Filtration device for cooking oil

A filtration device to filter cooking oil, the filtration device consisting essentially of:

• an upper layer comprised of a filter paper, the filter paper having pleats defining a plurality of food particle receiving channels over a substantial portion of a central area of the filter paper and located within a peripheral portion the filter paper;
• a lower layer comprised of a filter pad, the filter pad having a perimeter that substantially corresponds to a perimeter of the filter paper;
• and
• stitching attaching the pad to the peripheral portion of the filter paper around at least a majority of the perimeter of the filter paper to form a multi-layered filtration device having a central pleated region in which the upper and the lower layers are unbonded to each other, the central pleated region configured to accumulate food particles above a threshold size as the filter paper and filter pad cooperatively filter cooking oil during a filtration operation.

A filtration system for cooking oil received in a fryer, the filtration system comprising:

• a container to receive cooking oil to prepare food products, the container including a cooking oil outlet at a bottom portion thereof;
• heating elements positioned in the container to selectively heat food products during a frying operation;
• and
• a multi-layered filtration device removably coupleable to the container between the heating elements and the cooking oil outlet, the multi-layered filtration device including an upper layer comprised of a filter paper bonded at a peripheral portion thereof to a lower layer comprised of a filter pad, the filter paper of the upper layer having a plurality of food particle receiving channels, and the filter pad of the lower layer being generally planar and having a thickness less than half of a height of the food particle receiving channels of the filter paper of the upper layer.

A method of maintaining the quality of a cooking oil of a fryer system used to prepare food products in successive batches by submersion in a container of the cooking oil, the method comprising:

• passing the cooking oil through a multi-layered filtration device after a plurality of successive batches of food products are prepared, the multi-layered filtration device having an upper layer comprised of a filter paper with a plurality of food particle receiving channels formed over a central area thereof and having a lower layer comprised of a filter pad which is secured to a peripheral portion of the filter paper to create a central region in which the upper and the lower layers are unbonded to each other;
• passing the cooking oil through the multi-layered filtration device after another plurality of successive batches of food products are prepared;
• and
• replacing the multi-layered filtration device after particles of the food products accumulate in the food particle receiving channels to fill at least a majority of the volume collectively defined by the food particle receiving channels.