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