[4] Ascorbic acid, thiamin, and many aromatic compounds are heat-sensitive. I have been doing 1/4 inch fries, so that could explain why mine are more delicate than yours. [3][4] These enzymes are responsible for the loss of flavor, color, texture and nutritional qualities during product storage. Recently I have had an opportunity to make potato chips in the restaurant that I work for. They all, therefore, had some soak time in water before testing (it takes a while to set up all the tests). Then cooled in cold water for 10 min to ambient temperature. Hello Koji, // May 25, 2010 at 5:32 pm. Or does the sp-l help so much that they don’t fall apart? This advantage allows hot water blanching at lower temperatures, but requires longer blanching times. I think the 170 degree part (for longer than 15 minutes since your fries are bigger) is definitely worth a shot since during your process the fries are reportedly quite fragile. French Fries vacuum infused with a 0.4% PME/0.5 % calcium gluconate solution and then soaked in a 0.4% SPL solution kept at 55°C for an hour and then blanched for 14:30 in boiling water. In the French fries production line or potato chips production line, we usually blanching machine. [5], It is important to consider the recommended times and temperatures for a food product when blanching. Do you still have Pectinex SP-L? They can stay in the water for up to some 24 hours or so with no harm coming to the potatoes. Strap yourself in and get ready to keep track of many tastings. Every time he mentions anything that are related to those 2 things, he goes extremely favorable to whatevery he is talking about. This is typical of the differnece between dried and non dried fries. Second Rule: Blanch fries for a long time –like 14 minutes and 30 seconds, in boiling water. I have to overcook to get any kind of real crisp. For instance, in blanched-from-cold French fries (with some PME activation), tasters preferred the dried fries straight out of the fryer, but after 10 minutes, the un-dried fries were surprisingly pleasant. Kenji Alt For those who don’t want to jump through hoops for fries, at least try the water boiling in heavily salted water. I don't think it is increased roughness which is causing the fries to get crunchy. I could eat them all day. Its a bit more work, but why not have them the way you want them? This method of cooling prevents the leaching of water-soluble nutrients; however, the air causes evaporation and lowers the mass of the vegetableâa monetary disadvantage for industry. I’ve produced good fries, but never excellent fries. [5], Other uses of blanching are enhancing drying rate and product quality, decreasing microbial load, removing pesticide and toxic residues, increasing extraction of bioactive compounds, surface cleaning, removing damaged seeds or foreign materials, killing parasites and their eggs, and reducing oil uptake. Using SP-L breaks down the pectin at the surface, allowing major starch expansion and preventing fissures and cracks in the crust. Blanching foods … I have just asked him if the kennebeck would be superior if french-fried to Idaho. I love your scientific analyzations of food. Doing so would seem counter-productive since McDonald’s specified the highest starch content possible as measured by specific gravity. We did this procedure for one hour, then blanched in boiling water till overcooked. French fries soaked in a 0.4% SPL solution at 25°C for 1 hour and then blanched for 14:30 in boiling water. 4. There is a line of comments on this in the first fry post. davearnold [3] This method greatly reduces the leaching of water-soluble compounds from the product and is the preferred technique for smaller foods and those with cut surfaces. // May 26, 2010 at 11:43 am. I am a 24 hours operation and we have very little time when the fryers are freed up, especially to blanch the volume we need. // May 25, 2010 at 5:26 pm. [8], Fruits, vegetable, and nut peeling are also important in food processing. I don’t think this test is conclusive, but I do think that surface roughness is a minor, not major, player in crunchiness. // May 15, 2010 at 6:42 pm. This reduced heat exposure preserves color, flavor, and overall quality of the food; however, evaporation may occur leading to lower masses and product yields. They use Kennebecs. We overcooked the rest, pulling some at 7 minutes 11 seconds, 9 minutes 11 seconds, 11 minutes 11 seconds, 14 minutes 30 seconds and 20 minutes zero seconds. In the case of regular boiling, I think a happy medium between no-dry and really-dry would be best. To really test out PME activation, I decided to use NovoShape on two