What Is an Infrared Fryer?

The infrared fryer may sound like it is something that can only be seen in sci-fi movies and cartoons but it’s not. What is an infrared fryer? Is it an ultra-modern apparatus that is way too complex to use? More importantly, is it a safe method of preparing food?

Though not too many household these days have an infrared fryer in the kitchen, this is becoming a very popular option for restaurants and food service establishments. This looks quite similar to traditional pots but of course, there is an additional mechanism because of the innovative technology which makes it run.

How it Works

In a nutshell, the primary difference of infrared fryer is that it makes use of radiant heat transfer when cooking food. This means that the surrounding atmosphere is not heated but the object it targets becomes hot. Radiant energy only transforms to heat the moment that it reaches the object, like a pot, pan or kettle.

A burner or fryer which works using radiant heat transfer has holes in its surface. These holes serve as the passage for the natural gas which causes the plate to become hot. Some infrared fryer has heating plate that is situated within the wall of the frying tank. Another design for this is that the plate is situated at the bottom of the frying tank.

Edge Over Other Frying Methods

What is an infrared fryer advantage compared to traditional frying? The main reason why this is preferred by people, especially for commercial food preparation, is because it is more energy-efficient. Compared to traditional frying, this prevents loss of heat which is simply dispersed in the surrounding atmosphere. With the use of infrared fryer, the generated heat goes directly to the frying tank and the food in it.

With traditional frying using a pan, oil and stove, the energy efficiency is only 47%. This means that almost half of the heat being generated is not used. Amazingly, with an infrared fryer, the energy efficiency goes up to 80%. It also uses less-oil.

Because of its capacity to use up energy more wisely, it also lowers the costs for production. So whether it is for home use or for commercial food establishments, the important thing is that it significantly cuts down the expenses for food preparation.

Using the Infrared Fryer

The design and capacity of most infrared fryers can easily handle large quantity. That is why, this is well-loved by commercial food-related businesses. This can be used for a myriad of meat and vegetables but mostly, it is ideal for turkey frying. The great thing about it is that it does not only reduce oil but actually eliminates it. Hence, it is possible to achieve the same texture of fried meat without the mess of using a lot of oil. More importantly, since it does not involve bathing the meat in oil, the end result is much healthier. One of the best product in the market is Char-Broil The Big Easy TRU-Infrared Oil-less Turkey Fryer.

The infrared fryer does not only contribute in producing dishes that are less hazardous for health. It is also very convenient to use and clean up. The time spent for the food frying process is cut down and even the cleaning up is way easy too.