# fryer oil



## Guest (Aug 6, 2011)

Ok, so how do I make my oil in commercial deep fryer last longer? I would be willing to filter it twice a wk. although not twice a day evrery day. What other things do I need to know? Are some oils better than others and why? Smoke point or viscosity, impartment of flavor? Do people use lard and oil? Hey can I still use tallow?/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif lol. I change the oil every 10 days, so I go through 60-70 liters a mnth. I should have bought a diesel car. Am looking to extend oil life up to 21 days. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks Taj


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

The 2 best things to do are to buy a quality oil...usually the better stuff doesn't break down as fast. Also, clean the oil every day. If you filter the oil once a day, especially if your fryer gets a heavy workout, it will greatly help. 

Other than that, there is not much you can do. Make sure that, between shifts, you are at least cleaning the oil using a skimmer or something that will filter out some of the gunk. 

Maybe turning the fryer off between services? 

But I would say the 2 biggest things are keeping it clean and using good oil.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

The big questions   What are you frying, how much are you frying, what temps are you frying at. How many hours a day is fryer on.???


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## kieron19 (Aug 6, 2011)

Were i work we clean our oil daily, (Drain, skim, clean fryer and refill) and our oil lasts about 2 months,, (but we only fry about 2KG of chips a day and 50 samoses)


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## thetincook (Jun 14, 2002)

I'd filter and clean at least once a day. If I'm doing a lot of breaded or most items, then I'd try and filter once a service.

If your cooks are leaving a lot of excess flour or moisture on items, that will kill your oil faster. Also if they get salt in the oil from salting fries.

I <3 those fryers with the built in filtration system.


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## fryguy (Sep 2, 2009)

Wow, I would hate to get the fish and chips on day 59 !!!! just sayin'.... I don't think any fryer oil will last that long unless your only open 2 hours a day !!!


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## fryguy (Sep 2, 2009)

sorry was refering to this Quote



Kieron19 said:


> Were i work we clean our oil daily, (Drain, skim, clean fryer and refill) and our oil lasts about 2 months,, (but we only fry about 2KG of chips a day and 50 samoses)


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## left4bread (May 8, 2009)

I'm interested in hearing someone talk about the oil additives out there that are supposed to extend the life of the oil.

I've gotten samples, but haven't really had the time to test them.

I'm sure someone has, though.


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## haole (Jul 9, 2011)

Most additives are garbage. A lot leave a little bit of an aftertaste and can make the oil more 'slimy.'

You should filter at least once a day. Even if you have to manually do it, it's still better to invest a little time every day, then rather then having to replace a unit five years earlier then you normally would.

For general maintence through out the day, A crumb scoop works fairly well, but you'll definitly need a fine mesh skimmer, as well as a clean out rod. I'm a huge fan of http://www.wasserstrom.com/restaurant-supplies-equipment/Product_120252 that one. It holds up fairly well to 350 degree plus tempetures, and is fine enough to get most of the particles. Skim it after every basket, and you'll see a cleaner oil.

We have a pretty wide range of fried items, and some things will destroy oil far faster then others. For example, Chicken karaage kills our oil far faster then chips, so our omnivore fryer needs changing faster then our vegan fryer. When we do a lot of karaage, we probably get 3 days out of our oil, whereas normally we get a little less then a week. We usually get about 7-10 days out of our vegan fryer.

Honestly, we could push the oil for longer, but quality>quantity. I'd rather spend the extra $30 on oil.

Oh, also, I'm not sure what type of fat you're using, but we use Expeller pressed canola oil, which lasts longer then chemically pressed. It also tastes a little better, in my opinion.


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## left4bread (May 8, 2009)

Haole said:


> Most additives are garbage. A lot leave a little bit of an aftertaste and can make the oil more 'slimy.'


How does it affect the life of the oil?

How does it work, in layman's terms?

Avoid at all costs?


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Most of the frying oil have silicon dioxide added . It is used to cut down foaming affect of oil.  The best way is strain daily and keep clean in between  turn down temps in off peak hours. Some things really kill the oil like coconut shrimp and fried chicken. Water is the enemy as is sugar and any loose breading.   A quick way to clean is break and drop some egg white with the shell into oil . any loose particles are caught in the mass and can be removed in one big piece with a skimmer. Careful when dropping white in as fat will rise a bit. This trick was used years ago when fryer pots were left on the stove on an open burner.