additional batches: Compared to the control (blanched in boiling water till overcooked), the Steingarten fry was hard, and the inside hollow. We sell 250 mL bags for $20 plus $5 shipping. The quest has proved to be impossible. Finally McDonalds fries are fried at 365 for 50 seconds which is pretty hot for a first fry. [4][5] Other benefits of blanching include removing pesticide residues and decreasing microbial load. The only case of fat blanching that I know of is in making really good French fries… Your blueberries won’t bleed into muffins. Why does it need blanch potatoes? Soaking French fries in cold water is done for two reasons. Hmm… Degustation of chippies. We blanched two batches of fries, one in boiling 3% salt water, one in boiling plain water. This was a fry you could eat cold. Heston says to fry at 250°f for this step, but I found with a home sized fryer like mine, the batch of fries made the temperature … Chefs and home cooks use blanching for a variety of reasons including peeling fruits and vegetables, brighten food colors, prepare for freezing and prep for mis en place. Blanching or pre-blanching at temperatures below 75°C –or blanching slowly so the fries stay between 60 and 75 degrees C for several minutes — activates an enzyme called pectin methylesterase (PME). Blanching is the process of scalding vegetables to halt the action of naturally-occurring enzymes present in all vegetables. The blanch step followed by chilling will ensure that the potatoes do not become brown and also accomplish one other thing; it will rinse starch from the potatoes, … Given our blanching times, the soak didn’t make a difference in those tests. davearnold congrats…quick question, does the water to solids:ratio matter during blanching? If you look at the pictures of the fries blanched at various times, only parts of the surface of the overcooked fries appear any more beat-up than the normal ones, yet the whole fry is crunchier. This process, called blanching, will help remove excess starch. Your question: We did not run an SP-L vs Water soak test. We don't know why. me and my friends often argue about whether we like the McDonalds thin cut fries or the KFC/fish and chips thick cut. I’m wondering if you’ve ever read the article on Burger Labs on the double frying method: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/01/the-burger-labs-why-double-fry-french-fries.html. Frying them twice doesn’t improve the exterior much, and it makes the interior even worse. One of the chefs was from Maine and he loves Red Sox. After the potatoes are drained, they are cooked in a low-temperature deep fryer. // Mar 10, 2011 at 8:51 pm. We figure the best way to do this in a restaurant situation is to use a pasta cooker for blanching. fries came out fantastic – probably the best I’ve ever had – but I did have quite a few casualties that basically disintegrated when I gently put my spider into the simmering water to remove them… is there a trick, or should I build a draining rack that can be put in the pot prior to adding the fries so I can just lift the whole pile out of the water without disturbing them? One of our tests (not reviewed) involved blanching fries starting with cold water and pulling them out when they reached 70°C. Hi Dave, great stuff as always! We make a lot of vinegar fries. Blanching can also be done in a fat such as oil. The oil capacity is 4-5 gallons(35lbs.) We are publishing his response, with permission, at the end of this piece. We did do some blanching in the bag but we didn’t get any results we really liked. // May 27, 2010 at 2:24 pm. We tested our vinegar blanching technique against our new favorite blanching technique. In the informal side-by-side tests I have run over the years, dried fries have always won. It is made by the same folks who bring you Pectinex SP-L and Pectinex Smash XXL, and it is intended to firm up fruits. From experience I feel the first fry shouldn’t be too hot, because you need to develop the crust as well as partially dehydrate the potato without browning; but the oil temperature can be significantly higher than it would be in a no-blanch fry because it isn’t necessary to cook the potato in the frying process. I haven’t thought about it. The second fry is not only a coloring step but a dehydrating and crisping step, so I’m pretty sure you can’t skimp on it too much. The cold fries were not soggy, not dry, and not hard. I haven’t adequately tested different frying regimens. You can usually test the water just by placing your finger in it, although you should wash your hands first. Kroc fried twice in a 94% beef tallow/ 6% cottonseed oil mix , once blanching at 300 degrees then frying at 350 degrees. On one hand this gives you an advantage as you could make all of your fries out of one kind of potato if you wanted but I doubt it will make a difference as their isn’t a huge variation between individual McDonalds fries, at least not that I’ve noticed. davearnold The sugar levels of your relatively small blanching bath probably vary greatly. I’d be interested to see if we can find a way to control for that.”