Deep fat fryer

A deep fat fryer comprising a vat for receiving cooking oil and infrared type gas burner means associated with and adjacent said vat, means for providing fuel gas and air to said burner means with the air being in an amount substantially no greater than that necessary for complete combustion to occur to effect the heating of said vat and cooking oil therein by applying heat to the vat with a substantial portion of the heat being applied in the form of radiant heat with a minimum amount of heat being lost to the heating of excess combustion air and baffle means defining a tortuous path for the discharge of the combustion gases from the gas burner means in heat exchange relation to the vat, wherein said vat is of generally inverted U-shape including a front-to-rear extending tunnel having sides defined by mutually facing spaced first and second internal walls and additionally including first and second burner clamp means respectively extending inwardly from lower areas of said first and second internal walls and wherein said infrared gas burner means includes first and second gas burner units respectively supported on, and held by, said first and second burner clamp means and each gas burner unit has apertured means respectively having outer surfaces spaced from but each facing an outer surface of one of said internal walls to define a generally vertically extending side draft chamber therebetween with combustion occurring adjacent said apertured means for heating the outer surface thereof to cause the outer surface to emit substantial quantities of infrared radiation which impinges on the internal walls.