How Does a Pressure Fryer Work?

Pressure fryers are popular for commercial purposes. They work by heating the oil to a high temperature and then cooking the food by pressing it against the hot oil. Let’s take a look at how does a pressure fryer works?

Features And Benefits Of Pressure Fryer

A pressure fryer is a device that cooks food by exposing it to heat and pressure. The pressure inside the fryer builds up and cooks the food faster than normal frying temperatures. This means that you can cook food at a lower temperature, which prevents it from becoming greasy.

There are several features and benefits that come with using a pressure fryer:

• You can cook food at a lower temperature, which prevents it from becoming greasy.
• Pressure fryers are often used to cook chicken and other poultry.
• They can also be used to cook fish, vegetables, and other foods.
• Crispy outer crust with a moist, tender interior
• Retains moisture in the food so less oil is needed
• Lower fat content
• An energy-efficient way to batch cook high volumes of food.
• Efficient and safe to use by staff.
• The additional mode that helps save on energy utilization
• Simple yet accurate digital temperature setting.

If you are looking for a way to cook food quickly and without making it greasy, then a pressure fryer may be the right appliance for you. With its many features and benefits, a pressure fryer can help you cook your favorite foods in no time.

Buying Guide For Pressure Fryer

There are several different pressure fryers on the market. When shopping for a pressure fryer, it’s important to consider the features that are most important to you. Some things to consider include:

• Size – Do you need a small or large pressure fryer?
• Capacity – How much food can the fryer cook at one time?
• Type of Food – What type of food will you be cooking in the fryer?
• Price – How much are you willing to spend on a pressure fryer?
• Warranty – Does the fryer come with a warranty?

For commercial purposes, the Henny penny is the best pressure fryer. It comes with a lot of features that are beneficial for the users. It has a large size, which is perfect for cooking large quantities of food at one time. The fryer also has a high capacity, so you can cook a lot of food in one go. It’s also versatile, meaning that you can use it to cook a variety of foods. The Henny Penny pressure fryer also comes with a warranty, so you can be sure that it’s a quality product.

For home usage,  the T-fal FR8000 is the best pressure fryer. It has several features that make it perfect for use in the home kitchen, including a timer and temperature probe. It also has a large capacity, so you can cook a lot of food at one time. The fryer is also easy to clean, which makes it hassle-free to use.

Pressure VS Open Frying

Frying is a cooking method that uses hot oil to cook food. There are two main ways to fry food: pressure frying and open frying.

Open frying is the most common type of frying. It is done in a pot or pan over high heat. The food is submerged in hot oil and cooked until it is golden brown and crispy.

Pressure frying is a variation of open frying. It is done in a pot or pan, but the food is cooked under pressure. This results in a shorter cook time and less oil absorption.

How Does A Pressure Fryer Work

History Of Pressure Fryer

The pressure frying story begins during the great depression, with a man named Harland Sanders. He started selling chicken out of his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. His fried chicken was so popular that people would drive from miles around to get a taste. But he had a problem: the chicken was too greasy and took too long to cook. Sanders needed a way to cook the chicken faster, without making it greasy. That’s when he came up with the pressure fryer.

Sanders eventually discovered a novel solution to his problem when he attended a pressure cooking demonstration. The pressure cooker at the demonstration was able to cook food faster than an open pot. Sanders realized that he could use a similar principle to cook chicken faster and without making it greasy.

He purchased a pressure cooker and began experimenting with recipes. The results were so successful that he decided to start selling chicken out of his roadside restaurant using a pressure cooker to fry the chicken. The rest, as they say, is history.

