Does Anyone Work With A Large Commercial Deep Fryer?
October 31st, 2011
One of our readers started a new job as a cook in a large public school kitchen. He wanted to know what the right procedure is for cleaning a large commercial deep fryer and how he should drain the oil out.
How Do I Drain Oil Out Of A Large Commercial Deep Fryer?
While the specifics will vary depending on the fryer model, the procedure is basically the same for all commercial deep fryers. First you will need to turn off the fryer and possibly unplug the cord from the unit. Then after the oil has cooled down you should look for a drain near the bottom or sides of the unit.
Wondering when you should clean out your deep fryer? Read our guide to see if you need to change your deep frying oil.
If you find one, then you can just drain the oil from there into a disposable container. If there’s no drain then you will have to remove the oil from the reservoir. Luckily, most of these reservoirs are removable so you can lift it out of the fryer for easy cleaning.
Pour or scoop out all the oil into a throw away container and scrape off any build up from the sides of the oil tub with a metal bench scraper. You can then wash the metal tub with dish detergent and give it a good scrub. It is important that you get rid of as much burnt on food and rancid oil as possible
Next you will want to dry it as much as possible and install it back into the fryer. Hook up anything that you disconnected to take the tub out and refill it with fresh vegetable oil.
Cleaning A Professional Deep Fryer With A Foam Oil Cleaner
Alternatively, your kitchen may have a policy that they keep their deep fryers clean with a specialized deep fryer cleaner. You would still need to drain out all the old oxidized oil, but you do not have to wash the inside of the deep fryer. Instead you can just fill it up with water and the amount of foam cleaner that’s needed. Then you just let the mixture sit and heat up on low heat for about 30 minutes to several hours. The water will start to get foamy as it removes all the old oil. Afterwards you can just drain out the dirty water and refill the deep fryer with clean frying oil.
It depends on the model. Some have a spicket on the bottom to drain. Some you just pull the heating element out, let it click into place so that it will rest. Remove the bin/tub and scrape put the remaining oil with a ruber spatula. Then wipe it out. Then wash out with reg dish soap. Make sure it is all the way rinsed….(rinse it 3-4 times to be sure). Then wipe dry with paper towels. Refil to fill line with oil. Wipe off the heating elemts as well, then lower them back. There is usually a tab or button thing thing that you press, pull, move whatever to lower the element. There are also producs that can be bought that you empty the oil and then add water and a special cleaner, then you lower the heating element and turn on. It will bubble and foam and then you turn it off and empty and rinse.