Systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for controlling a fryer (10). In response to determining a filtration cycle (312) is scheduled to occur after a current cooking cycle, a temperature set-point (T SETJ , T SETJ ) for a cooking medium (40) is increased to pre-heat the cooking medium (40) prior to the end of the cooking cycle. A heating element (32) used to heat the cooking medium (40) may be deactivated prior to entering the filtration cycle (312), and reactivated during the filtration cycle (312) in response to the filtered cooking medium (40) in the fry pot (12, 14) reaching a predetermined level. Activating the heating element (32) during the filtration cycle (312) may further heat the cooking medium (40) prior to starting the next cooking cycle, thereby reducing the total time needed for filtration and reheating for a subsequent cooking cycle.
