Fryer

Abstract

To surely perform switching to a second cooking mode by preventing deterioration and solidification of cooking oil in an oil increasing tank even when cooking in the second cooking mode in which the oil increasing tank is empty is not performed for a long period of time.SOLUTION: When a main power switch 56 is turned on, a burner controller 55 determines whether a cooking oil temperature detected by a cooking temperature sensor 10 is equal to or higher than 100°C, checks presence or absence of a history on whether a differential amount of cooking oil in an oil increasing tank 11 has been supplied to an oil tank 2 within 24 hours before the main power switch 56 is turned on if the cooking oil temperature is equal to or higher than 100°C, and prohibits the operation of a pulse combustor 3 and an electric heater 24 from the detection of the opening of an oil increasing valve 13 by an oil increasing detection switch 15 until the differential amount of cooking oil in the oil increasing tank 11 is supplied to the oil tank 2 if the history is absent.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a commercial fryer that heats cooking oil in an oil tank and cooks food by placing it in the oil tank. [Background technology]

[0002] A fryer heats cooking oil contained in an oil vat to a predetermined cooking temperature using a heating means such as a burner or a pulse combustor, thereby cooking food placed in the oil vat. In particular, Patent Document 1 discloses a fryer capable of implementing two cooking modes with different oil amounts. In the first cooking mode, when the cooking oil is at a predetermined first oil amount and the food is at a predetermined first rated amount, the heating means is controlled to a predetermined first heat amount to cook the food. In the second cooking mode, when the cooking oil is at a predetermined second oil amount, which is greater than the first oil amount, and the food is at a predetermined second rated amount, which is greater than the first rated amount, the heating means is controlled to a predetermined second heat amount, which is greater than the first heat amount, to cook the food. Normally, cooking is performed in the first cooking mode, which allows the food to carry dirt generated from the cooking oil and prevent deterioration of the cooking oil. However, the first cooking mode is prone to a drop in oil temperature, making it unsuitable for continuous cooking. Therefore, when cooking a large amount of food continuously, the cooking mode can be switched to the second cooking mode to enable continuous cooking. Here, an oil booster tank is provided above the oil vat to store the difference between the first and second oil amounts of cooking oil, and switching from the first cooking mode to the second cooking mode is performed by opening a manual valve provided on the oil booster pipe connecting the oil booster tank and the oil vat, thereby supplying the difference in amount of cooking oil from the oil booster tank to the oil vat. On the other hand, to switch from the second cooking mode to the first cooking mode, the manual valve is closed, the second amount of cooking oil is discharged into the filtering tank, and the pump in the oil supply line arranged between the filtering tank and the oil booster tank is driven. Then, the filtered cooking oil is supplied to the empty oil booster tank through the oil supply line to supply the difference amount, and the first amount of cooking oil exceeding the difference amount overflows from the oil booster tank and is supplied to the oil vat. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-133909 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, depending on the store, there may be a small increase in customer traffic and cooking in the second cooking mode, which uses a larger amount of oil, may not be performed for a long period of time. In this case, the remaining amount of cooking oil in the oil tank may be left unused, causing the cooking oil to deteriorate and solidify in the oil tank or oil pipe, making it impossible to switch to the second cooking mode.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a fryer that can reliably switch to the second cooking mode by preventing deterioration and solidification of the cooking oil in the oil tank, even if cooking in the second cooking mode is not performed for a long period of time when the oil tank is empty. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure provides an oil tank for storing cooking oil; A heating means provided in the oil tank for heating cooking oil; a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the cooking oil in the oil tank; a control means having a timing function, capable of executing a first cooking mode in which the heating means is controlled at a predetermined first heat quantity to cook food when the cooking oil contained in the oil tank is a predetermined first oil quantity, and a second cooking mode in which the heating means is controlled at a predetermined second heat quantity to cook food when the cooking oil is a predetermined second oil quantity greater than the first oil quantity; a main power switch for turning on power to the control means; an oil tank provided above the cooking oil storage section in the oil tank, capable of storing the difference between the first oil amount and the second oil amount, and equipped with an overflow section for supplying cooking oil in an amount exceeding the difference to the oil tank, and connected to the oil tank via an oil tank pipe equipped with an oil tank valve that can be manually opened and closed; an oil recharge valve open / close detection means provided in the oil recharge valve and detecting an open / close state of the oil recharge valve; a filtering tank provided below the oil tank for filtering cooking oil discharged from the oil tank through an oil drain pipe; a fuel supply path connecting the filtering tank and the fuel tank; a pump provided in the oil supply path, This fryer discharges the second amount of cooking oil from the oil tank into the filtering tank, and then drives the pump to supply the cooking oil in the filtering tank to the oil booster tank via the oil supply path, thereby storing the difference in amount of cooking oil in the oil booster tank and enabling the first amount of cooking oil exceeding the difference in amount to be supplied from the oil booster tank to the oil tank via the overflow section. When the main power switch is turned on, the control means determines