Equipment manufacturer Heat and Control has just completed another continuous fryer system to produce 500 kg / hour of finished formed and stackable potato chips, a popular snack worldwide.
Frying of formed chips requires precise handling of sheeted potato dough to create consistently uniform chips. Based on technology Heat and Control developed in the 1970s, this new fryer uses 18 rows of precision-formed stainless steel molds to maintain chip shape during frying.
Discs of sheeted dough are conveyed into the fryer and centered beneath each mold. Each chip meets a mold to form its shape and hold it in position during frying.
Precise orientation is maintained during frying so identical chips are produced for trouble-free packaging in tubes or trays.
For uniform frying, hot oil enters the fryer through specially-engineered inlets that produce an even flow across the width of the fryer pan. The system’s total oil volume is filtered once every minute using a primary filter for large particles and a secondary
paper filter to remove fines to the desired micron level. The oil filters, heat exchanger, main circulation pump, piping, and control valves are all pre-assembled on a compact Fryer Support Module to reduce piping runs, installation downtime, and maintenance costs.
An oil cooler is included on the Fryer Support Module to quickly reduce the temperature of cooking oil before it is stored after production. This eliminates delays before oil transfer or sanitation, allowing profitable operation to continue longer.
After frying, the finished chips are released from the molds onto a multi-stage seasoning conveyor. The single file orientation of each row of chips is retained during seasoning and conveying to expedite packaging. A seasoning recovery system is built into the conveyor to reduce waste and allow re-use of seasoning.
Modular fryer systems reduce installation costs
Installation time of a Heat and Control continuous fryer can be reduced by as much as 75 per cent when it is equipped with a fryer support module.
Designed for Heat and Control potato chip, French fry or formed potato product fryers, the module centralizes all fryer support equipment to speed installation, save floor space and simplify maintenance. The support module can include the heat exchanger, oil filters, pumps, storage tank, oil cooler and flow control valves, all piped and wired to single-point utility connections.
For installation, set the support module in place and connect your fryer and utilities.
Built by the same experts who manufacture the fryer, the support module eliminates errors and delays caused by inexperienced contractors.
