Location, location, location. The No. 1 rule in buying a house or selecting a site for a new bakery goes way beyond real estate. It can also play a major factor in whether a company invests in a gas, electric or thermal oil fryer. That’s because operating costs and energy prices may vary tremendously depending on where a facility is based.

“It depends on where you are in North America or the world,” said David Moline, president, Moline Machinery, which makes all three types of fryers. “There may be a great discrepancy in operating and certain energy costs, which may push you into one or the other. There really isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Moreover, snack producers and donut makers must take into consideration the infrastructure that exists and what is planned for the future, noted James Padilla, director of product development, Heat and Control.

Consumer calls for decarbonizing frying equipment might prompt companies to explore electricity or even alternative fuels like hydrogen. While the intent is admirable, reality may dictate what energy makes most sense.

“Many plants do not have the electrical supply to support using electric heating of fryers and the cost to increase the available power can be very high, if current power grid is even able to support the additional load,” he explained. “While there is much talk about using hydrogen as a fuel source, the production of hydrogen is not sufficient in many regions, making it an impractical alternative. Rather than focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of the heat source, the strategy should be determining what is best suited for company needs based on infrastructure and what is being asked for future consideration.”

From a processing standpoint, some forms of heating offer pros and cons.

“Performance-wise, electric and thermal fluid definitely stand out for their ability to heat the oil gently, which is critical when it comes to maintaining oil quality over long periods of time,” Moline explained. “Ergonomically, electric and thermal oil systems are extremely quiet. Both of those technologies give you the ability to run pretty much any size of fryer that we could make.” 

Gas-fired thermal oil fryers provide indirect heating by means of a tube heat exchanger in combination with thermal oil.

“This allows for better and more stable control of the oil temperature which will contribute to the production of a nice and consistent end product,” said Twan van den Berg, global sales manager processing, TNA Solutions.

Van den Berg said electric heating elements are best for smaller fryers. For larger fryers, he added, it can be challenging to heat such vast amounts of oil from an electrical supply perspective.

This article is an excerpt from the May 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Frying, click here.