whether the cooking oil temperature detected by the temperature detection means is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, When the cooking oil temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the device checks whether or not a predetermined amount of cooking oil in the oil tank has been supplied to the oil tank within a predetermined period of time prior to the main power switch being turned on, and if there is no such history, the device prohibits operation of at least the heating means from the time the oil supply valve opening / closing detection means detects that the oil supply valve is open until the predetermined amount of cooking oil in the oil supply tank is supplied to the oil tank. Another aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that, in the above configuration, the presence or absence of history within the past time is whether or not the required time has elapsed since the opening of the oil booster valve was detected and the specified amount of cooking oil was supplied to the oil tank. Another aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that, in the above configuration, the predetermined amount is the difference amount. Another aspect of the present disclosure is the above-mentioned configuration, wherein the oil drain pipe is provided with an oil drain valve that can be manually opened and closed, and the oil drain valve is provided with an oil drain valve open / close detection means that detects the open / close state of the oil drain valve, The control means is characterized in that when the drain valve opening / closing detection means detects that the drain valve is open while the main power switch is turned on, it prohibits operation of at least the heating means until the main power switch is turned off. Another aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that, in the above configuration, if the cooking oil is not filtered for a predetermined time while the main power switch is turned on, the control means prohibits operation of at least the heating means until the oil drain valve is opened and the main power switch is turned off. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, when the main power is turned on while the cooking oil temperature is high, operation of the heating means is prohibited until a predetermined amount of cooking oil in the oil tank is supplied to the oil vat, so that the operator can be prompted to drain the cooking oil in the oil tank into the oil vat. Therefore, even if cooking in the second cooking mode is not performed for a long period of time and the oil tank becomes empty, deterioration and solidification of the cooking oil in the oil tank can be prevented, and switching to the second cooking mode can be reliably performed. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above effects, the presence or absence of a history within the past time is determined by whether or not the required time has elapsed since the opening of the oil refill valve was detected for a predetermined amount of cooking oil to be supplied to the oil tank, so it is possible to reliably confirm whether or not there is a history of cooking oil being supplied from the oil refill tank to the oil tank. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above-described effects, since a predetermined amount is set as the difference amount, the fuel tank can be emptied reliably. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above effects, when the control means detects that the oil drain valve is open while the main power switch is ON, the control means prohibits operation of the heating means until the main power switch is OFF, so that the main power switch can be turned ON reliably with cooking oil stored in the oil tank after filtering has been performed, and if the cooking oil temperature is high, the operator can be prompted to drain the cooking oil in the oil tank into the oil vat. Also, filtering can be performed without the main power switch being turned OFF, preventing the first cooking mode from being performed for a long period of time, in which the cooking oil in the oil tank is not used. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above effects, if the cooking oil is not filtered for a predetermined period of time while the main power switch is turned on, the control means prohibits operation of the heating means until the oil drain valve is opened and the main power switch is turned off, thereby allowing periodic filtering to be performed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fryer. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart of filtering when the main power is turned on. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart of start-up control when the main power is turned on. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing the filtering state, where (A) shows the state in which cooking oil has been dropped into the filtering tank, and (B) shows the state in which pumped-up cooking oil has been stored in the oil storage tank. [Figure 5] (A) is an explanatory diagram showing the state after filtering is completed, and (B) is a diagram showing the state after the cooking oil in the oil tank is dropped into the oil tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a fryer. This fryer 1 has an oil tank 2 at the top of a vessel body (not shown). A pulse combustor 3 is provided at the bottom of this oil tank 2. The pulse combustor 3 has a combustion chamber 4 and a tail pipe 5. The pulse combustor 3 is an example of the heating means of the present disclosure. The oil vat 2 has a first cooking section 6 and a second cooking section 7. The first cooking section 6 is formed above the pulse burner 3 and has a rectangular cylindrical shape with an opening area that does not change in the vertical direction. The second cooking section 7 is located above the first cooking section 6 and has an inverted tapered shape that widens in all directions as it extends from the top of the first cooking section 6 upward. The cooking oil storage section extends to the top of the second cooking section 7. A first oil surface temperature sensor 8 is provided near the top surface of the first cooking section 6. A second oil surface temperature sensor 9 is provided near the top surface of the second cooking section 7. A cooking temperature sensor 10 is provided in the oil vat 2 near the tail pipe 5 of the pulse burner 3. The cooking temperature sensor 10 is an example of a temperature detection means of the present disclosure.

