In the face of our culture’s increasing obsession with health, there is one fundamental fact that quick-service can’t avoid: lots of our food is fried, and frying isn’t exactly considered one of the healthier modes of cooking.

Equipment supplier Frymaster, naturally, would like to help address this issue, and their take on it, as expressed at the NRA show, is a pretty good one. Basically, if we can’t make frying “healthy,” let’s at least make it as healthy as we can. Consider it an optimization of sorts.

To that end, Frymaster is offering the following tips:

Choose the right fryer for the food. Heavy battered items, like fresh fish and onion blossoms, are better prepared in tube-type fryers; lighter battered items, like fries and pre-packaged foods, are better prepared in open pot fryers.

Choose the right oil. Find one that matches your concept’s flavor profile, and be aware of smoke points to keep the oil from degrading so it retains the proper flavor of the food.

Load and unload appropriately. Don’t overload the basket, load the basket over the fryer, or store food over the fryer. Do drain food on a rack or absorbent paper to drain off excess fat, and cook the food the full amount of time at the correct temperature so it doesn’t absorb extra oil.

Filter and clean often. Filter oil twice daily or when the oil looks smoky or has excess debris in it. Clean your fry pot regularly, and change the oil every 10 days — if you’re filtering regularly. If you’re not (shame on you), filter every 5 days.