Frying

Frying is a widely used cooking method in food processing, essential for developing texture and flavor, enhancing colour, retaining nutrients, reducing moisture and extending shelf life. Various foods including snacks, ready-to-eat meals, instant noodles, and frozen foods are fried or pre-fried before packaging.

Maintaining a stable oil temperature during frying is crucial. Temperature overshoots can cause product discolouration and undesirable changes in taste and texture while consuming more energy. Conversely, low oil temperatures lead to higher oil pick-up, higher moisture content, reduced shelf life, and higher rejection rates.

Temperature hysteresis is a common challenge in many plants, along with issues in condensate evacuation and poor recovery of condensate and flash steam.