How to fry french fries on a hot dog cart.
Hey Steve,
Have you ever heard of someone frying french fries at their hot dog cart in a deep fryer? I have a number of people ask if I could do them. What would be the best way of doing this?
Trevor Anderton
**********************
Hey Trevor!
Yes I have. There are several ways that I’ve seen it done and I’m sure some of our readers have more ways to do it.
The first way to fry french fries on a hot dog cart is to purchase an electric deep fryer for your cart. This means having access to a 120 volt electrical source. I suppose you could use deep cycle batteries and an inverter but fryers use a LOT of current and would probably deplete batteries pretty quickly.
If you do have access to electricity you can go with something like this which will cost a little over $100.
A typical deep fryer in this price range has a 5 liter food capacity, 2500 watt immersion element for heating, and indicator lights to inform you when the fryer is plugged in and when the oil is ready for frying.
Some even come with a neat little fry scoop so you can get the fries into those cool fry bags and look super pro doing it.
____________________________________________________________________________
Heavier duty units like this one go for about $275.
The main difference is the more robust case which has rounded corners and is made of thicker stainless steel.
The basket is also a bit beefier for longer life.
A nice feature is a thermal overload switch which shuts off the heating element if it gets too hot.
Now let’s talk about gas fired deep fryers. The obvious advantage here is that almost all of us slingers have gas… 😉
Coming in at about $70 is this lightweight, portable propane fryer. It’s sold as a fish fryer for cooking shore lunches which means you can find these at most outdoors stores like Bass Pro.
This one includes a 10 quart aluminum cooking pot, an aluminum frying basket and a steel burner frame with a cast iron burner.
It also includes a gas regulator and a short stem thermometer to maintain proper cooking temperature.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Some things to consider. First a note on safety. Deep frying anything, whether at home or on a hot dog cart, is very dangerous. I know I’m stating the obvious but please think long and hard about whether this is something you want to mess with.
When you use a deep fryer at home you can stand right there and keep an eye on things. But your cart is a different story. Not only will you be preoccupied with serving dogs, you have people walking all around. Be sure to restrict access to the area around your fryer so no one can get near it.
I do not recommend using the pans on your cart for frying. Oil gets a lot hotter than water and you don’t want all that heat build up inside the firebox. It’s just gets too darn hot. Go with an externally mounted fryer like those in this article. Besides, who wants to tie up a pan that could be used for something else?
Whether you go with gas or electric, be sure your fryer is securely mounted to your cart, either on the top or on a side mount. You don’t want one of these units tipping over. It would be a royal mess when the oil is cold, a serious disaster when it’s hot.
Have a fire extinguisher that is rated for oil fires. Class K fire extinguishers are for fires that involve cooking oils, trans-fats, or fats in cooking appliances like deep fryers.
Class K extinguishers can be identified by this black symbol on the side of the tank.
You’ll also need to think about how you will transport the hot oil when you are done for the day. You don’t want to have to wait an hour for it to cool down.
Not just french fries. Once you are set up for deep frying a whole new world of menu choices becomes available.
You could serve funnel cakes, buffalo wings, chicken strips, dumplings, egg rolls, shrimp rolls, mozzarella cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers, and many other fried foods.
Always check with your health inspector first of course. You will certainly find that you need to comply with some stricter codes but if you can get certified as a mobile kitchen you can really go all out.
Here’s an idea. You could have several different carts, each serving one type of food. Brand each cart as a specialty food cart with custom graphics etc. If you have my E-Z Build Hot Dog Cart Videos and Plans you could build multiple carts very economically. Hmmmm….
Let me know how you do it. OK slingers if any of you are deep frying on your food cart please tell us about it in the comments below. What do you serve? Describe your deep fryer set up and how having the ability to fry stuff has impacted your business. If you email me a picture I’ll even attach it to your comment when I receive it.
