Abstract: A fryer apparatus includes at least one cooking vessel that stores a cooking medium therein, a melter, a flow path, and a hopper pump that draws cooking medium from the melter to the cooking vessel. The melter includes a hopper that stores the cooking medium, a cradle, and a wiring. The cradle surrounds the hopper on 3 sides and the bottom, and the hopper may be removably inserted into the cradle. The cradle includes two side walls, a rear wall, and a bottom wall. A heating element is placed on an interior of each wall. When the hopper is installed in the cradle, heat is transmitted from the heating elements of the cradle through the hopper, and into the cooking medium, which allows the cooking medium to be stored at a temperature above an ambient temperature.