[0010] An oil booster tank 11 for storing cooking oil is provided at the top of the appliance, behind the oil vat 2 (to the right in Figure 1). An oil booster pipe 12 is connected to the underside of the oil vat 2 and connects to the second cooking section 7 at the rear of the oil vat 2. An oil booster valve 13 is provided on the oil booster pipe 12. The oil booster valve 13 can be manually opened and closed using an oil booster lever 14. The oil booster valve 13 is provided with an oil booster detection switch 15 that detects whether it is open or closed. The oil booster detection switch 15 is an example of an oil booster valve open / closed detection means of the present disclosure. An overflow section 16 is provided on the front surface of the fuel tank 11. The overflow section 16 is formed by piping connected to the front surface of the fuel tank 11, a flow path formed in the vertical direction to the front surface of the fuel tank 11, etc. The upper end of the overflow section 16 is connected to an opening formed in the upper front surface of the fuel tank 11 and hangs down. The lower end of the overflow section 16 is connected to the rear inner surface of the oil tank 2. Therefore, when the cooking oil in the fuel tank 11 exceeds the lower edge of the opening, the overflowed cooking oil flows from the overflow section 16 down along the rear inner surface of the oil tank 2 into the oil tank 2. Here, the amount of cooking oil that can be stored in the oil storage tank 11 when it is full and does not exceed the lower edge of the opening is the difference between the first amount of cooking oil specified in the first cooking mode described below and the second amount of cooking oil specified in the second cooking mode, i.e., the amount of oil added from the first amount to the second amount.

[0011] An air chamber 20 is provided outside the front side of the oil tank 2. A mixing chamber (not shown) that communicates with the combustion chamber 4 is provided within the air chamber 20. A gas conduit 21 equipped with a gas solenoid valve (not shown) is connected to the mixing chamber to supply fuel gas. An air intake pipe 22 is also connected to the mixing chamber. The air intake pipe 22 is connected to a fan (not shown) provided at the bottom of the vessel body to supply combustion air. The tail pipe 5 of the pulse combustor 3 is arranged in a serpentine shape below the oil tank 2, and then connected to an exhaust pipe 23 drawn out from the air chamber 20. The exhaust pipe 23 is arranged upward at the rear of the unit body while contacting the rear surface of the fuel tank 11, allowing the exhaust gas from combustion to be discharged. An electric heater 24 is provided from the lower surface to the peripheral surface of the oil tank 2. The electric heater 24 is an example of the heating means of the present disclosure.

