The present invention comprises: a frame part (100) to which a control device (130) is coupled; and a frying body part (200) which comprises: an input part (202) composed of a water storage part (204) that stores water and an oil storage part (206) that is formed above the water storage part (204) and stores oil; a heating member (280) configured in the oil storage part (206) and heating the oil; a temperature sensor (290) sensing the temperatures of the water and the oil and transmitting the sensed temperatures to the control device (130); a water level checking means (220) configured to enable checking of the boundary between the water and the oil and the level of the water; a front body part (210) having the water level checking means (220) configured therein, and forming the input part (202); a side body part (230) coupled to both sides of the front body part (210), and configured such that the oil storage part can be divided into an upper space (A), an intermediate space (B), and a lower space (B), respectively; and a rear body part (240) coupled to a rear surface of the side body part (230), and having the heating member (280) and the temperature sensor (290) mounted thereon.

A food preparation device may include a radio frequency (RF) capacitive heating source, a cooking controller operably coupled to the RF capacitive heating source to selectively distribute power to the RF capacitive heating source, and a hot oil basin. The RF capacitive heating source may include a ground plate and an anode plate disposed on opposing sides of the hot oil basin.

An automatic cooking system is provided to reduce and/or optimize the amount of cooking medium required to operate the fryer, while improving the temperature and flow characteristics of cooking medium in the fryer. To this end, the cooking vat of the system is designed with one or more heating elements and one or more lanes for flow of cooking medium and food products between inlet and outlet ends, with the heating elements defining a low profile and/or being mounted externally to the cooking vat to avoid impeding flow of the cooking medium. One example of such a heating element is a printed heating element that is coupled to or directly printed on the cooking vat. This arrangement reduces the total volume of retained cooking medium needed to flow and move food products along a length of the cooking vat during a cooking process.

Various embodiments provide a method of frying. A method includes heating frying oil to a frying temperature and maintaining the frying oil at the frying temperature for a frying period. During the method no part of the oil exceeds 220 C. A system for using the method of frying includes a pot for holding a frying oil, a heating element for heating the frying oil, and a jacket surrounding the heating element. The jacket prevents direct contact between the frying oil and the heating element. The jacket is configured to uniformly distribute heat produced by the heating element within the pot such that the frying oil has less than 10 area % polymers at the end of heating and maintaining the frying oil at a frying temperature for a frying period.

Some implementations of the described methods relate to a process for frying coffee beans (and/or another food product) in a fry medium (such as cooking oil) and then centrifuging the coffee beans (and/or other food product) to remove a significant portion of the fry medium. Although the frying and centrifugation can occur in separate devices, in some cases, the described systems comprise a device that acts as both a fryer and a centrifuge. Indeed, in some cases, after the coffee beans (or other food product) has been fry roasted in a perforated container (e.g., a basket), the fry medium is drained from the container, and container is spun. In some cases, liquid nitrogen is also applied to the beans (or other food product), before and/or after being fry roasted. Other implementations are described.

An automated French fry device includes a cooking housing and a plurality of dispensing chutes extending downwardly from the cooking housing. A touch screen is mounted to the cooking housing for ordering French fries. A plurality of hoppers contains French fries and a dispensing unit dispenses a small order of French fries, a medium order of French fries or a large order of French fries. A cooking unit is integrated into the cooking housing to cook the French fries. A box dispenser is attached to the cooking housing to release French fry boxes. A conveyor unit is movably attached the cooking housing to facilitate the employee to receive the small order of French fries, the medium order of French fries or the large order of French fries. Additionally, the touch screen is in communication with the dispensing unit, the cooking unit and the conveyor unit.

Systems are disclosed for cleaning a fryer using a washing element coupled to a bottom wall of a cooking chamber. An upper portion of the washing element extends above the bottom wall of the cooking chamber and includes a plurality of spray jet nozzles that are separated at predetermined angles relative to one another around a periphery of the upper portion of the washing element to orient the plurality of spray jet nozzles so as to spray a plurality of pressurized streams of the cooking medium to predetermined areas of the cooking chamber, including at least one corner of the cooking chamber. Also disclosed is a fryer that includes a spreader bar that maintains an electric heating coil in the serpentine pattern. The spreader bar is coupled to the upper surface of the electric heating coil and is disposed at a predetermined distance away from the bottom wall.

A water-oil separation type frying device includes: a frame; a frying portion installed on the frame; a circulation portion configured to circulate water filled in a lower portion of the frying portion; a filter portion installed at a predetermined position of the circulation portion to remove foreign substances from the water circulated along the circulation portion; a control portion configured to control the frying portion and the circulation portion; and a lifting mechanism including a frying plate accommodated in the frying portion so that food that needs to be fried is placed on the frying plate during frying, and a mechanism for lifting up and down the frying plate.

An electric deep fryer includes a vat configured to contain a frying bath, and an electric immersion heating element configured to be immersed in the frying bath contained in the vat. The vat has a bottom with a sloping part draining into a depression forming a water collection area. The sloping part has a slope change area extending between an upper bottom part and the depression. The electric immersion heating element has heating wires extending above the sloping part.

The heating wires extend above the upper bottom part without reaching the depression.

Automated pressure fryer systems, cooking vessels, heated oil reservoirs, and methods of operating same to conduct pressure frying cooking cycles are disclosed. An example automated pressure fryer system includes a plurality of cooking vessels, each with a locking lid that engages to form a pressure-sealed cooking chamber for cooking oil and food items, and a food carrier coupled to the lid's bottom surface to hold food items, a gantry system movably positioned above the cooking vessels, and a gripper mechanism coupled to the gantry system and configured to engage and manipulate the locking lids.