How Smart Frying Solutions Reduce Oil Costs

As foodservice operators grapple with rising cooking oil prices, managing costs has become critical. Many operators instinctively turn to quick cost-cutting methods, like extending oil beyond recommended use or opting for less expensive oil. Unfortunately, these short-term strategies usually compromise food quality, causing off-flavors, inconsistent cooking, and increased grease absorption, ultimately disappointing customers and hurting profits.

The real solution to reducing oil costs lies not in shortcuts, but in smarter oil management strategies. By embracing advanced frying solutions, foodservice operators can significantly extend oil life, maintain consistent food quality, and sustainably reduce operating expenses

3 Ways to Reduce Oil Costs

1. Use Less Oil More Efficiently

Consistent oil filtration significantly reduces waste and extends oil life, keeping food quality high. Advanced frying equipment with built-in filtration quickly removes particles that break down oil prematurely, with some filters taking as little as three minutes. This approach dramatically reduces the frequency of oil changes, maintaining food quality and cutting operating expenses. Equipment with built-in filtration, like Henny Penny’s open fryers, simplifies this critical task, streamlining kitchen operations and freeing up staff time for other essential duties.

2. Keep Oil in the “Sweet Spot”

Oil performs best in a narrow temperature range — what we call the “sweet spot.” Letting oil overheat, cool too much, or absorb contaminants (like moisture, salt, and debris) causes it to break down faster and shortens its lifespan.

Rapid heat recovery and efficient frying solutions maintain oil integrity and ensure consistent cooking results, returning oil to the ideal cooking temperature after each batch. Energy-saving features, such as automatic Idle Modes available on the Henny Penny Evolution Elite open fryer, reduce unnecessary heating during downtime, further extending oil life and reducing energy bills. The result? Oil that lasts longer and delivers better-tasting fried foods.

3. Extend Cost Savings and Quality with Oil Extenders

Oil extender additives can dramatically improve profitability by actively slowing oil breakdown. These solutions help preserve oil integrity, eliminating common quality issues like off-flavors, greasiness, or flavor contamination. By enhancing the stability of frying oil, operators not only save money through less frequent replacements but also deliver consistently superior food quality that enhances the customer experience and fosters repeat business.

Invest in the Right Equipment for Long-Term Savings

Lowering oil costs shouldn’t come at the expense of food quality or operational effectiveness. Instead, operators who adopt innovative oil management practices and advanced frying solutions position themselves for long-term success, with some reporting extending their oil life from an average of three days to an impressive 15 days or more. They benefit from substantially lower operating costs, improved efficiency, consistent quality, and greater customer satisfaction.

At PHT Systems, we understand the challenges foodservice operators face. We empower your operation with sustainable solutions tailored to your business needs. By partnering with us, you’ll receive guidance, training, and ongoing support designed to help you achieve consistent food quality, operational efficiency, and significant cost savings over the long term.

Ready to enhance your profitability through smarter frying solutions? Contact us today to discuss how strategic oil management can elevate your operation and sustainably grow your business.

The Future of Food Retail: 2024 Conferences Promote Innovation and Efficiency

In the retail food industry, innovation and efficiency in foodservice equipment are essential to meeting consumers’ evolving demands, while maintaining a high level of quality and convenience. 

PHT Systems aims to empower retailers by providing the foodservice resources and technology to help them thrive in this competitive market. This year, the PHT Systems team attended the National Co+op Grocers (NCG): Focus on Fresh Conference and the UNFI Holiday and Winter Show. At each conference, we gained unique insights into the foodservice sector, including three takeaways that shed light on the direction the industry is moving and trends in food retail. 

3 Takeaways on Where the Foodservice Retail Industry is Headed

1. Hot & Ready Meals Are First Choice

There’s been an increase in sales of hot and ready meals to take home, and they are often a more affordable option for consumers than a delivery meal service because they cut out the extra fees. 

Retailers who want to meet this growing demand will need a way to showcase their “meals made easy” items. Catch the attention of customers as they walk through your store by displaying your grab-and-go meals in a Fri-Jado hot and cold merchandiser or supermarket display case. With heated, cold, and ambient options, your food will never look more tasty.

2. Versatile Equipment Is a Necessity

Retailers continue to look for equipment that will help them provide high quality food items while also saving on labor costs. Investing in equipment that can do more than one job is a great solution to streamline operations and save valuable hood space without compromising on food variety and quality. 

An auto-clean rotisserie oven from Fri-Jado, for example, will save labor time and money, and provides cooking versatility with varying racking options and stackable designs. Rotisol rotisseries are also a great addition to your supermarket with their eye-catching design to pull in customers. 

The Henny Penny smart combi oven is the king of versatility and ease, allowing for multiple cooking methods within one appliance, saving valuable kitchen footprint. And each Henny Penny combi oven comes equipped with an automatic self-cleaning system.

3. Fresh Options Will Stand Out

For those looking to distinguish your business, consider adding clean, fresh food options to your menus and food displays to satisfy the growing interest and demand from consumers for clean, healthy foods. These will also attract customers looking to try something unique or new that they can’t easily make at home. Equipment like Citrocasa’s juicers make providing fresh, quality juice easy and profitable in busy retail settings.

The Future of Food Retail Begins with PHT Systems

At PHT Systems, we are committed to driving the future of the foodservice industry by offering cutting-edge equipment solutions that help retailers stay competitive, efficient, and on the cusp of innovation. Whether you want to enhance your ready-to-eat meal offerings, streamline operations with versatile equipment, or attract customers with fresh, clean options, PHT Systems can help.

Ready to see how investing in the right equipment can elevate your business? Contact us today to schedule a consultation or demo to experience the equipment firsthand. 

Open Fryer vs. Pressure Fryer: Which One Does Your Foodservice Business Need?

