When offering delivery, ensuring that food–especially fried food–retains quality and flavor during the trip from the kitchen to the diner’s door is of the utmost importance. Starting with high quality ingredients is one way to make sure foods hold up, and a restaurant’s choice of frying oil is particularly important now, considering consumers’ new ordering behaviors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic shifted how restaurants serve their diners. Over the past few months, many operations adapted by offering delivery, carry-out, outdoor seating or limited indoor seating. According to Black Box Intelligence, the saving grace for many operations was to-go orders, which grew by 96.4%during the month of May.
Restaurant operators also saw a change in the type of foods diners preferred during the pandemic. According to Datassential, comfort foods such as fried chicken were popular during the month of May. Additionally, according to Uber Eats, the most popular delivery item in March was french fries. With fried foods providing a sense of normalcy and comfort during changing times, operators that step up their frying game will stand out among the competition.
Retaining the savored fried flavor of these types of menu items in delivery and carryout situations presents its own challenges for operators. Starting with high quality foods right from the fryer that deliver great fried flavor, golden color andcrispiness will help restaurants in providing the best take-out food experience possible. Using a high stability frying oil that is designed to highlight these attributes is key.
“Our innovation team has designed a new one-of-a-kind high performance frying oil—Pour ‘N Fry Gold Blend. This specially crafted blend of high stability soy, canola and corn oils provides excellent fry life while maximizing great taste to support foodservice operators in delivering fried foods that exceed consumer expectations,” said Tyronna Capers, senior marketing manager at Bunge Loders Croklaan.
Considering the challenges facing the foodservice industry, operators must also manage expenses by using products that provide the best cost-in-use. Pour ‘N Fry Gold Blend is made using high stability soybean oil to extend fry life by up to 60% compared to conventional oil. This translates to fewer oil changes and less operational down time.
Growing during a time of new challenges requires operators that can adapt. Switching to Pour ‘N Fry Gold Blend for frying is an easy solution to provide the fried foods diners expect and the cost-in-use that operations require.
To learn more about Pour ‘N Fry Gold Blend, email BLC.Foodservice@Bunge.com.
Restaurant operators can also save money by properly using and maintaining their frying oil. Marvin Goertz, foodservice R&D director at Bunge Loders Croklaan, has these tips for maximizing the life of frying oil and the quality of fried foods:
- Start with a high-quality oil and use a test kit to determine when to change your oil. Old or overused oil can cause undesirable off-flavors in fried foods.
- Keep frying oil between 340°F and 365°F. Cooking with oil that is too hot produces overcooked food that is dark and burnt, while cooking at a temperature that is too low leads to undercooked foods that are pale and soggy.
- Don’t overfill the fryer. This ensures that oil can circulate around all sides of foods to promote even cooking.
- Remove visible particles on the surface of the oil with a skimmer as needed between frying.
- Filter oil twice a day.
This post is sponsored by Bunge Loders Croklaan