep fryer meet our needs?
120 pounds of chips/1 hour = (1.50 x (40)) x (number of fryers)
120 = 60 x (number of fryers)
120/60 = (number of fryers)
2 = (number of fryers)
Therefore, we quickly determined that two deep fryers were needed to meet our expected output.
Is that all that is necessary to determine the correct size commercial air fryer? No. This is just a quick start calculation to give you a rough estimate. Here are some additional considerations for making a more informed decision.
Tank size
Tank size is a topic that is often overlooked and not given enough consideration. If you’re frying french fries, it doesn’t matter as much because they’re a small item in a pile. If you are frying larger items, consider verifying that the fryer tank is large enough to accommodate your items.
For example, you are a specialty restaurant that serves fish boards as a side dish. Does the tank size allow the planks to fit the way they should, or is the length too short to fit without folding or breaking?
Recovery Time
Recovery time is the time it takes for the oil in a commercial deep fryer to return to the optimum cooking temperature after submerging food in the oil. If left too long, the food will taste greasy and feel soggy and saturated. This will impact food and operating costs as food absorbs more oil with each cycle of use.
The faster the oil returns to operating temperature, the more efficient the fryer will be and the faster the cycle time will be. Fast recovery times and short cycle times allow more food to be processed per hour. The tradeoff is the running cost per cycle.
Manufacturer specification sheets list recovery and cycle times for each unit for easy comparison.
other considerations
While a quick calculation can give you an idea of what’s going on, there are other factors to consider. For example, recovery and cycle times, fryer type, deposit type, power supply and other information.
Commercial Fryer Types
Fryer type is the second most common question we get when determining the right commercial fryer for your business.
This is an important decision as it often has the greatest impact on operating costs.
gas or electricity
Gas is traditionally specified for fast cycle times and large amounts of food per hour. Commercial electric fryers are designed for small-volume or infrequently used appliances. However, the increased efficiency of all appliances and the Energy Star appliance certification of some commercial fryers means that these traditions need to be reviewed for your specific use and location.
When specifying a commercial electric fryer, do you need a single phase, 120 volts, or 220 volts? Or, does your specified fryer require three-phase power to operate? Does your power supply support the required power requirements? If you don’t have a suitable power supply, do you have room on your panel to add the necessary power supply?