Restaurant Equipment

restaurant equipment and restaurant supplies

Posts Tagged trans fat

Trans fat and how it drives the restaurant industry

Feb 5

Posted by True-Restaurant-Equipment in Food Preparation, Restaurant Equipment, Restaurant Management, Restaurant Marketing | No Comments

With trans fat being such a huge consumer concern in the last decade, and continuing to grow, the prepackaged food industry began making voluntary moves to remove or reduce the amount of trans fats in their products. Granted this voluntary move really picked up steam once the Government mandated that trans fats needed to be documented on nutritional labeling, but the fact still remains that great effort has made by the prepackaged industry to get on board the trans fat bandwagon.

The focus of trans fat has now shifted to the food service industry, where it is estimated by some source that up to 38% of our fat intake comes from. The use of partially hydrogenated frying oil and ingredients containing trans fat are both large contributors to the fat content of a menu item. Since the food service industry does not have to offer nutritional labeling and the availability of that information is limited, it is often difficult for patrons to make informed choices regarding the consumption of trans fat while eating out.

In response to this growing concern several U.S. cities have begun the move toward mandating the removal of trans fats in restaurants. The approach so far as been to do this in stages, normally starting off with guidelines stating that all shortening, margarine and oils that are used in cooking contain less than half a milligram of trans fat per serving. Once the first stage is in place the second phase normally involves expanding the half a milligram requirement to other items including baked goods.

This push towards the removal of trans fats is having a pull marketing direction on the distributors as demand for trans fat free cooking oils and ingredients sky rockets. There is also a push marketing effort taking place as the restaurants who have taken the effort to reduce or remove trans fats from their menus are increasing the amount of materials available to their patrons explaining the benefits of being a trans fat free establishment.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Proper deep fryer techniques

Feb 2

Posted by True-Restaurant-Equipment in Deep Fryer, Food Preparation, Fry Oil, Restaurant Equipment, fryer guidelines | Comments off

As we’ve already touched on, fry oil will change it’s composition as it interacts with food placed in it, the heat from the heating elements, and the oxygen in the air. As a result of this chemical interaction with these elements by-products are created in the oil which changes the overall make-up of the oils characteristics. In addition, food particles, water, and the various starches in the batter start to enter the oil as contaminants and contribute to the breakdown of the oil’s quality.

There are five easy areas to watch out for that can greatly increase the quality and longevity of deep fryer oil. It is important to try and limit the amount of exposure the oil gets to crumbs, air, salt, water, and heat. All of this can be accomplished by using the following good frying practices:

1) Once the baskets are loaded shake them out before moving them into the frying area. This will knock off any of the loose crumbs from the product allowing them to be disposed of easily instead of falling off into the fryer oil.

2) Filter the oil in your deep fryers on a regular basis. Depending on the amount of use your deep fryer sees, this could be nightly or bi-weekly. Filtering frequently will remove the solid particles that have fallen off into the oil during regular operations as well as un-dissolved salts.

3) If the fry oil becomes contaminated by an unexpected substance you should follow the safe handling procedure and dispose of the oil immediately and thoroughly clean the deep fryer before using it again.

4) Read the cleaning instructions of your deep fryer, follow cleaning and oil replacement guidelines set forth by the manufacturer. Proper care and maintenance of your fryer will help ensure a long product life and help avoid any fryer defects that could cut down on the life span of your fry oil or cause inconsistencies in your fried food.

5) Keep your fry oil at it’s optimal temperature at all times. Doing so will help avoid situations where food is cooked at too high of a temperature or much faster than expected, thus allowing for a consistent quality to your fried food. Avoiding fluctuations in temperature will also help increase the life span of your cooking oil. It is unavoidable that cooking oil will fluctuate in temperature while actually cooking but keeping those fluctuations to a minimum will be beneficial. Most oils are recommended for a 330°F to 350°F operating temperature at the start of a cooking cycle with a drop to 330°F for a brief period at the start and then returning to between 330°F to 350°F. However, one should always consult with the manufacture of their cooking oil for specific usage guidelines as many of the trans fat free oils may require different operation temperatures

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Pay attention when purchasing fried food from your vendors

Feb 1

Posted by True-Restaurant-Equipment in Deep Fryer, Food Preparation, Fry Oil | Comments off

So we’ve looked at the different types of fryers and the different types of oils, now it is time for the third factor in finding the right deep-fryer for your restaurant and that is selecting the right type of fried food. When deep frying foods it isn’t just the type of oil that effects how much fat is in the fried food but the content of the food itself plays a large roll in determining house it should be friend for the best and healthiest results. For example, if the food you are deep-frying has been par-fried, as is the case with many pre-prepared frozen foods, the oil that was used will not only effect the food that was fried but the oil in your fryer as well. Lets say that a partially hydrogenated oil was used to par-fry chicken before it reached your restaurant. This pervious oil will leach into your fryers oil as you cook it for serving. So if you are using a trans fat free oil the levels of trans fats will increase over time due to the leaching effect of the previously used oil and will eventually not meet the .5mg or less requirement to be called trans-fat free when served. It holds true for other types of oil as well as there is a leaching effect of the previously used oil into the current oil which can change the taste of your menu as the oil gets longer its life cycle. This leaching can drastically shorten the oils life span as the altered taste of menu items will prompt a changing of oil much earlier in the life cycle than actually needed, thus driving up your oil consumption and costs.

When purchasing foods, it is should be noted or inquired as to the type of oil that was used in the preparing process. Today’s vendors offer trans fat-free foods and have been working on increasing efficiency of their methods for years to help keep cost down. By paying attention to the fry process used in preparation before it gets to your restaurant, frying in healthy oils in your own deep fryer, and by following good frying practices you will not only provide a consistent quality and taste of food to your customers but also take steps to ensure that you get the maximum oil life you can out of your own fryers.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Deep fry oils and how they effect health and taste

Jan 31

Posted by True-Restaurant-Equipment in Deep Fryer, Fry Oil, Restaurant Equipment | Comments off

After determining what type of deep fryer will work best for your restaurants needs the next step is to find the right type of frying oil to use. Until the last decade greater attention has been given to the different types of oil and what they work best for, up to that point fry oil was fry oil and a restaurant would choose whichever one the chef preferred or based solely on cost. However, in the recent decade a massive amount of research has been done regarding which types of oils work best for different types of applications, things like the composition of the oil and how that effects the fry process, the taste of the food, how oil life is effected and its health benefits.

While there are many different types of oil on the market today, the main types of deep frying oil include vegetable, sunflower, safflower, peanut, grape seed, corn and canola oils. Each of these fry oils has different properties that fit different applications, things like the smoking point, flavor, stability, health concerns & parameters, and nutritional profile. With the countries focus on trans fat, and removing as much of it as possible from our diets, a new type of frying oil has entered the market place boasting increased functionality and stability to meet today’s deep-frying needs in terms of maintaining maximum taste and meeting the governments healthy oil standards because they are trans fat free. This is accomplished by not partially hydrogenating the oil and using state of the art plant breeding technologies along with genetic engineering. This next generation of oils is increasing constantly, but the current leaders in this area are oils like sunflower oils high in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, high-oleic and mid-oleic sunflower and canola oils. Manufactures of these new cutting edge oils will also create blends of these products which product better tastes and performance characteristics.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,