[0012] A filtering tank 25 with a filter at the bottom is provided at the bottom of the vessel. An oil drain pipe 26 is connected to the bottom of the oil vat 2, allowing cooking oil in the oil vat 2 to be drained into the filtering tank 25 via the oil drain pipe 26. An oil drain valve 27 is provided at the oil drain pipe 26. The oil drain valve 27 can be manually opened and closed using an oil drain lever 28. The oil drain valve 27 is provided with an oil drain detection switch 29 that detects whether it is open or closed. The oil drain detection switch 29 is an example of the oil drain valve open / close detection means of the present disclosure. A filtering pump 30 is provided at the bottom of the vessel body. The suction side of the filtering pump 30 is connected to the bottom of the filtering tank 25 via a suction pipe 31. The filtering pump 30 is an example of a pump of the present disclosure. An oil supply pipe 32 is connected to the discharge side of the filtering pump 30. The oil supply pipe 32 is connected to the oil booster pipe 12 on the upstream side of the oil booster valve 13. The oil supply pipe 32 is an example of an oil supply path of the present disclosure. A fuel fill valve 33 is provided on the fuel fill pipe 32. The fuel fill valve 33 can be manually opened and closed using a fuel fill lever 34. The fuel fill valve 33 is provided with a fuel fill detection switch 35 that detects whether it is open or closed.

[0013] An oil top-up tank 40 using a 18L can is provided below the oil tank 2. The oil top-up tank 40 is placed on a stand 41 attached to the vessel body. The stand 41 is provided with a heat retention heater 42 for heating the oil top-up tank 40 and a tank temperature sensor 43 for detecting the temperature of the oil top-up tank 40. The lower end of an oil addition pipe 44 is inserted into the oil addition tank 40. The upper end of the oil addition pipe 44 is connected to the oil tank 2 above the second cooking section 7. An oil addition pump 45 and an oil addition solenoid valve 46 are provided in the oil addition pipe 44 from the upstream side.

[0014] A fry controller 50 is provided on the upper front of the appliance. The fry controller 50 is equipped with an operation panel 51. The operation panel 51 has a CPU and memory connected to the CPU, and also has an operation switch 52, a pump activation switch 53, a cooking switch (not shown), a combustion lamp, and a display. By operating each switch on the operation panel 51, it is possible to set a predetermined cooking mode and a maintenance menu, etc. A burner controller 55 is provided at the bottom of the device. The burner controller 55 has a CPU and a memory connected to the CPU, a main power switch 56, and a timer (timing function) 57. Detection signals from each sensor and switch are input to the burner controller 55. When the main power switch 56 is in the ON state, the burner controller 55 follows instructions from the fry controller 50 and controls the pulse burner 3, fan, electric heater 24, heat retention heater 42, oil addition pump 45, oil addition solenoid valve 46, etc. based on the program stored in memory to control the heating and cooking of the food to be cooked, oil addition control, start-up control when the main power is turned on, etc. The memory also records the operation history, including the timekeeping history of the timer 57 and the operation history of the oil addition detection switch 15, which will be described later.

[0015] However, the filtering pump 30 is connected to an electrical circuit that is supplied with an operating power source independent of the burner controller 55, and operates independently when the fuel supply detection switch 35 and the pump operation switch 53 are turned ON, even when the main power switch 56 is turned OFF, and stops operating when the fuel supply detection switch 35 is turned OFF. Also, when the main power switch 56 is turned OFF, cooking control, oil addition control, etc. are restricted, but the timer function and the detection function of the oil increase detection switch 15 are active, and the timekeeping history of the timer 57 and the operation history of the oil increase detection switch 15 are recorded in memory.

[0016] The filtering performed when the main power supply is turned on in the fryer 1 configured as above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the main power switch 56 is turned on and the main power is turned on, the operator operates the oil drain lever 28 to open the oil drain valve 27 in order to perform filtering, and the cooking oil in the oil tank 2 is dropped into the filtering tank 25 through the oil drain pipe 26, as shown in Figure 4(A). When the burner controller 55 detects in step (hereinafter simply referred to as "S") 1 that the oil drain detection switch 29 has opened the oil drain valve 27, it prohibits filtering operation in S2 and does not operate the filtering pump 30 even if the oil supply lever 34 is operated. At this time, the display on the operation panel 51 displays a message urging the user to turn off the main power switch 56. In S3, when the operator turns off the main power switch 56, the filtering operation prohibition in the burner controller 55 is reset.

