Automatic fryer

A method for automatically cooking food products comprising:

• circulating cooking medium through a fryer apparatus in a flow direction using a pump;
• heating the cooking medium while the cooking medium is circulating to maintain a substantially constant temperature of the cooking medium;
• delivering food product to an inlet end of the fryer apparatus;
• maintaining food product in a first section of the fryer apparatus proximate to the inlet end by maintaining a first gate in a first position;
• actuating the first gate to a second position and maintaining the first gate in the second position, such that food product moves downstream of the first gate into a second section of the fryer apparatus along the flow direction by action of the circulating cooking medium while the first gate is maintained in the second position;
• maintaining food product in the second section of the fryer apparatus by maintaining a second gate in a first position;
• actuating the second gate to a second position and maintaining the second gate in the second position, such that food product moves downstream of the second gate into a third section of the fryer apparatus along the flow direction by action of the circulating cooking medium while the second gate is maintained in the second position;
• and
• transferring food product to a holding station at an outlet end of the fryer apparatus.