Fixing A Frymaster In The Middle Of A Cookout
The worst time for cooking equipment to fail is right before a big meal, and if Murphy's Law is any indicator, it'll happen right as you throw a batch of frozen fries or fish into the Frymaster. There's a lot of things that could go wrong, from uneven cooking to complete failure that leaves you with an oil-soaked, unrecoverable mess. To avoid such failures, make sure to have the right parts on hand. A few parts for your preparation list as well as some nice upgrades can help you be prepared when your frying honor is on the line.
Heating Element Failure And Replacement
Nothing lasts forever, and heating elements are especially subject to wear and tear. The constant heating and cooling can lead to eventual damage of the metal heating elements, although you should expect heating elements to last at least four or five years.
Premature heating element failure is usually because of manufacturing flaws or because of damage. If you've dropped a heating element during cleaning or if your building suffered and electrical surge, the heating material can crack and overheat at specific points. After a while, the element may completely break and fail to heat.
Make sure to have enough backup elements for two failures across the entire frying unit--this includes fryers and stoves with multiple heating elements. If one heating element goes bad without explanation, it's realistic that another failure may not be too far off.
Filter Inspection And Replacement
In order to keep extra batter and seasoning from burning and sticking to a fresh batch, you'll need to make sure your filter is ready. Unfortunately, regular use can damage the filter if you're not careful.
Inexperienced users can jab holes in the filter with scooping materials or during cleaning. If you have multiple employees or volunteers working with the stove or fryer, make sure to go over proper cleaning techniques and make sure to have compatible cleaning equipment.
Wire brushes and sponges are often necessary, as plastic brushes could melt if the cleaning person decides to clean while the metal or grease is still a bit warm--an unfortunately common accident in food service, even if the worker feels the heat from the filter. If you're using an exhaust hood with your fryer, make sure to have scraping tools and solutions available.
Grease dispersing cleaning agents are necessary, and if at all possible the filter should be soaked and rinsed thoroughly before being put back in rotation. Make sure to have at least four or five filters in case of filter tearing, slow cleaning or immediate need. Contact a Frymaster parts supplier, like K & D Factory Service Inc, to stock up on your backup parts in case of emergency.