Old Pressure Fryer Mechanism

Pressure frying works by increasing the atmospheric pressure inside the enclosed fryer. This pressure increase can cause liquids and foods to boil at a higher temperature than normal. If the fryer is not watertight, the boiling liquid can escape and create a dangerous situation. During that time, the process of making a chicken in a pressure fryer was like this: 

• First, pour the oil and bring it to a temperature of 300 to 400°F. 
• Coat the raw chicken with the breading 
• Place it in a cooking compound, and the oil temperature drops to 250 to 270 °F. 
• Now the chicken is brown, while the inside is raw.  Seal the lid and the pressure would build up to 15 psi. 
• Building pressure takes about 1 to 2 minutes
• Maintained this pressure and temperature for 8 minutes. 
• Ventilate the pot and drain the chicken
• Now, ready to serve

Sanders’s initial patent filing had one major pitfall that is using a modified pressure cooker for frying was extremely dangerous. Do not use this method at home as you would be making a time bomb at your very own house.

Current Pressure Fryer Mechanism

Later with advancements in technology, we were able to solve the safety problem by inventing the first commercial pressure fryer. This fryer had a watertight seal, which prevented the boiling liquid from escaping. This allowed pressure frying to become a commercial cooking method.

Today, pressure fryers are used in restaurants and homes all over the world. They are a safe and convenient way to cook food quickly and without making it greasy. If you are looking for an easy way to cook your favorite foods, then a pressure fryer may be the right appliance for you.

Now they work like this, add high smoke point frying oil and on the sides, there are electric heating elements. The outside is covered with insulation material. Know it comes with a cooking rack with multiple layers of loaded product in every layer. All of them go into the fryer at the same time so it also promotes even cooking. 

Once the rack is loaded into the fryer the lid is covered and the seal is tight that allowing the pressure to increase. As the pressure is building it raises the temperature of the oil to 223  °F  As the chicken gets brown the foods particles to fall off and enter into an uninsulated cold zone so the particles don’t burn. Then vent the pot and drain the chicken and it is served.

Current Pressure Fryer Works At Low Temperature And Fryer

Now interestingly, modern pressure fryers work at a lower temperature. Chicken can be cooked at around 5 PSI, or only 223°F  than at Sanders time. This is because in 1966 when Colonel Sanders developed his pressure frying technique, the chickens were much tougher. Older chickens mean more collagen (chewy connective tissues), which means a longer cook time and/or a higher temperature is necessary to make the chicken tender.

Is Pressured Fried Chicken Healthy?

Pressure frying chicken is a healthy cooking method that produces juicy and crispy chicken. However, like all cooking methods, it has its pros and cons. Here are the pros of pressure frying chicken:

• Cook the chicken quickly and evenly, ensuring that it is cooked through.
• Produces crispy chicken that is not greasy.
• It uses less oil than traditional frying methods, making it a healthier option.

Here are the cons of pressure frying chicken:

• It can be a bit difficult to get the hang of at first.
• High temperatures and pressure can be dangerous if not handled properly.

It takes about 20 minutes to fry the chicken with a temperature of over 375°F. Fry till the thermometer has reached 180°F and breading is golden brown.

Can You Use Pressure Cooker For Pressure Frying?

Yes, it is possible but ordinary pressure cookers are generally not suitable for pressure frying as they cannot hold temperatures around 320 °F. 

The maximum pressure created in a pressure cooker is around 250 °F while with oil the temperature can go as up as 320 °F which can damage the gasket of a pressure cooker and leads to dangerous consequences. So, be sure to check the instructions before using your pressure cooker for pressure frying.

How Does A Pressure Fryer Work – Conclusion

Pressure fryers are a safe and convenient way to cook food quickly and without making it greasy. If you are looking for an easy way to cook your favorite foods, then a pressure fryer may be the right appliance for you.

Reference

• https://businessnewsday.com/how-to-clean-henny-penny-pressure-fryer/
• http://www.dslinc.com/pressure-frying-or-open-frying-whats-the-difference/
• https://inter-gastro.dk/wp-content/uploads/FM05-004J-PFX-500-600-Ops-CFA-EN.pdfhttps://inter-gastro.dk/wp-content/uploads/FM05-004J-PFX-500-600-Ops-CFA-EN.pdf