[0017] With the main power switch 56 thus turned off, the fuel fill lever 34 is operated in S4 to open the fuel fill valve 33 and turn on the fuel fill detection switch 35, and when the pump operation switch 53 is turned on in S5, the filtering pump 30 is operated in S6. At this time, the fuel fill valve 13 of the fuel filler pipe 12 is in a closed state. Then, the cooking oil in the filtering tank 25 is sucked through the suction pipe 31 and supplied to the oil booster tank 11 via the oil supply pipe 32 and the oil booster pipe 12. This allows the cooking oil to be filtered by the filter provided on the bottom surface of the filtering tank 25. When the filtered cooking oil is supplied to the oil storage tank 11, the difference in the amount of cooking oil is stored in the oil storage tank 11, as shown in Figure 4(B), and the overflowing cooking oil flows into the oil tank 2 from the overflow section 16. Then, in S7, when the oil fill lever 34 is operated to close the oil fill valve 33, the filtering pump 30, which detects this valve closure with the oil fill detection switch 35, stops operating in S8. At this time, as shown in Figure 5(A), cooking oil returns to the first cooking section 6 in the oil vat 2, corresponding to the first oil amount, and an amount of oil equal to the second oil amount remains in the oil reserve tank 11. When the main power switch 56 is in the OFF state, the oil drain valve 27 is open, and the cooking oil in the oil vat 2 is dropped into the filtering tank 25, filtering can be performed independently by the processes of S4 to S8.

[0018] Next, the start-up control when the main power supply is turned on will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the main power switch 56 is turned on to turn on the main power, the burner controller 55 determines in S11 whether the cooking oil temperature in the oil vat 2 detected by the cooking temperature sensor 10 is 100°C or higher. 100°C is an example of the predetermined temperature in the present disclosure. The reason for checking whether the cooking oil temperature is 100°C or higher is to avoid prohibiting operation when the main power is turned on first thing in the morning or during cleaning, and the threshold cooking oil temperature is not limited to 100°C and can be higher or lower. If the cooking oil temperature is below 100°C, the process proceeds to S17. When the cooking oil temperature is confirmed to be 100°C or higher in S11, the burner controller 55 checks in S12 whether the oil refill detection switch 15 has been continuously open for a predetermined time (30 seconds in this case) or more within a predetermined period of time (24 hours in this case) prior to the main power switch 56 being turned on, by referring to the operation history of the oil refill detection switch 15 stored in memory. This 30 seconds is the time required for all of the cooking oil equivalent to the difference in the amount of cooking oil in the oil refill tank 11 to be poured into the oil vat 2, and is set appropriately. The difference in the amount of cooking oil poured in here is an example of the predetermined amount in the present disclosure.

[0019] Therefore, if S12 returns NO, that is, if there is no history of the oil refill valve 13 being open for 30 seconds or more continuously within the past 24 hours, the burner controller 55 determines that the cooking oil in the oil refill tank 11 has been accumulating for the past 24 hours without being supplied to the oil tank 2, and in S13 prohibits operation and locks the operation of the pulse combustor 3, and displays a message on the display urging the operator to perform an oil refill operation, that is, to open the oil refill valve 13 using the oil refill lever 14. If S12 confirms that the oil refill valve 13 has been open for 30 seconds or more continuously within the past 24 hours, the burner controller 55 proceeds to S17 without prohibiting operation.

[0020] After operation is prohibited, when the opening of the oil replenishing valve 13 by the oil replenishing lever 14 is detected by the oil replenishing detection switch 15 in S14, it is determined in S15 whether 30 seconds have passed since the valve was opened. Therefore, when it is confirmed in S15 that 30 seconds have elapsed, the burner controller 55 determines that all of the cooking oil in the oil tank 11 has been dumped into the oil tank 2, and lifts the operation prohibition in S16, and displays a message on the display urging the operator to end the oil addition operation, i.e., to close the oil addition valve 13 using the oil addition lever 14. When the oil replenishing operation is performed in this manner, as shown in FIG. 5(B), cooking oil is contained in the oil vat 2 up to the second cooking section 7, which corresponds to the second oil amount, and the oil replenishing tank 11 becomes empty.

