Deep fat frying apparatus

Deep fat frying apparatus comprising:

• a frypot adapted to hold a quantity of cooking oil and having a wall surface portion through which heat may be transferred to heat the oil, said frypot having an upper section having a bottom wall, and at least one well section depending from said bottom wall;
• a solid insulating material structure positioned against said wall surface portion and defining therewith a heating flow passage adapted to receive a heated gas and flow the heated gas along said wall surface;
• retaining means for holding said solid insulating material structure against said wall surface portion;
• gas generating means for flowing heated gas into said heating flow passage;
• and
• shortening melter means extending along the outer surface of said bottom wall and selectively operable to melt a quantity of solid shortening disposed in said upper section and resting upon said bottom wall.

Deep fat frying apparatus comprising:

• a frypot adapted to hold a quantity of cooking oil and having an upper section with a bottom wall, and first and second laterally spaced hollow well sections depending from said bottom wall and internally defining downward continuations of the interior of said upper section;
• insulating material enveloping portions of said well sections and defining therebetween a heating cavity, said insulating material having a section which abuts exterior surface portions of said well sections and defines therewith a heating flow passage system adapted to receive hot combustion gas from a source thereof and flow the received gas along said exterior surface portions to heat cooking oil disposed within said well sections;
• burner means, positioned within said heating cavity, for receiving an air-fuel mixture from a source thereof, burning the received mixture, and responsively generating hot combustion gas for receipt by and flow through said heating flow passage system;
• mixture supply means for combining pressurized flows of air and fuel from sources thereof to form said air-fuel mixture and deliver the same to said burner means;
• and
• regulating means for controlling said flow of fuel in a manner preventing appreciable enrichment of said air-fuel mixture in response to an air flow rate reduction in said mixture supply means.

Deep fat frying apparatus comprising:

• a frypot adapted to hold a quantity of cooking oil and having an upper section with a bottom wall, and first and second laterally spaced hollow well sections depending from said bottom wall and internally defining downward continuations of the interior of said upper section;
• insulating material enveloping portions of said well sections and defining therebetween a heating cavity, said insulating material having a section which abuts exterior surface portions of said well sections and defines therewith a heating flow passage system adapted to receive hot combustion gas from a source thereof and flow the received gas along said exterior surface portions to heat cooking oil disposed within said well sections;
• burner means, positioned within said heating cavity, for receiving an air-fuel mixture from a source thereof, burning the received mixture, and responsively generating hot combustion gas for receipt by and flow through said heating flow passage system;
• mixture supply means for combining pressurized flows of air and fuel from sources thereof to form said air-fuel mixture and deliver the same to said burner means;
• regulating means for controlling said flow of fuel in a manner preventing appreciable enrichment of said air-fuel mixture in response to an air flow rate reduction in said mixture supply means;
• and
• shortening melter means, extending along said bottom wall of said frypot within said heating cavity, for heating said bottom wall to melt a quantity of solid shortening disposed in said upper frypot section and resting upon said bottom wall.

Deep fat frying apparatus comprising:

• a frypot adapted to hold a quantity of cooking oil and having an upper section with a bottom wall, and first and second laterally spaced hollow well sections depending from said bottom wall and internally defining downward continuations of the interior of said upper section;
• insulating material enveloping portions of said well sections and defining therebetween a heating cavity, said insulating material having a section which abuts exterior surface portions of said well sections and defines therewith a heating flow passage system adapted to receive hot combustion gas from a source thereof and flow the received gas along said exterior surface portions to heat cooking oil disposed within said well sections;
• burner means, positioned within said heating cavity, for receiving an air-fuel mixture from a source thereof, burning the received mixture, and responsively generating hot combustion gas for receipt by and flow through said heating flow passage system;
• mixture supply means for combining pressurized flows of air and fuel from sources thereof to form said air-fuel mixture and deliver the same to said burner means;
• and
• regulating means for controlling said flow of fuel in a manner preventing appreciable enrichment of said air-fuel mixture in response to an air flow rate reduction in said mixture supply means,
• said insulating material including a pair of generally parallel first and second solid insulation panel sections extending along laterally oppositely facing side wall surfaces of said well sections, and a third solid insulation panel section extending between end portions of said first and second panel sections and defining a lateral boundary of said heating cavity, and
• said heating flow passage system including a pair of inlet portions formed in said third panel section and communicating with the interior of said heating cavity, a pair of first passage portions communicating with said inlet portions and extending away from said inlet portions generally horizontally along said oppositely facing side wall surfaces of said well sections, and a pair of second passage portions communicating with said first passage portions, extending toward said third panel section generally horizontally along said oppositely facing side wall surfaces of said well sections and opening outwardly through said third panel section.