Food Made With Open Fryers and Pressure Fryers

Fryers are an essential piece of foodservice equipment. They enable operators to prepare delicious, flavorful food in a way that is quick and efficient. With so many options on the market, you may be asking yourself which commercial fryer you should choose.

We break down the differences between open and pressure fryers to help you choose the right equipment for your menu, processes, and business.

Pressure Fryers: Shorter cook times and flavorful food options

Pressure fryers shorten cook times by raising the boiling point of water to a higher temperature, around 240 degrees. This allows food to retain more of its moisture. Frying under a pressure of ~12 psi also allows commercial pressure fryers to use lower oil temperatures than traditional open frying. 

Whether you are cooking bone-in chicken breasts or battered fish, the pressure fryer is the go-to option for frying proteins. Pressure frying locks in natural flavors while sealing out excess oil. As a result, the cooked protein comes out juicy, tender, and full of flavor. 

Henny Penny pressure fryers offer a range of innovative features. For example, Henny Penny Velocity Series pressure fryers extend oil life and reduce the cost of frying. The PFE 500’s compact design uses less than 20 inches of wall space to help you reclaim your kitchen footprint.  

Contact PHT Systems for a free consultation to see if a commercial pressure fryer is best for your foodservice business.

Open Fryers: Customizable cooking processes and crispy meals

Open fryers are efficient and versatile. These commercial deep fryers recover temperature in a matter of seconds, so you can make batch after batch of crispy fried food. They also give operators the ability to filter one vat while actively frying food in another vat. These features help kitchens maximize their operations during the busiest mealtimes — and flavor is not sacrificed for efficiency, either. 

Open fryers turn out consistently crispy, tasty products. They are especially useful for cooking fresh-breaded and freezer-to-fryer items like chicken tenders, fries, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings. Henny Penny open fryers can help you increase capacity while also allowing you to customize your kitchen. Henny Penny’s Evolution Elite Open Fryer, for example, can cook the same amount of food as standard 50 lb fryers in 40% less oil, reducing oil costs while maintaining throughput. Henny Penny’s 8-head open fryers allow you to prepare large batches of bone-in chicken quickly during lunch and dinner rushes.

For more information about commercial open fryers, contact PHT Systems for a free consultation.

Both: Comparable costs and durability

Both open and pressure fryers prepare many of the same menu items, such as fried chicken or potato wedges. The main difference is the end result. For example, if you want your chicken juicy and tender, use a pressure fryer. If you want your chicken crispy and crunchy, use an open fryer.

The cost of ownership is comparable for both fryers, too. Although pressure fryers can save energy with faster cool cycles and lower oil temperatures, there is not much difference in maintenance and labor costs. Both fryers can last up to 10-15 years with proper care and maintenance. Henny Penny fryers, for example, are known for their quality and consistency, delivering fantastic food for customers and maximum value for operators.

Contact the experienced foodservice suppliers at PHT Systems

Not sure which type of fryer is right for your business? You don’t have to navigate the purchasing process alone. Contact PHT Systems: a foodservice supplier with expertise and years of experience in the foodservice industry.

PHT Systems is a wholesale distributor for Henny Penny, representing the best-in-class pressure fryers and open fryers. After you find the right fryer for your operations, PHT will be there for you beyond the sale with equipment training, service, and repair solutions to allow you to do what you do best – serve your customers.

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What to Look for in a Foodservice Equipment Supplier

Foodservice Equipment Distributor
Food industry businesses need a partner as invested as they are in their business’ success. Much of the equipment you purchase should last for years to come, but the longevity of it depends on more than that initial investment.When you’re ready to invest in your business’ future by purchasing new equipment, there are three attributes you should look for in your next commercial foodservice equipment partner.

#1. Focus beyond the sale

A leading commercial foodservice equipment supplier should not only furnish your business with high-quality equipment, but also provide you with tailored solutions based on their knowledge of your current needs and future objectives. Your supplier’s years of hands-on experience with top-of-the-industry brand equipment, like Henny Penny’s fryers and holding cabinets, Fri-Jado’s rotisseries and merchandisers, and Prática’s ventless rapid cook ovens, will directly factor into their ability to seamlessly match the right solution to your unique business needs.

A true partner will also go one step further than completing a sale. They will cultivate a long-lasting partnership by continuously working with you to understand the significance of your equipment’s role in your business’ evolving needs.

#2. Training and re-training for your team

Training is the most important piece of the puzzle and impacts quality, efficiency, and operating cost. At the same time, employee turnover in the industry is high.

Every piece of equipment in your kitchen underperforms if the proper training is not given to those operating it. By offering complete training and re-training of your kitchen staff, your equipment supplier can help you ensure your foodservice equipment is being used correctly, safely, and effectively, increasing your quality and lowering your cost.

#3. Service at every stage

To help keep your equipment in tip-top shape, look for a business partner with a team of service experts in every brand of foodservice equipment they sell.

These factory-authorized technicians will know the ins and outs of the equipment you’ve purchased, such as Henny Penny’s combi ovens, Frontline’s oil management systems, or Everidge’s Preprite blast chillers. This dedicated team of experts can save your operation time and money by properly identifying and addressing operational and maintenance issues.

Last but not least, look for partners with an extensive inventory of OEM replacement parts at the ready. This will be a key sign that they’re well-prepared to promptly tackle your equipment repairs so that you can avoid lost revenue due to extended downtime.

Choose a partner who cares

When you choose a foodservice supplier with expertise, service, and programs tailored to your business’ unique needs, your new equipment becomes a key to your success.

If your business needs a trusted expert that can find the perfect solution, as well as assist in training your staff and servicing your equipment, PHT Systems is here for you! Schedule a consultation with us today, and let’s help your business thrive.