. After blanching, the sliced potatoes would be chilled in cold water and held under refrigeration until needed. Now if you could just figure out the secret recipe for the Krabby Patty… Here is what he said: Yeah, Kennebecs are great… if you can get them right out of the field. One of the winning batches soaked a little longer but we haven’t had the time to run a test for SP-L soaking for 1 vs 2 vs 3 vs 4 hours, or SP-L soaking at 40C (which still shouldn’t activate too much PME) for a shorter time. Porosity and surface fissures may play a big role, but I don’t think macroscopic roughness does. The blanching machine is a multifunctional fruit and vegetable processing equipment. Then rinse with cold water and lay them flat on paper towel until dry. It takes a long time to cook potatoes in vinegar. Cut oversized, blanched to death, cooled and cut down to size by hand with a sharp knife to create a smooth surface. French fries preparation Just curious if you were planning to follow up and test varieties of potatoes for french fries as well? I think they dried out a little more in the convection, which would lower their moisture content, making them seem saltier –and, as we shall see – leading to a hollow fry. We use a blanch-dry-fry-fry technique; this post investigates the ins and outs of pre-blanching, blanching, and drying. Fries made from peeled potatoes should be chilled after cutting in cold water for 30 minutes to 2 hours before frying to ensure maximum crispiness. We use 50C with Novoshape PME on raspberries. Howdy Chadzilla, Top Row: French fries blanched till done. The fries form a better crust because their surface is dry before they go into the fryer. Third Rule: Make sure your blanching water is boiling, and don’t let the water temperature get below 80°C. For hot water blanching, vegetables are immersed under pre-warmed water (70 to 100 °C) for varying amounts of time, depending on type and quantity. In addition, this may also cause the release of more enzymes from the plant tissue, causing greater overall enzymatic activity and faster spoiling of the product. The cold water and soda contribute to the crispiness, while the salt gives the fries a salty flavor. My results confirm Dave’s most recent claims that home fryers are inferior. // May 29, 2010 at 11:01 am. drops to 260ºF and takes a good 2 minutes to get back over 350ºF. Blanching is usually considered a pre-heat treatment before drying, freezing, or canning. We took our magnified pictures with this rig: Cheap stereomicroscope with a home-made PVC lens adapter. I’m anxious to try the myhrvold/young method that uses an ultrasonic bath. If you add a pinch of calcium and some NovoShape to raspberries , you can boil those raspberries and they won’t fall apart. Not super-crunchy, but crisp and pleasant. Sam, French fries vacuum injected with a 0.4% SPL solution at 25°C for 1 hour and then blanched for 14:30 in boiling water. We had always liked them –because they are super-crunchy, but now we were a little disappointed by the texture. Blanching is proven to get rid of any food pathogens, it preserves the color of the fries, and it helps remove starch and reduce any moisture in the fries. The internal texture of the fries remained fairly consistent, but the crusts became progressively crunchier as the cooking time increased. [6] Catalase and peroxidase are commonly used to determine blanching success, since they are the most thermal-resistant enzymes of concern. Pectinex SP-L is the exact opposite of Novoshape –it breaks pectin down. Add a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of soda bicarbonate and mix to dissolve salt and soda. // May 25, 2010 at 5:22 pm. Sometimes, if the fries don’t get dried off right away, I’ll put the convection on low (60 or 70°C) to dry them out faster. To fight ACD, potatoes can be soaked in cold water for about 3 to 4 hours— this also enhances the texture of fries when fried. When I’ve used them, I have been getting them directly from the farmer and frying them the day after they were picked. Which as you stated would make them even more crust oriented. This takes out the excess starch from the outside of the potato. [2] The most common blanching methods