Send pictures to: 
I can’t wait to hear how you’re doing it…
-Steve
P.S. Want to watch the E-Z Built Videos right now on your computer or mobile device? You can. I’ll even throw in all my other products too if you click here today.
I had a large deep fat fryer (35 lb., I think,) that was attached to the cart I bought, but the health department would not okay it for use without a hood of some sort to prevent contamination of the oil and for safety…..I had the cart inspected by the fire department and they had no problem with it, but Colorado health department would NOT okay it. Might have been just as well, as Steve pointed out above, it could be a HUGE liability, but I am still thinking about ways to deep fry also. I dont have access to power, so will have to be propane fueled. I will let you know what I decide!
Keep us posted Sandee.
A hood would be a big plus.
Ye never know when one of those dirty birds will fly over.
Wouldn’t want to be serving up any SPECIAL ingredients !!
Har har harrrr !!
Umm. No…
Just a note on those propane fryers… Most do not have a thermostat so you have to keep a very close eye on them to avoid boil overs and a very nasty fire as a result. (You here these horror stories around Thanksgiving when people are deep frying their turkeys). Also, water and oil don’t mix. If it starts to rain, that oil is going to splatter everywhere creating a serious mess, and possibly a fire.
Yep.
Great Article, Thanks!!!!
You’re welcome!
Great wright up Steve.
Also consider that oil stays hot for a very long time.
Even my small fry daddy at home takes about two hours or more to cool down enough to cover for safe storage or transport. With three to four quarts of oil it will be longer.
It’s not something you can just shut off & pack up.
As Steve mentioned it can be a very dangerous situation exposed not only to the public but the elements.
What happens to your oil when it starts to rain !! Snap, crackle, pop & splatter in all directions. I would only consider a fryer in an enclosed stand (on dry land).Har harrr.
Arrrrggggg!! Be safe & think it over well mateys.
1St Mate Jim.
Aye.
I have problems getting rid of the old.
Call Willie Nelson !! He can burn it in his tour bus.
Sorry I ment oil sorry.
originize a casino junket for them.
thats how we get rid of ours here.
a bus, a coupon book and a buffet ticket and they are off.
Keep it simple,It`s a hotdog cart.A one man band.The clean up is not worth it.Grease to get rid of,can`t cook the fries ahead they get stale soggy.Throw them away.We have a bar and grill in the area 3rd generation they sell spagetti plain or with 2 meatballs $5.00&5.50 IF you want a salad they say go to Olive Garden.They make 1100 meatballs twice aweek.Its a small place 5 boothes and a long table, take out are constantly going out the door.I asked Joe the owner you gonna be closed for Christmas?He just smiled and said everyday is Christmas.
Every day is Christmas! Nice.
first and foremost i would talk to the health department. many cities and states, such as were i work do not allow anything on “open air” structures such as my cart, if however i had a stand in cart, or enclosed i could fry away.
The Texas Health Department said, that I could not cook anything on an open cart. That everything had to be cooked already. All I can really do is to heat up the food, such as steaming it. However, roasting something already cooked was OK. Like if, you want to use direct flame on your hot dog winnies. I think because, it is cased meat. Canned chili can be heated up to, but, can’t be prepare on an open cart. In Texas inside a Roach Coach, it is OK, because it is not an open cart!
The codes vary county to county inside each state. We have to be flexible. Thanks Gregory.
Dont fry for me marge and tina.
Corey “Evita” Blake. 😉
I agree with most of the comments above. Fryer oil degrades very quickly, costs a fortune and is HARD to get rid of (unless you have a friend who drives a bio-diesel like I do) Just vend Chips. Your customers will like them almost as well.
The only way I would have a fryer with my cart would be if I had a solid, constant location where I would not have to pack out that fryer every day. (read Flea Market etc)
God Bless!
Wanda Dixie Kitchen
Great thoughts Wanda. I agree.
