The invention relates to an apparatus for deep-frying food, comprising:
a pan for containing a frying medium which is liquid in use,
a cover, in which the pan and the cover when placed on the pan define an inner space,
a vapour discharge channel communicating with said inner space and extending from an upper portion of said inner space,
a cooling surface for cooling vapours, which cooling surface communicates with said inner space via at least a portion of said vapour discharge channel,
a collecting reservoir for storing condensate that has precipitated on said cooling surface, into which collecting reservoir the vapour discharge channel opens, and
a fat deposition area outside the cooling surface.
Such an apparatus is known from European patent no. 0 693 893. In such an apparatus, hot vapour released during the deep-frying process is carried via the vapour discharge channel to a cooling surface, where the vapour condenses. The condensate then drips from the cooling surface into the collecting reservoir. This leads to a reduction of the emission of smells during the deep-frying process.
A disadvantage of this apparatus is the fact that fat and oil constituents being carried along in the form of drops and/or vapour in the vapour discharged via the vapour discharge channel (hereinafter called xe2x80x9cfat constituentsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cfatxe2x80x9d) deposit in the vapour discharge channel, more particularly on the cooling surface thereof, which is cooled by means of ice in this deep-frying pan. This fouling of the cooling surface has an adverse effect on the effectiveness of the cooling surface. In addition to this, the fouling of the vapour discharge channel in its entirety is unhygienic and removing the fouling is a laborious activity.
It is an object of the invention to provide a solution which reduces the extent of fouling of the cooling surface and simplifies the removal of at least a significant portion of the fat discharged via the vapour discharge channel.
In the case where the fat deposition area forms a boundary of the vapour discharge channel, this object is achieved according to the present invention by an apparatus which is characterized in that at least a portion of the fat deposition area communicates with the collecting reservoir for carrying fat that has deposited in the fat deposition area to the collecting reservoir along a path remote from the cooling surface.
In a deep-frying apparatus according to the invention, the fat being discharged via the vapour discharge channel is carried to the collecting reservoir, at least to a significant extent, and collected there. From the collecting reservoir, the fat can easily be removed. This manner of at least assisting in the transport of fat to the collecting reservoir is possible because fat that has deposited in the fat deposition area is carried to the collecting reservoir along a path remote from the cooling surface, as in the apparatus as claimed in claim 1.
The above object may also be achieved in that a large portion of the vapour discharged by the vapour discharge channel reaches the collecting reservoir straight through the vapor discharge channel without fat constituents carried along depositing in the vapour discharge channel, as in the apparatus as claimed in claim 11.
A highly effective transport of fat constituents to the collecting reservoir is achieved by providing an apparatus as claimed in claims 1 and 11, in which fat constituents in the discharged vapour are carried to the collecting reservoir both directly and indirectly while being kept remote from the cooling surface.
Particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.