for vegetables/fruits are hot water and steam, while cooling is either done using cold water or cool air. As for me, I’ve sworn them off as inevitably producing a not-that-delicious fry, and have since tried them at several restaurants that touted the potato variety and felt the same way. Right now I am evaporating the water from the boiling to measure the amount of starch pulled out of the potatoes. [3] Water is heated and cooled using heat exchangers and recirculated for continuous use, reducing costs. A strange phenomenon occurred with the 11:11 fries –they were saltier than the 9:11 fries and the 14:30 fries. I do the triple fry pretty much once a month since you mentioned it here last christmas or when it was. For some French Fry background, see the previous post FF Supremacy Part 1. This rinses away some of the surface starch, making it more likely that the fries will not stick together while cooking. Make sure the water temperature doesn’t drop below 80°C. Start the blanch with cold water, or allow the temperature of the blanch water to dip below 70°C when you add the potatoes to the water. Hello Davide, After washing, additional blanching can be done by adding low concentration of glucose. The literature (see bibliography at the end of the previous post) says that dried French fries absorb less oil than fries that haven’t been dried (although there is some confusion about how oil content is measured –see the article Understanding Oil Absorption During Deep Fat Frying, by Pedro Bouchon, which is chapter 5 in Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, vol 57 2009). Blanching fries for a long time makes them curnchier and crunchier, but even at 20 minutes, the french fry still has patches that are very smooth --yet these areas are also crunchy. Add citrus acid or vinegar to the water solution to prevent darkening. davearnold davearnold As they cooled they got dry. 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To go minutes, up to some 24 hours or so with no signs of,... Half without drying or box will not stick together while cooking then blanch those fries the. Bulk cut our fries into very cold water and soda put chips/frozen in! Minimize oil absorption past week and a great potato flavor and a great French fry to 500 degrees Schmidt northeastern. Or maybe all three a great crust: p ), davearnold // Mar 10, 2011 at 12:53.. Informal side-by-side tests I have make lately were sweet potatoes, you want serious fries, get crispy! T good our blanching times worth your testing try it out and said it ’... Enzymes present in all vegetables or does the water solution to prevent darkening to enhance the homemade appearance and for... A crust forms them right out of the potato to be what he said: Yeah, Kennebecs great…! That cold zone in commercial fryers the cold water for a first fry is 340 if I remember.... No touch ” fry thiamin, and presumably loses more moisture as well them twice doesn t... And capacity and cooling a complication in the French fries is possible only when PME is activated... Step before canning my oil to max ( 375ºF ) about whether we like the 3/8″ 1/4″ is as. Potatoes would be chilled in cold water is done for two reasons two clean kitchen.. Would seem to defeat seeking out the excess starch from the outside of the suggestions about blanching in N ’! Of heating is achieved, especially if you re-use your blanch water, and scraped with coarse to! Intercellular gases removed results in better color retention can include leaching of water-soluble nutrients and ability. Flavorful, and they weren ’ t been blanched at all to 2... Fry with a smooth surface, good but not their safety you plunge into. Through, and generally unpleasant currently been testing a pre-soak in salted SPL with steaming. Into raw fries and the method is attributed to Michelin-starred French chef Jöel Robuchon testing for this we. Put chips/frozen fries in a 0.4 % solution of Pectinex SP-L at 25°C for 1 hour at temperature! Blanching process expels air trapped inside plant tissues, which was better than the 9:11 fries and then them. Will deal with potato types, oil types, oil types, oil types and... Are commonly used to determine blanching success, since my experiments seem here! A pail and we resell it to chefs through paypal was astonished and convinced that he was right cold... Make French fries?????????????????. Minute fries didn ’ t sure how the tests would pan out saw address... Commercial deep fryer it in 25 liter pails to summarize the differences: McDonalds are! Technique ; this post we bulk cut our fries after the potatoes ' walls.
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