“Don’t fry for me Marge and Tina” I like that!!! Corey, you are one clever dude …. I’m still laughing!!!! Just bought a cart in Florida with a grill and deep fryer …. can’t use either in Florida. It’s precooked sausages/hot dogs, period. No chili either. Still trying to figure out what I can do legally that will set my cart apart. Would appreciate ideas. I’m also trying to figure out how to use my grill and deep fryer for other purposes. I have not spoken to the health department yet, just read the Florida regs. so I’m just in the beginning stages of starting my business. Next phase: buy Steve’s premium package.
Thanks in advance Richard. Can’t wait to see you inside the Member’s area!
Frying is a big mess in my kitchen. Grease everywhere. Won’t give it a thought on my cart unless I can do $10,000 a pop and hire a bunch of maids to spic and span it every night for the next days activity.
HotDogCartFryerGreaseCleanUpMaids.com
Very good article. As always, you would want to check with your Local Health Department (and) the local Fire Department to check their regulations on using this type of equipment on a cart. However if they will let you do so, it opens a whole new spectrum as to what you could “possibly” serve from your cart, again, check first with the Health Department as they vary greatly on rules from place to place.
Yes, the rules are incredibly different wherever you go.
i have a gas fryer but i also have someone just for it and i do the rest. there is no way one person can do it alone. its to big of a risk. to many kids running around and no parents. think hard and long on it. if you want to do it get u someone to help out
Right on Debbie. I personally would be a nervous wreck if I had a deep fryer on my cart. I’ll pass.
I did the french fry thing a few years ago. Use a propane French Fry cooker with basket. Had to keep an eye on the thing all the time to keep the temps correct. For me the problem was not the cooking but the transport of the oil, both hot and cold, plus the fries (frozen) took up way to much room in my freezer. I then came up with the great idea to get a tornado french fry cutter, big waste of money. Just not enough of hands to do everything and run my cart. The mess sucked. The cutter did not work correctly for the tornado fries but did a great job on curley fries, (note: Still have the cutter if someone wants it for a real good price, lol). All in All the investment was around $500, sold the frier and got most of my money back, ate the Frozen French Fries at the house and gave a few to my father in law (got some good points for that). Remember the one thing that I learned KISS (Keep it simple stupid). You can’t sale everything from a little hotdog cart (even if it is a Big Dog).
Duggs Doggs
Good!! Good!!
Simple is good. I mean – Good!! Good!!
Could you use an electric one like the t-fal they show on TV it does not use oil
Sure, but again you will probably need to be able to hook up to 120 V electric power at your location. Great idea Fred!
Thanks for article it is very educational!!!
You’re welcome Mark.
I once saw a spiral cutter at a IAAPA show.
but your potatoe into a spiral and you put it on a stick fior the customer.
I nicknamed it the ketchuop wedge.
Hot Oil,no way, one day while I was selling dogs a very strong storm with high winds came up suddenly and flipped my cart on its side, spilling my pans with hotwater and dogs all over the place including on my legs and feet,luckly I only had minor burns. Can you imagen if that had been hot oil instead. Please be safe out there, for yourself and customers.
Agreed.
wow, bet the dogs were estatic that day.
I mean, it is a dog eat dog world.
The Dawg makes great fries and would love to serve this much requested item on the HDC…2 reasons why it is unlikely – I am busy with a line of starving customers starting around 11 pm and many are
Texas Health Department sounds almost like a contradiction right there. The State that takes conscious foreigners off of life support at Baylor to suffocate because they can’t afford to pay but wrings their hands over Schiavo. That state which always threatens to secede until a few days later there is a hurricane or tornado and then they are begging from DC for relief funds? Where everyone gets lethal injection except Henry Lee Lucas. Why do they care about regulations on a food cart? Is it to help keep small operators from competing with the national chains? Your food is hot, hasn’t been out of temp range too long according to ServSafe? Everything is clean? It’s good enough for me.
Reminds me of an old joke:
“We’re from the government. We’re here to help you.”
Dang it!