Of all the foodservice tasks on operators’ to-do lists, maintaining the integrity of the cooking environment takes center stage. But what if you do everything right in that regard and customers begin to abandon some of your items, specifically deep-fried foods? Chris Koetke gets to the bottom of the potential problem.
The fried foods on our menu taste “off,” and I’m wondering if it’s the oil. What could we be doing wrong?
Fried foods are popular across the world because they have great texture and taste. They are popular with operators because they appeal to a broad customer base, often have good margins and are easy to make given the wide variety of convenience foods. But when the flavor is off, this happy business equation falls apart, and customers leave unhappy.
Those unpleasant flavors could result from improper storage of the food, and/or the food being old. Also, over- or undercooking deep-fried foods can result in poor flavor. Most likely, the biggest culprit is the deep-fry oil itself. In an ideal world, deep-frying oil should be tasteless and odorless, leaving the food simply cooked and crisp.
Numerous oils on the market are specifically formulated for deep-frying. This means they have the ability to hold up well under high heat for long periods of time without imparting negative flavors. These oils are more expensive than oils such as salad or vegetable oil. While some operators try to use these cheaper oils, they quickly discover that they are more expensive in the long run because they need to be replaced far more often.
But even deep-fryer oil has a finite life. Some operators try to use these oils longer than they should, which leads to negative flavors. While there are more scientific tests to gauge oil health, you will simply know it’s time to change the oil when it smokes, froths, darkens and/or leaves food tasting bitter or simply “off.”
Because changing oil means spending more money, there are some things you can do to extend the life of the oil:
- Minimize the time that the oil is at high temperature, so turn the fryer down or off when not needed.
- Strain the oil daily to remove particulate.
- Clean the inside of the fryer often.
- Do not salt over the oil.
- Avoid excess water in the fryer; dry or pat dry wet items.
- Do not cook other fatty ingredients such as bacon in the deep fryer.
Taking these steps and buying the right oil will go a long way toward producing delicious deep-fried foods that will keep your customers happy and coming back.
Christopher Koetke is vice president of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago. He is a certified executive chef and certified culinary educator by the American Culinary Federation. Have a question for him? Email jbulat@winsightmedia.com, subject “Ask the Chef.”
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