Deep fat frying apparatus comprising:

• a frypot adapted to hold a quantity of cooking oil and having an upper section with a bottom wall, and first and second laterally spaced hollow well sections depending from said bottom wall and internally defining downward continuations of the interior of said upper section;
• insulating material enveloping portions of said well sections and defining therebetween a heating cavity, said insulating material having a section which abuts exterior surface portions of said well sections and defines therewith a heating flow passage system adapted to receive hot combustion gas from a source thereof and flow the received gas along said exterior surface portions to heat cooking oil disposed within said well sections;
• burner means, positioned within said heating cavity, for receiving an air-fuel mixture from a source thereof, burning the received mixture, and responsively generating hot combustion gas for receipt by and flow through said heating flow passage system;
• mixture supply means for combining pressurized flows of air and fuel from sources thereof to form said air-fuel mixture and deliver the same to said burner means;
• and
• regulating means for controlling said flow of fuel in a manner preventing appreciable enrichment of said air-fuel mixture in response to an air flow rate reduction in said mixture supply means;
• said burner means including first and second gas fired burners each having an inlet opening, and
• said mixture supply means including:
• an air blower having an outlet,
• a blower mounting plate supporting said air blower, said blower mounting plate having an air inlet collar connected to said blower outlet and divided into first and second two flow sections, and first and second gas inlet fittings adapted to receive flows of pressurized gaseous fuel from a source thereof,
• an interchangeable fuel and air orifice plate positioned behind said blower mounting plate and having first and second gas orifice openings respectively aligned and communicating with said first and second gas inlet fittings, and first and second air orifice openings respectively aligned and communicating with said first and second flow sections of said air inlet collar,
• a retaining box positioned behind said orifice plate and having a front wall with an air flow opening and first and second gas flow openings formed therethrough, said air flow opening being divided into first and second flow sections respectively aligned and communicating with said first and second air orifice openings,
• a plenum-venturi element positioned in said retaining box and having first and second flow passages formed therethrough, each of said flow passages having a plenum portion communicating with one of said first and second flow sections of said air flow opening in said retaining box, a mixture portion, and a venturi portion interposed between said plenum and mixture portions and having a central throat section, communicating with one of said first and second gas flow openings in said retaining box,
• a well member extending through said insulating material and receiving said retaining box, said well member having first and second mixture openings formed therethrough which are respectively aligned and communicated with said inlet openings of said first and second burners and said mixture portions of said first and second flow passages of said plenum-venturi element,
• means for intersecuring said burners to said plenum-venturi element, and
• means for intersecuring said blower mounting plate, said fuel and air orifice plate, said retaining box and said plenum-venturi element.

Deep fat frying apparatus comprising:

• a frypot adapted to hold a quantity of cooking oil and having an upper section with a bottom wall, and first and second laterally spaced hollow well sections depending from said bottom wall and internally defining downward continuations of the interior of said upper section;
• insulating material enveloping portions of said well sections and defining therebetween a heating cavity, said insulating material having a section which abuts exterior surface portions of said well sections and defines therewith a heating flow passage system adapted to receive hot combustion gas from a source thereof and flow the received gas along said exterior surface portions to heat cooking oil disposed within said well sections;
• burner means, positioned within said heating cavity, for receiving an air-fuel mixture from a source thereof, burning the received mixture, and responsively generating hot combustion gas for receipt by and flow through said heating flow passage system;
• mixture supply means for combining pressurized flows of air and fuel from sources thereof to form said air-fuel mixture and deliver the same to said burner means;
• and
• regulating means for controlling said flow of fuel in a manner preventing appreciable enrichment of said air-fuel mixture in response to an air flow rate reduction in said mixture supply means,
• said burner means including first and second gas fired burners each having an inlet opening, and
• said mixture supply means including:
• an air blower having an outlet;
• a retaining box having an air inlet collar connected to said blower outlet and divided into first and second flow sections, and first and second orificed gas inlet fittings adapted to receive flows of pressurized gaseous fuel from a source thereof,
• a plenum-venturi element positioned in said retaining box and having first and second flow passages formed therethrough, each of said flow passages having a plenum portion communicating with one of said first and second flow sections, a mixture portion, and a venturi portion interposed between said plenum and mixture portions and having a central throat section communicating with one of said orificed gas inlet fittings,
• a well member extending through said insulating material and receiving said retaining box, said well member having first and second mixture openings formed therethrough which are respectively aligned and communicated with said inlet openings of said first and second burners and said mixture portions of said first and second flow passages of said plenum-venturi element,
• means for intersecuring said burners to said plenum-venturi element, and
• means for intersecuring said retaining box and said plenum-venturi element.

A supply system for flowing an air-fuel mixture to a burner adapted to supply heat to cooking oil disposed within the frypot section of a deep fat fryer, comprising:

• an air blower having an outlet;
• an air supply plenum communicating with said outlet of said air blower;
• a venturi section positioned downstream from and communicating with said air supply plenum, said venturi section having an upstream end portion, a central throat portion, and a downstream end portion;
• a mixture passage extending between said downstream end portion of said venturi section and the inlet of said burner;
• and
• fuel supply means for injecting fuel into said central throat portion of said venturi section during flow of pressurized air therethrough to form an air-fuel mixture delivered to said burner through said mixture passage, and for regulating the pressure of fuel injected into said central throat portion of said venturi section in a manner preventing appreciable enrichment of said air-fuel mixture in response to a reduction in the outlet pressure of said air blower.

Deep fat frying apparatus comprising:

• a frypot adapted to hold a quantity of cooking oil, said frypot having an upper section having a bottom wall, and at least one well section depending from said bottom wall;
• fuel-fired heating means for heating cooking oil disposed in said frypot;
• and
• electric shortening melter means extending along said bottom wall and selectively operable to melt a quantity of solid shortening disposed in said upper section, and resting upon said bottom wall, to form, within said frypot, cooking oil to be heated by said fuel-fired heating means.