A robotic kitchen assistant for frying includes a robotic arm, a fryer basket, and a robotic arm adapter assembly allowing the robotic arm to pick up and manipulate the fryer basket. The robotic arm adapter includes opposing gripping members to engage the fryer basket. A utensil adapter assembly is mounted to the handle of the fryer basket, and the opposing gripper members are actuated to capture a three-dimensional (3D) feature of the utensil adapter assembly. The robotic arm adapter assembly can include an agitator mechanism to shake the fryer basket or another utensil as desired. Related methods are also described.

A food frying treatment apparatus includes: a frying oil circulation mechanism, which makes frying oil flow out from a frying oil tank on a downstream side and makes the frying oil flow in the frying oil tank on an upstream side by a frying oil inflow device, which ejects the frying oil in an upward direction from a bottom portion side of the frying oil tank; a frying food transport mechanism including a first transport mechanism, which transports the food fed into the frying oil tank on the upstream side in a floating state on a surface of the frying oil, and a second transport mechanism, which transports a frying food subsequently to the first transport mechanism in an immersed state below the surface of the frying oil in the frying oil tank; and a fried food collection mechanism, which collects a fried food from the frying oil tank.

A filtration apparatus for cooperation with an associated deep fat frying apparatus having a fry pot and a food basket movable by an operator between a position inside the fry pot and outside of the fry pot which includes a filter basket dimensioned and configured to fit within the associated fry pot and outside the food basket, said filter basket being generally rectangular and having an open top and perforate walls allowing passage of cooking oil through said perforate walls, said perforate walls preventing passage of particles having any dimension greater than 0.010 of an inch.

A mobile machine for recovery and on site storage of used cooking oil with reservoir, detachable pump, oil reservoir, wand, wand filter, casters, hoses, fittings, withdrawal port, and oil level determination means.

A used cooking oil filtration system (100) includes a housing (102) defining an interior space (104), a gas source (130), a gas inlet (134) fluidly coupled to the gas source (130) to permit the introduction of a gas to the interior space (104) of the housing (102). The housing (102) further includes a fluid inlet (108), a fluid outlet (114), and filter media (116) disposed proximate the fluid outlet (114). The housing (102) is at least partially immersed in used cooking oil (150) and gas pressure in the interior space is maintained at a first pressure level at which used cooking oil flows into the interior space. The gas source (130) increases the gas pressure in the interior space to a second pressure level at which the used cooking oil flows through the filter media and exits the housing (102) through the fluid outlet (114). Flowing the used cooling oil through the filter media (116) reduces the concentration of one or more contaminants present at a first contaminant level in the used cooking oil to a second contaminant level.

A cooking system in the form of a fryer is provided to reduce and/or optimize the amount of cooking medium required to operate the fryer, while improving the reliability of movement of food product through the cooking system during a cooking process. To this end, the cooking vat of the system is designed with one or more heating elements positioned to avoid generation of turbulent flow in the cooking medium. Moreover, the movement of food product along the cooking vat and/or out of the cooking vat is done reliably and in such a manner to avoid turbulent flow in the cooking medium. The automatic cooking system provides improved cooking medium life span as well as reduced overall oil volume use.

Systems and methods for delivering a cooking medium in a cooking apparatus are disclosed. A delivery system includes a rotary valve having a rotary inlet and a plurality of rotary outlets. The rotary inlet is configured to be in fluid communication with a source of cooking medium and the plurality of rotary outlets are configured to be in fluid communication with a corresponding plurality of receptacles. A rotary position sensor generates a signal, having continuous angular position resolution, based on an angular position of the rotary valve. A controller receives the signal generated by the rotary position sensor and selectively places the rotary inlet in fluid communication with one of the plurality of rotary outlets based on the signal generated by the rotary position sensor. The rotary position sensor may include a Hall-effect sensor that functions at elevated operating temperatures associated with the cooking medium.

An oil filter deep fryer is designed for the technical issues of unsatisfactory structural design of the existing like products. The oil filter deep fryer comprises a housing, lid, control box, heating tube, inner pot, oil receiver and food basket. The deep fryer enables the oil receiver to pull out or lock in the housing and drain the waste oil into the oil receiver through a knob.

An appliance for frying has a frying pot disposed within a housing for containing oil or fat and having a normally-closed valve disposed at a bottom thereof. An oil receiving tank is removably receivable within the housing below the frying pot, and has an oil receiving hole positionable below the valve such that when the draining valve is opened, the oil or fat may flow from the frying pot into the oil receiving tank. An actuation mechanism disposed entirely on the housing has a first condition wherein the activation mechanism allows removal of the oil receiving tank relative to the housing, a second condition wherein the activation mechanism prevents removal of the oil receiving tank relative to the housing while not opening the valve, and a third condition wherein the activation mechanism prevents removal of the oil receiving tank relative to the housing while opening the valve.

Systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for controlling a fryer. In response to determining a filtration cycle is scheduled to occur after a current cooking cycle, a temperature set-point for a cooking medium is increased to pre-heat the cooking medium prior to the end of the cooking cycle. A heating element used to heat the cooking medium may be deactivated prior to entering the filtration cycle, and reactivated during the filtration cycle in response to the filtered cooking medium in the fry pot reaching a predetermined level. Activating the heating element during the filtration cycle may further heat the cooking medium prior to starting the next cooking cycle, thereby reducing the total time needed for filtration and reheating for a subsequent cooking cycle.