[0021] When the operation switch 52 is turned ON in S17, the burner controller 55 starts cooking in S18 in the first cooking mode or the second cooking mode selected on the operation panel 51. In the first cooking mode, the oil vat 2 contains a first amount of cooking oil, and the food is cooked for a first cooking time preset corresponding to a first rated amount set as the amount of food to be cooked at one time, and with a first heat amount from the pulse burner 3 and the electric heater 24. In the second cooking mode, the oil vat 2 contains a second amount of cooking oil, and the food is cooked for a second cooking time preset corresponding to a second rated amount that is greater than the first rated amount, and with a second heat amount from the pulse burner 3 and the electric heater 24. When the oil storage tank 11 is emptied, the cooking oil in the oil tank 2 becomes the second oil amount corresponding to the second cooking mode, as shown in Figure 5 (B). Therefore, when performing the first cooking mode, it is necessary to perform filtering again and perform a switching operation to leave the difference amount from the first oil amount in the oil storage tank 11. When switching from the first cooking mode to the second cooking mode, the oil supply lever 14 is operated to supply the cooking oil in the oil supply tank 11 up to the upper end of the second cooking section 7 of the oil vat 2.

[0022] On the other hand, during operation in the first and second cooking modes, the burner controller 55 monitors the detected temperature obtained from the tank temperature sensor 43 and controls the ON / OFF of the heat retention heater 42 so that a predetermined heat retention temperature is maintained in the oil tank 40. When the first and second oil surface temperature sensors 8, 9 detect a decrease in the amount of cooking oil required in either the first or second cooking mode, or when a predetermined number of cooking cycles is reached, the oil top-up pump 45 is driven to open the oil top-up solenoid valve 46. Then, the cooking oil liquefied in the oil top-up tank 40 is supplied directly to the oil vat 2 via the oil top-up pipe 44.

[0023] Then, in S19, when it is determined that 24 hours have passed since the operation switch 52 was turned ON in S17, that is, that filtering that turns OFF the operation switch 52 has not been performed for 24 hours or more, the burner controller 55 prohibits operation in S20 and displays a notification on the display urging filtering. 24 hours is an example of the predetermined time in the present disclosure. Therefore, when filtering is performed in S21, the operation prohibition is reset and control ends. This filtering is the same whether it is performed with the main power on as shown in Figure 2 or after the main power switch 56 is turned off, and the operation prohibition is reset in either case. When the main power switch 56 is turned on after filtering is completed, the processing from S11 onwards is repeated.

[0024] Thus, the fryer 1 of the above configuration includes an oil tank 2, a pulse burner 3 and an electric heater 24, a cooking temperature sensor 10, a burner controller 55 capable of executing a first cooking mode and a second cooking mode and having a timer 57, a main power switch 56, an oil reserve tank 11 equipped with an overflow section 16, an oil reserve detection switch 15, a filtering tank 25, an oil supply pipe 32, and a filtering pump 30. The fryer 1 discharges the second amount of cooking oil from the oil tank 2 into the filtering tank 25, and then drives the filtering pump 30 to supply the cooking oil in the filtering tank 25 to the oil storage tank 11 via the oil supply path, thereby storing the difference amount of cooking oil in the oil storage tank 11 and supplying the first amount of cooking oil exceeding the difference amount from the oil storage tank 11 to the oil tank 2 via the overflow section 16. When the main power switch 56 is turned ON, the burner controller 55 determines whether the cooking oil temperature detected by the cooking temperature sensor 10 is 100°C or higher, and if the cooking oil temperature is 100°C or higher, checks whether there is a history of the difference in the amount of cooking oil in the oil tank 11 being supplied to the oil tank 2 within the 24 hours prior to the main power switch 56 being turned ON, and if there is no history, prohibits operation of the pulse burner 3 and electric heater 24 from the time the oil supply detection switch 15 detects that the oil supply valve 13 is open until the difference in the amount of cooking oil in the oil tank 11 is supplied to the oil tank 2.

