Batch potato chip fryer delivers higher capacity

To help snack processors meet the increasing demand for kettle-style potato chips, Heat and Control’s MasterTherm Kettle Fryer (MTKF) can produce over 500 finished lbs/hr (227 kg/hr). The MasterTherm Kettle Fryer combines an enclosed cooking area with automatic control of temperature, slice agitation, batch loading and unloading to produce consistent hard-bite potato chips.

A full-length hood covers the kettle for safety, improved oil quality, and energy savings. The hood retains heat in the frying area to reduce fuel usage. It maintains a steam blanket over the oil, displacing oxygen to prolong oil life. Exhaust volume is far less than with uncovered batch fryers using area hoods so more energy-efficient exhaust fans can be used. The hood also includes a clean-in-place system to reduce sanitation labor.

Cooking oil is heated gently and uniformly throughout the fryer by a thermal fluid heat exchanger which is immersed in the oil. Generous spacing between the heating tubes facilitates cleaning and eliminates areas where fines can accumulate. Each tube expands independently to help prevent damage caused by thermal stress. Tubes are electro-polished to simplify cleaning.

A programmable logic controller stores multiple cooking settings, and automatically regulates potato batching, slicing, loading, oil temperature and level, stirring, and product discharge. Heat and Control’s Chip-Stirr® paddle system eliminates labor-intensive manual stirring by continuously agitating the slices to improve cooking uniformity and to prevent clusters and soft-center product. Finished batches are automatically cleared from the fryer and transferred to its drain conveyor.

Additional features include continuous fines removal, automatic oil level control, an Oil Mist Eliminator which removes oil droplets from exhaust emissions, and a screw jack hoist system that safely raises the hood and heat exchanger for complete access inside the fryer.

Heat and Control’s MasterTherm Kettle Fryers are available with potato unloading, storage, washing, and peeling equipment, slice feeders, de-oiling centrifuges, seasoning applicators, conveying, inspection and packaging systems.