5 Frying Mistakes That Cost You Time, Money, and Customers

As a staple of the American food service industry, fried foods account for a significant portion of revenue for many restaurants, and grocery and convenience stores. When people order fried meals, they expect a perfect golden outer shell with just the right crunch and taste; ensuring that every offering is top-quality is paramount to keeping and growing your customer base and revenue! To keep your customers coming back for more – and save money on supplies and labor – steer clear of these 5 costly frying mistakes:

Mistake #1: Using the Wrong Type of Fryer

There are many different types of fryers to choose from and using the wrong one can be a recipe for disaster. Knowing the difference between open fryers, pressure fryers, standard volume fryers (which require 50-65 pounds of oil), and low volume fryers (which require only 30 pounds of oil) will help you choose the right one for your products and avoid burning or undercooking food.

Mistake #2:  Unknowingly Introducing Harmful Elements into Your Oil

Frying oil is one of the most expensive supplies in your kitchen, with oil prices doubling or even tripling year over year. If you’re not properly maintaining it, chances are you’re not just damaging the quality of your food – you’re wasting a lot of money, too. To remember which elements can harm the lifespan of your oil, remember HAMSS: heat, air (oxygen), moisture (water vapor), salt, and soap (or detergent).

Mistake #3:  Lacking a Consistent Filtering Routine

Fast, frequent filtration is the key to optimizing the longevity of your oil – but finding the best number of cycle runs is a balancing act. Fryers with a built-in filtration system will make filtering easier for your employees, produce the best tasting products, and help your oil last as long as possible.

Mistake #4:  Not Properly Training Your Team

Investing in quality kitchen equipment can greatly improve your product, service, and cost savings, but if your staff doesn’t know how to use and maintain your equipment and supplies correctly, quality control quickly declines. Make sure your training program includes processes for filtering, monitoring oil quality, and other basic operating procedures so that your team can continue turning out delicious fried foods.

Mistake #5:  Not Maintaining the Right Temperatures

Consistent temperatures are not only important for the frying process itself, but also for making sure foods are consistently delicious from the start of the day to the very last batch of the night. The correct cooking temperature will provide a product that is golden, not greasy, so it’s important to make sure your equipment returns to that optimal temperature after every use. Maintaining the correct temperature and moisture level after frying will allow you to provide the quality your customers expect.

These mistakes can cost you time and money in the form of lost oil, business, and productivity – but quality equipment and maintenance go a long way in delivering the perfect fried foods. To learn more about how you can improve your fried foods while cutting costs and increasing efficiency, contact us!