Food fryer with continuously filtered cooking oil

Claim 2

A food fryer comprising means including a deep well for receiving and heating food and cooking oil, means for continuously filtering said oil throughout cooking, said filtering means comprising a screen means in said deep well for supporting food while allowing larger particles to settle out of said cooking oil, means above the level of said screen for pumping oil into and out of a chamber of porous filter material, said oil oozing through pores in said filter material whereby the pressure of pumped oil changes responsive to a clogging of said filter material, and means responsive to said changed pressure for indicating the clogged condition of said filter.

Claim 3

The fryer of claim 1 wherein said straining means comprises a perforated member which divides the deep well into two parts, one of said two parts forming a cooking chamber, the other of said two parts forming a cool oil chamber for accumulating sediment which has settled out of said oil and fallen through said perforated member.

Claim 4

The fryer of claim 1 and means for returning said oil to said deep well without washing said food with a fast flowing current of oil.

Claim 5

The fryer of claim 1 wherein said filtering Means comprises a series of pipes for conducting said oil from said deep well through said filtering means and back to said well, and a shutoff valve between an outlet of said deep well and an inlet of said filtering means, said pumping means being in said pipe between the outlet of said filter and the inlet of said deep well, whereby said pump empties said filtering means into said deep well when said shutoff valve is closed.

Claim 6

The fryer of claim 1 wherein said pumping means is coupled to an outlet of said filtering means, said means responsive to said changed pressure comprising a vacuum sensor coupled between an outlet from said filter and said pumping means.

Claim 7

A deep fat fryer comprising a deep well having a bottom with a drain therein, housing means comprising a cover directly connected to said drain, a bucketlike means having an open top fitting into said cover, clamp means for selectively attaching or detaching said bucketlike means to said cover, filter means comprising a tubular sleeve of porous material resting in said bucketlike member and compressed against said cover when said clamp means is operated, and means for pumping cooking oil from said bucket member back into said well, said drain discharging oil from said well on one side of said filter material and said pump sucking oil from the other side of said material, whereby said oil must pass through said filter as said oil moves between said drain and said pump.

Claim 8

A deep fat fryer comprising a deep well having a bottom with a drain therein, housing means comprising a cover directly connected to said drain, a bucketlike means having an open top fitting into said cover, clamp means for selectively attaching or detaching said bucketlike means to said cover, filter means comprising a tubular sleeve of porous material resting in said bucketlike member and compressed against said cover when said clamp means is operated, and means for pumping cooking oil from said bucket member back into said well, said drain discharging oil from said well on one side of said filter material and said pump sucking oil from the other side of said material, whereby said oil must pass through said filter as said oil moves between said drain and said pump.

Claim 9

A deep fat fryer comprising a deep well for receiving cooking oil and food to be cooked, a filter assembly beneath said deep well, oil circulating means including a motor-pump assembly for circulating oil from said deep well through said filter assembly and returning said oil to said deep well without causing fast-flowing currents in said oil, wherein said filter assembly comprises a housing having an inlet and outlet for enabling the flow of oil through said housing, and a sleeve of porous filter material interposed between said inlet and outlet so that oil must ooze through the pores of said filter material in order to pass from said inlet to said outlet, wherein said filter material is a pleated filter paper bag which clips onto the inlet of said housing.

Claim 10

A deep fat fryer comprising a deep well for receiving cooking oil and food to be cooked, a filter assembly beneath said deep well, oil circulating means including a motor-pump assembly for circulating oil from said deep well through said filter assembly and returning said oil to said deep well without causing fast-flowing currents in said oil, wherein said filter assembly comprises a housing having an inlet and outlet for enabling the flow of oil through said housing, and a sleeve of porous filter material interposed between said inlet and outlet so that oil must ooze through the pores of said filter material in order to pass from said inlet to said outlet, wherein said filter material is a pleated filter paper bag which clips onto the inlet of said housing.

Claim 11

The fryer of claim 7 and means for locking said housing in a closed condition if said housing has hot cooking oil therein.

Claim 12

The fryer of claim 8 and means for settling said cooking oil before said oil enters said filter material, thereby precluding entry of large particles into said filter paper bag.

