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By Dave Booher

Being efficient and financially responsible have always been two important ways to ensure your restaurant business remains successful. These days, however, restaurateurs are adding another ingredient to the mix: they’re incorporating more sustainable business practices into their daily operations.

Both operators and consumers are growing increasingly interested in environmental sustainability. According to recent National Restaurant Association research, 58 percent of consumers say the likelihood of their dining at a specific restaurant depends on whether the establishment practices sustainability. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise that many in the industry believe sustainability will continue to be a top trend next year.

One easy way to practice sustainability is to make sure your fryers and fryer oil remain efficient and environmentally stable. Dow AgroSciences’ Omega-9 Oils features a 50 percent longer fry life that can result in fewer oil changes and reduced usage costs if you take care of your fryer and the oil you use. Because of the longer fry life, operators often need less of it, thus reducing the number of empty oil jugs to recycle, or worse, send to the landfill.

While Omega-9 Oils offer a more sustainable and healthful profile, it is equally important for operators to adopt efficient frying practices to help maintain the life of the fryer oil. Here are four tips to get started:

1. Fill your fryer baskets halfway to two-thirds full. Smaller quantities of food fry better because they are fully immersed in the oil.
2. Shake off extra moisture and crumbs away from the oil before frying. Excessive crumbs and moisture that fall into the oil will degrade it faster, requiring more frequent oil changes.
3. Don’t thaw your frozen foods before frying them.
4. Don’t salt food over the kettle. In addition to causing poor-quality browning issues, salt can decrease the useful life and quality of the oil.

To learn more about proper fryer use, check out Conserve’s Focus on Fryers.

Visit Omega-9 Oils to learn about its sustainable, heart healthful and trans-fat-free product line of oils.

Dave Booher joined Dow AgroSciences in 2010 with responsibilities for demand creation and processor account management. He has extensive experience in the food processing and food service industries and now helps Dow AgroSciences improve the functionality and flavor their new generation oils.