Keeping a fryer sanitized helps keep the oil clean, and the purer the oil, the better the finished product. Continuous filtration systems help fryers stay cleaner longer. But inevitably, the fryer has to be cooled, emptied, cleaned, refilled and reheated. Without regular cleaning, fines and particulates will build up on the fryer kettle and degrade the quality of the oil.

To make sanitation easier and cut downtime, Heat and Control, Inc., Hayward, CA, designs all its fryers with automatic clean-in-place (CIP) systems. Operators add cleaning solutions manually, but once the start button is pressed, personnel can stand back and let the system clean. Timing cycles ensure everything is cleaned properly.

According to Doug Kozenski, sales manager for processing systems, the whole process takes 4 to 5 hours, from the moment the bakery stops production to when production can restart. That includes cooldown time, oil removal, cleaning and refilling.