Claim 13

A deep-fat food fryer comprising a deep well with an outlet, said well comprising means for receiving cooking oil and food to be cooked in said oil, means in said well for heating said oil to the range of 275* to 400* F., and filter means comprising a bag of filter material, the top of said bag being attached to said outlet of said well, said bag being circumferentially pleated to collapse said bag vertically for shipment and storage and to expand said bag responsive to flow of said oil from said deep well and into said filter bag.

Claim 14

A deep-fat food fryer comprising a deep well with an outlet, said well comprising means for receiving cooking oil and food to be cooked in said oil, means in said well for heating said oil to the range of 275* to 400* F., and filter means comprising a bag of filter material, the top of said bag being attached to said outlet of said well, said bag being circumferentially pleated to collapse said bag vertically for shipment and storage and to expand said bag responsive to flow of said oil from said deep well and into said filter bag.

Claim 15

The fryer of claim 10 wherein said bag is of cylindrical shape when expanded.

Claim 16

The fryer of claim 10 wherein said bag has a generally parabolic cross section flaring from the point where said bag is attached to said well to the bottom of the bag.

Claim 17

The fryer of claim 12 wherein said bag is made of paper having a porosity of 40 to 65 microns.

Claim 18

The fryer of claim 13 wherein said paper is treated with melamine.

Claim 19

A deep fat fryer comprising a deep well for receiving cooking oil, said well having a deflector means extending along at least a part of its peripheral wall, means comprising a porous filter for filtering cooking oil during a cooking cycle, a down spout positioned to discharge cooking oil onto said deflector means, thereby precluding swift currents in the cooking oil in said well, and pump means for pumping oil from said well, through said porous filter, and back inTo said well via said down spout, whereby said oil is filtered continuously during cooking and returned to said well with a gentle flow of oil which does not wash or disturb the food in said well.

Claim 20

A deep fat fryer comprising a deep well for receiving cooking oil, said well having a deflector means extending along at least a part of its peripheral wall, means comprising a porous filter for filtering cooking oil during a cooking cycle, a down spout positioned to discharge cooking oil onto said deflector means, thereby precluding swift currents in the cooking oil in said well, and pump means for pumping oil from said well, through said porous filter, and back inTo said well via said down spout, whereby said oil is filtered continuously during cooking and returned to said well with a gentle flow of oil which does not wash or disturb the food in said well.

Claim 21

The fryer of claim 15 wherein means associated with said fryer comprising a filter housing which is formed to open or close, said filter assembly is a disposable pleated filter paper having compressible rings at each end thereof, and said rings are sealed against the opposite sides of said housing when said housing is in a closed condition.

Claim 22

A deep-fat fryer comprising a deep well having a drain leading to a filter housing, said filter housing comprising a cover having bayonet ears distributed around the periphery thereof and a bucketlike member having mating bayonet ears which interlock with the bayonet ears on said cover when the bayonet ears on said bucketlike member are fitted into said cover and rotated slightly, filter means comprising a tubular sleeve of porous material resting in said bucketlike member and compressed against said cover when said bucket member is rotated and said bayonet ears are interlocked, and means for pumping cooking oil from said bucket member back into said well, said drain discharging oil from said well on one side of said filter material and said pump sucking oil from the other side of said material, whereby said oil must pass through said filter as said oil moves between said drain and said pump.

Claim 23

A deep-fat fryer comprising a deep well having a drain leading to a filter housing, said filter housing comprising a cover having bayonet ears distributed around the periphery thereof and a bucketlike member having mating bayonet ears which interlock with the bayonet ears on said cover when the bayonet ears on said bucketlike member are fitted into said cover and rotated slightly, filter means comprising a tubular sleeve of porous material resting in said bucketlike member and compressed against said cover when said bucket member is rotated and said bayonet ears are interlocked, and means for pumping cooking oil from said bucket member back into said well, said drain discharging oil from said well on one side of said filter material and said pump sucking oil from the other side of said material, whereby said oil must pass through said filter as said oil moves between said drain and said pump.

Claim 24

The fryer of claim 17 and means for locking said housing in a closed condition if said housing has hot cooking oil therein.

Claim 25

The fryer of claim 17 wherein said porous material is paper having a porosity of 40 to 65 microns.

Claim 26

The fryer of claim 19 wherein said paper is treated with melamine.