Maintaining and Cleaning a Kitchen Fryer

The success of your restaurant can rely on a number of variables – the quality of your service or food, the happiness of your employees and the type of service they deliver, and many other small details that add up to form the big picture. In addition to the obvious variables that impact the day to day, there are also a number of considerations behind the scenes that may not always be top of mind. Routine maintenance on your essential equipment can definitely fit that category, and it can be easy to slip into an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ mentality. In the restaurant business, items such as your kitchen fryer are essential to its success. Instead, here are a few ways you can take consistent and reliable steps to maintaining your kitchen fryer so your restaurant runs smoothly.

Clean it every day

It may sound like a tedious task, but it’s a fact that a poorly maintained deep fryer directly contributes to poorly prepared food. Your customers will notice the difference in the quality of their meal, and you’ll notice the difference in maintenance needs. It doesn’t need to be deep cleaned daily, but at a minimum, it’s important to wipe down the exterior and clean the baskets – most likely by running them through a dish wash cycle. Those two things alone will have a very positive impact on the quality and longevity of your fryer.

Clean when the oil is changed

The heating elements inside the vat heat the oil, so when the oil is changed it’s essential those are cleaned thoroughly. Failure to do so can easily result in food buildup, which can cause uneven heat distribution as well as speed up maintenance needs. In order to avoid spending more than necessary replacing broken parts, it’s better to just maintain those parts on a regular basis so you can get the maximum life out of them.

Deep clean on a routine basis

It doesn’t need to be weekly, but at least on a three to six-month schedule, make sure to give your fryer a proper deep clean. It can be easy to push this off or cut corners, but that will only cost you in the long run. Create a schedule, and be sure to stick to it to keep your fryer in great shape and your restaurant running smoothly.