[0025] According to this configuration, when the main power is turned on while the cooking oil temperature is high, operation of the pulse burner 3 and the electric heater 24 is prohibited until the difference in the amount of cooking oil in the oil tank 11 is supplied to the oil vat 2, thereby urging the operator to drain the cooking oil in the oil tank 11 into the oil vat 2. Therefore, even if cooking in the second cooking mode in which the oil tank 11 becomes empty is not performed for a long period of time, deterioration and solidification of the cooking oil in the oil tank 11 can be prevented, and switching to the second cooking mode can be reliably performed.

[0026] The presence or absence of such history within the past 24 hours is determined by whether or not 30 seconds have passed since the opening of the oil replenishing valve 13 was detected and the difference amount of cooking oil was supplied to the oil vat 2. Therefore, it is possible to reliably check whether or not there is a history of cooking oil supply from the oil reserve tank 11 to the oil tank 2. Since the predetermined amount to be supplied to the oil tank 2 is the difference amount, the oil addition tank 11 can be emptied reliably. An oil drain valve 27 that can be manually opened and closed is provided in the oil drain pipe 26, and an oil drain detection switch 29 that detects the open / closed state of the oil drain valve 27 is provided in the oil drain valve 27. When the oil drain detection switch 29 detects that the oil drain valve 27 is open while the main power switch 56 is turned on, the burner controller 55 prohibits operation, including filtering, until the main power switch 56 is turned off. Therefore, the main power switch 56 can be turned ON reliably after filtering has been performed and cooking oil is stored in the oil tank 11, and when the cooking oil temperature is high, the operator can be prompted to drain the cooking oil in the oil tank 11 into the oil vat 2. It is also possible to prevent filtering from being performed without the main power switch 56 being turned OFF, thereby preventing the first cooking mode from being performed for a long period of time, in which the cooking oil in the oil tank 11 is not used. If the cooking oil is not filtered for a predetermined period of time (24 hours in this case) with the main power switch 56 turned on, the burner controller 55 prohibits operation, including the operation of the pulse combustor 3 and the electric heater 24, until the oil drain valve 27 is opened and the main power switch 56 is turned off, thereby allowing periodic filtering to be performed.

[0027] Next, modified examples of the present disclosure will be described. In the above embodiment, when filtering is performed with the main power switch turned on, operation including filtering is prohibited, but the filtering pump may be allowed to operate while subsequent cooking (operation of the pulse burner and electric heater) is prohibited. In other words, the operation of at least the heating means may be prohibited. In the above embodiment, the presence or absence of a history of cooking oil in the fuel tank being supplied to the oil tank is determined by whether or not the required time has elapsed from when the fuel tank valve is opened until the fuel tank is empty, and the condition for lifting the operation prohibition is also the elapse of the required time, but these are not limited to counting time, and a float-type or non-contact sensor, for example, can be installed in the fuel tank to detect when the fuel tank is empty. In the above embodiment, the predetermined amount of cooking oil supplied from the oil tank to the oil tank is the difference amount (total amount) in the oil tank, but the predetermined amount is not limited to the total amount and may be, for example, at least 1 / 2 or at least 2 / 3 of the difference amount.

