Henny Penny Corporation

Keith Lambert

Gary L Mercer

Tim A Landwehr

David B Winter

William M Casey

Bradley Loase

Ben Krupp

Methods for adjusting the pressure in a cooking chamber of a pressure fryer are provided. The pressure inside the cooking chamber is determined in response to detecting closure of a valve that vents the cooking chamber. The pressure in the chamber is compared to a predetermined pressure. If the pressure in the chamber is less than the predetermined pressure, a pressure assist system is activated. The pressure assist system includes an air pump and/or pressure source, and when activated, supplies a gas to the cooking chamber to increase the pressure in the cooking chamber. The pressure may be determined at a predetermined time after closure of the valve, and an amount of gas to be added to the cooking chamber determined based on a difference between the measured pressure and the predetermined pressure.

Pressure assist method for pressure fryer

Systems and methods for adjusting the pressure in a cooking chamber of a pressure fryer. The pressure inside the cooking chamber is determined in response to detecting closure of a valve that vents the cooking chamber. The pressure in the chamber is compared to a predetermined pressure. If the pressure in the chamber is less than the predetermined pressure, a pressure assist system is activated. The pressure assist system includes an air pump and/or pressure source, and when activated, supplies a gas to the cooking chamber to increase the pressure in the cooking chamber. The pressure may be determined at a predetermined time after closure of the valve, and an amount of gas to be added to the cooking chamber determined based on a difference between the measured pressure and the predetermined pressure. Use of the pressure assist system allows for optimal cooking of batches of food of many sizes.

Pressure assist feature for pressure fryer

Methods and systems disclosed herein may be methods for rapidly increasing pressure in a pressure fryer cooking vessel during a cooking cycle. Such methods and systems may comprise determining whether a pressure output in the cooking vessel is closed. Such methods and system may also include determining a pressure of the cooking vessel, comparing the pressure of the cooking vessel to a predetermined optimal pressure to determine whether the pressure of the cooking vessel is less than the optimal pressure, and activating a filter pump configured to supply air from a drain pan into the cooking vessel in response to determining that the pressure output is closed and the pressure of the cooking vessel is less than the optimal pressure. Such methods and systems may further include deactivating the filter pump when the pressure within the cooking vessel is equal to or greater than the optimal pressure.

A fryer apparatus includes a cooking chamber, at least one heating element in the cooking chamber, a filter pan that filters cooking medium from the cooking chamber, a drain valve that controls flow of cooking medium from the cooking chamber, and a filter pump that pumps filtered cooking medium from the filter pan to the cooking chamber. Inlet orifices are disposed in the cooking chamber, and selectively eject filtered cooking medium into the cooking chamber. A controller controls the drain valve to adjust the rate of flow from the cooking chamber, and selectively activates at least inlet orifice of the plurality of inlet orifices to eject filtered cooking medium into the cooking chamber. The controller is configured to control the drain valve and the selective activation of the at least one inlet orifice to maintain a substantially constant level of cooking medium in the cooking chamber throughout a filtering operation.

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Springboro, OH, United States of America

Keith Lambert