| For a time I worked in a convenience store as | | | | which sounds when the cooking cycle has |
| a clerk and cook and I used a deep fryer | | | | completed. After 4 cooks the oil in the |
| quite a bit for cooking battered chicken and | | | | fryer needs to be filtered to clean it for |
| French fried potatoes.Of course the chicken | | | | future cooking cycles. Another alarm |
| doesn't start out battered. It comes | | | | indicates when oil filtering needs to |
| delivered frozen in big cardboard boxes. | | | | occur.The heat on the oil is turned off, so |
| Before the chicken is ready for the cooking | | | | the oil can cool down enough to work with. |
| part it must be prepared and time to thaw | | | | The cooking basket is raised and removed from |
| out. Each piece of chicken is rinsed in cold | | | | the fryer. A valve is turned to allow the |
| water, then put in a vat of tenderising, | | | | oil to drain down into the filtering drawer. |
| salty water to soak for several hours in a | | | | When the oil has drained the empty oil |
| refrigerated area. It is again rinsed and | | | | reservoir is brushed, including the heating |
| kept cold, until needed for cooking.When | | | | coil element, to remove anything sticking to |
| needed for cooking the chicken is breaded in | | | | their surfaces. A pump is turned on which |
| a special spicy flour mix, dipped in spice | | | | circulates the oil repeatedly through the |
| water, and breaded with mix again. Each | | | | filter. The filtering can take place for 10 |
| piece is than carefully placed in the boiling | | | | or 15 minutes, depending how dark the oil |
| oil in the deep fryer; starting with the | | | | appears in color. When the oil has become |
| large, meaty pieces, and finishing with the | | | | lighter in color it is pumped back up to the |
| thin bony pieces. This gives the thick meaty | | | | oil reservoir, after the valve at the bottom |
| pieces more time to cook. They get the | | | | of the pot has been closed. The heating |
| hottest oil in the pot to start off the | | | | element is turned on and the oil is brought |
| cooking process. The deep fryer is on a | | | | back up to cooking temperature. The |
| timer and part way through the cooking | | | | unpleasant part is scooping out the sludge at |
| process the timer sets off an alarm which | | | | the bottom of the filter drawer. Then the |
| notifies you that it's time to stir the | | | | cleaned filter is dusted with a special |
| chicken, so it gets all sides cooked evenly, | | | | powder, put back in its place under the fryer |
| even the sides touching when first put in the | | | | pot, and all is ready to go again.Yes the |
| fryer. After stirring the chicken it cooks | | | | fryer does most of the cooking for you but |
| until the end of cooking cycle alarm goes | | | | watch out for the hot oil when loading the |
| off. Then the pot elevator will | | | | food into the cooking basket. Even wearing |
| automatically lift the cooking basket out of | | | | rubber gloves won't stop the oil from burning |
| the hot oil, allowing the chicken to drip off | | | | you, should it splash on your hands as the |
| the excess oil.The deep fryer also cooks | | | | food drops into the hot oil. The secret is |
| French fried potatoes. After cutting the | | | | to be brave and gutsy. Get the food close to |
| potatoes into the elongated cube shape in a | | | | the oil before you drop it in. That way the |
| cutter, the fries are battered, dipped and | | | | splash is really small, and doesn't jump up |
| battered again. They then can be gently | | | | to fry your wrist.Happy cooking. Cook, but |
| lowered in hands full, into the boiling oil. | | | | don't be cooked. |
| The cooking is again controlled by a timer, | | | | |