[0028] The predetermined time period during which operation is prohibited when filtering is not performed is not limited to 24 hours as described above, and may be longer or shorter than this. The predetermined time period may also be set arbitrarily. The heating means is not limited to a pulse combustor, but may be a gas burner provided outside the oil tank, or may be formed solely of a pulse combustor or solely of an electric heater. The exhaust pipe does not need to contact the fuel tank. The cooking oil in the oil tank can be liquefied by connecting the exhaust pipe to the oil tank and using the exhaust heat. In this case, the heater can be omitted. However, the oil tank and oil pipe can be omitted. The present disclosure is also applicable to a pressure fryer in which the opening of the oil tank is closed with a lid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1·· Fryer, 2·· Oil tank, 3·· Pulse burner, 4·· Combustion chamber, 5·· Tail pipe, 6·· First cooking section, 7·· Second cooking section, 8·· First oil surface temperature sensor, 9·· Second oil surface temperature sensor, 10·· Cooking temperature sensor, 11·· Oil increase tank, 12·· Oil increase pipe, 13·· Oil increase valve, 14·· Oil increase lever, 15·· Oil increase detection switch, 16·· Overflow section, 20·· Air chamber, 21·· Gas conduit, 22·· Air intake pipe, 23·· Exhaust pipe, 24··Electric heater, 25··Filtering tank, 26··Oil drain pipe, 27··Oil drain valve, 28··Oil drain lever, 29··Oil drain detection switch, 30··Filtering pump, 32··Oil supply pipe, 33··Oil supply valve, 34··Oil supply lever, 35··Oil supply detection switch, 50··Fry controller, 51··Operation panel, 52··Operation switch, 55··Burner controller, 56··Main power switch, 57··Timer.

Claims

1. an oil tank for storing cooking oil; A heating means provided in the oil tank for heating cooking oil; a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the cooking oil in the oil tank; a control means having a timing function, capable of executing a first cooking mode in which the heating means is controlled at a predetermined first heat quantity to cook food when the cooking oil contained in the oil tank is a predetermined first oil quantity, and a second cooking mode in which the heating means is controlled at a predetermined second heat quantity to cook food when the cooking oil is a predetermined second oil quantity greater than the first oil quantity; a main power switch for turning on power to the control means; an oil tank provided above the cooking oil storage section in the oil tank, capable of storing the difference between the first oil amount and the second oil amount, and equipped with an overflow section for supplying cooking oil in an amount exceeding the difference to the oil tank, and connected to the oil tank via an oil tank pipe equipped with an oil tank valve that can be manually opened and closed; an oil recharge valve open / close detection means provided in the oil recharge valve and detecting an open / close state of the oil recharge valve; a filtering tank provided below the oil tank for filtering cooking oil discharged from the oil tank through an oil drain pipe; a fuel supply path connecting the filtering tank and the fuel tank; a pump provided in the oil supply path, After the second amount of cooking oil is discharged from the oil tank to the filtering tank, the pump is driven to supply the cooking oil in the filtering tank to the oil booster tank through the oil supply path, thereby storing the difference amount of cooking oil in the oil booster tank and supplying the first amount of cooking oil exceeding the difference amount from the oil booster tank to the oil tank through the overflow section. When the main power switch is turned on, the control means determines whether the cooking oil temperature detected by the temperature detection means is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, When the cooking oil temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the fryer checks whether or not a predetermined amount of cooking oil in the oil reservoir tank has been supplied to the oil tank within a predetermined period of time prior to the main power switch being turned on, and if there is no such history, it prohibits operation of at least the heating means from the time the oil reservoir valve opening / closing detection means detects that the oil reservoir valve is open until the predetermined amount of cooking oil in the oil reservoir tank is supplied to the oil tank.

2. The fryer of claim 1, characterized in that the presence or absence of the history within the past time is whether or not the required time has elapsed since the opening of the oil booster valve was detected and the predetermined amount of cooking oil has been supplied to the oil tank.

3. 3. The fryer according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount is the difference amount.

4. The oil drain pipe is provided with an oil drain valve that can be manually opened and closed, and the oil drain valve is provided with an oil drain valve open / close detection means that detects the open / close state of the oil drain valve, 3. The fryer according to claim 1, wherein when the drain valve opening / closing detection means detects that the drain valve is open while the main power switch is turned on, the control means prohibits operation of at least the heating means until the main power switch is turned off.

5. 5. The fryer according to claim 4, wherein the control means prohibits operation of at least the heating means until the oil drain valve is opened and the main power switch is turned off, if the cooking oil is not filtered for a predetermined time while the main power switch is turned on.

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