A cooking-oil filtration system and method for automated food-fryers with a solids-removing filter for cleaning cooking oil from the food-fryer which includes and involves an oil/air separator for receiving air-containing oil from the filter and then returning air-separated oil to the food-fryer. In certain highly preferred embodiments the oil/air separator includes a cylindrical inner wall and an inlet conduit configured for tangential entry and spiral flow of oil. In another embodiment, the oil/air separator is a surge tank having upper and lower tank upper portions and conduits facilitating the in-flow of air-containing oil and the gravity out-flow of air-separated oil to the food-fryer. In-flow is preferably driven by a pump upstream of the filter media.