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## chefdev54 (Sep 18, 2014)

This is right on in my opinion, Im going to try pure press canola


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## andopolos (Sep 11, 2014)

I have a tiny place. (100 kg potato chips, 5kg battered fish, 18 fish cakes weekly)We clean the fryer daily and change the oil twice a week. We give the old oil to a guy who has a diesel car that runs on fryer oil or get it collected and get €5 per 20 litres for it which amounts to a 20% discount. Cooking oil is not expensive generally.  Oil, salt, vinegar, sugar, coffee, pepper and chocolate are ingredients that I don't mind spending money on.  The best beef in the world tastes lousy with cheap salt on it.  Cheap oil permeates the whole dish, cheap coffee tastes like cheap coffee etc.  

I really can't believe you leave it 2 months mate.(Kieron19)  Surely you've gotta lie on some hygiene paperwork somewhere...


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## youngchefkarl (Dec 12, 2013)

we use soybean oil, oil is changed once a week. i can't believe that you would keep the same oil for two months, regardless if you clean it, thats insane...


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## mannlicher (Jan 8, 2006)

the most important issues have been addressed.   Water, salt, sugar, carbonized food particles, high heat and poor quality oil are the culprits.  Even eliminating those factors is not magic.  Oil has to be filtered, and yes, changed regularly, to keep the quality of your fried food up where you want it.


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## alaminute (Aug 22, 2013)

Change that business daily, and throw it out when you can't even see your spider 2" deep. Period.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

I mourn for the days before they outlawed trans fats... i haven't been happy with a fryer oil since. Plus price increases, probably. Canola is ok, depending on quality; corn oil is pretty bad; soybean in good if i remember right. Miss my old mel fry- used to put the box on the flat top to warm up and get like another quart out of it.
I always use the 4 bars of the fry basket to check the oil- if you can't see the bottom, change the oil.


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## kid d (Sep 26, 2014)

alaminute said:


> Change that business daily, and throw it out when you can't even see your spider 2" deep. Period.


I just stumbled across this forum and felt the need to reply to this... the visibility test rreferredto in this quote is a great way to check the status of your oil.... high quality oils will hold up longer and although they cost more if you treat them right they will pay for themselves in the long run. Mel-Fry made by ventura foods is an example, it is an oil blend mostly soy oil that tends to hold up very well and if you talk to their sales rep and agree to use only their oil they will give you a free test kit, and a fine mesh grate for the bottom of the fryer with a handle so between service you just grab the handle and pull it out of the fryer and dump into trash... less labor than skimming...

the more time you put into you oil (filtering and skimming) the better it will hold up.

magnasol is an additive you add to your oil before filtering (12oz of powder for a 50# fryer) that aids in the filter process and will help remove fine particles especially fine flour during normal filterings.. it isn't cheap if you have to buy it from a distributor but if your oil waste collection company is buying the oil from you to turn into bio diesel a lot of times they will provide it free if you ask them for it (don't ask truck driver talk to sales rep and they will be hesitant because it does cost them)

But you NEED to filter every time you turn off your fryer (a.k.a. daily) for any type of oil to hold up for any amount of time the more often you filter the longer it will last for the most part


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## spoiledbroth (Sep 25, 2014)

Kieron19 said:


> Were i work we clean our oil daily, (Drain, skim, clean fryer and refill) and our oil lasts about 2 months,, (but we only fry about 2KG of chips a day and 50 samoses)


This is disgusting. 2 months??

Oil needs to be filtered on a daily basis with good quality cooking oil filters. The interior of the fryer must be scoured and sanitized every day. This is really non negotiable. Almost every major distributor will sell oil quality testing strips, if they even begin to look like they're going to indicate on a particular fryer that morning, throw the oil out.

There is nothing more disgusting than eating something fried in spent oil.

When the fryer is not in use (eg. you know there will be a lull in orders, say between 2-4pm) you can turn the fryer down or off completely (I prefer to drop them about a hundred degrees as you can easily regain that temp in about 8-9 minutes with decent fryers). Buy what is called a "spider" (flat, square shaped sieve on a 1.5 handle) and ensure all staff are regularly skimming the oil throughout the day ESPECIALLY when it's busy.

If you are dropping dredged food into your fryers ensure the cooks are not dumping the excess dredge into the fryer- I see this all the time and that extra flour is going to carbonize almost instantly and make the fryer taste like garbage.

Simple!


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