This age-old question has plagued both chip shop operators and their customers for many years. How big really is a scoop of chips? The term ‘scoop’ is used as a measurement in any fish and chip shops across New Zealand. Yet the customer has no idea how many chips they’ll get, and the operator has no idea how many chips they’re serving.
There has been great debate recently about how big a scoop should be. It is always interesting to hear people’s differing opinions…Since its inception The Chip Group set out to solve this mystery and produced a standard that the industry could follow – recommending that ‘one scoop’ be 330g of uncooked chips per serve. Why? you may ask…
The Chip Group are a division of Potatoes New Zealand, partially funded by the Ministry of Health. The Chip Group’s underlying goal is to improve the nutritional quality of deep fried chips, focusing on reducing fat content (both total and saturated) and sodium (salt).
For some people chips are considered a treat and only eaten every so often. But the reality is that New Zealanders consume over 4 million servings of hot potato chips every single week! Our goal is to help operators prepare chips in a way that reduces fat and sodium (salt) intake and therefore improves the health of the consumer. We’re not saying don’t eat chips, we’re saying eat healthier chips from Chip Group trained operators.
One of our major focus areas is indeed portion size. We recommend serving a 330g (uncooked weight) of chips. Potatoes are a nutritious vegetable with a high satiety – meaning you will feel fuller for longer after eating potatoes. There can often be a great deal of ‘waste’ associated with hot chips – as over-ordering, or not knowing how many chips you are going to get – can result in chips being thrown out.
From a health perspective, our research shows that 330g is an appropriate serving size. By encouraging operators to serve a consistent sized scoop we can better gauge the nutritional content consumed. It also allows operators to manage their costings, because 1kg of chips will give you three 330g scoops, so out of a 5kg box of chips they can produce 15 servings of chips. So not only does it help with the operators’ business, it is designed to help customers understand and know how much they are getting when they order ‘one scoop of chips’.
Interestingly, portion sizes vary throughout the country – depending on region, town, suburb within a city and of course depending on price. In fact, scoop sizes over New Zealand can be anywhere from 250g to 800g per scoop.
As an industry organisation we do not have the authority to enforce a scoop/serving size. It is simply a best practice recommendation, based on our industry standards. One that we believe benefits both the operator and New Zealander’s health.
Take a look next time you order a scoop and see what your local fish and chip shop is serving, or better yet ask them if they know how many grams are in one scoop of their chips. Either way if they don’t know about the Chip Group, encourage them to get online and complete the FREE online training – you’ll be doing your own health a favour!
The following are The Chip Group’s Industry Standards – recommendations which will enable people to serve better tasting, lower fat chips.
- Chip Size– Use thick straight-cut chips, at least 13mm wide.
- Serving Size– A standard scoop of chips is 330g
- Oil Temperature– Cook chips at 175°C – 180°C
- Cooking-Deep Frying– Cook chips for 3 – 4 minutes at 175°C – 180°C.
- Basket Drainage– Shake, bang and hang the basket for at least 20 seconds
- Oil Maintenance– Look after your oil and keep it in good condition.
- Filtering and Cleaning– If possible filter your frying oil every day and keep oil clean.
- Salt– Ask your customer, salt sparingly, provide sachets or use low sodium alternatives.
- Type of Frying Oil – Better oil means better chips. Rice Bran oil, Cottonseed oil and various oil varieties are best for deep-frying.
Last updated 17:22, January 17 2018
A classic Kiwiana culinary measurement is under scrutiny, with an industry educator calling for a scoop of chips to become standardised.
A Stuff survey of five fish ‘n chip shops in Palmerston North found a scoop of chips, while costing $3 at each shop, could weigh as little as 363 grams and as much as 480g.
None of the stores displayed information saying how much a scoop would weigh.
The Chip Group training and education manager Kate Underwood said variation in scoops was rife.
The last survey the group did found a cooked scoop ranged from 280g to 800g, she said.
“It is the one thing in New Zealand you go to buy and have absolutely no idea how much you will get.”
Having different sizes shop-to-shop made it tricky for customers to know how much to order, so they would either throw out food or think they had been short-changed, she said.
The group had spent years advocating for people to make a scoop 330g of uncooked chips, which would become slightly heavier as they absorbed oil while cooking.
Underwood said 330g was about what you got in a cup at a sports event, and was an appropriate serving for one person.
It was also a good size for cooking frozen chips. A scoop too big would see the oil cool too much, resulting in soggy chips, she said.
Shops with the best chips often used scales, which they would weigh chips on before they went to the fryer.
That also helped with consistency between different kinds of chips, like straight cut, French fry and curly, Underwood said.
“Maybe even weigh every one in 10 scoops, to get an idea of how many grams you are serving each time.”
It could be hard for shop owners though, as customers may have become accustomed to larger sizes.
“A lot of owners get flack from customers saying ‘that’s not enough, give me more’,” Underwood said.
“It is about the customers and the operators knowing [330g] is enough.”
She said signage about scoop size could let customers know what they would get.
Fishtown Takeaway owner Gary Yeh said he aimed to serve at least 400g per scoop.
His staff were experienced enough to know how big 400g was in the scoop, and he would keep an eye on new staff.
“Sometimes new staff will give extra, but I don’t mind that.
“We only give extra and don’t give less.”
Customers would sometimes say a scoop was too small, which could be down to them being used to takeaways from other places, Yeh said.
It was also tricky when customers asked for things like “$5 worth of chips”, as it skewed the scoop system. Staff would have to try to figure out how much $5 worth was, then show that to customers, who might ask for another few dollars’ worth, he said.
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?
Statistics New Zealand includes fish ‘n chips as part of the consumer price index, defining a meal as one fish and one scoop of chips.
The agency was unable to separate the fish prices from the scoop prices for Stuff, but its data shows the costs of the meal has gone from $4.38 in June 2006 to $6.47 in December 2017.
But tomato sauce has not been subject to inflation. In fact, a 560g can of the classic fish ‘n chip accompaniment has gone from $3.03 in June 2011 to $2.84 in December 2017.
The index does not measure other condiments people may have with their fish ‘n chips, such as mayonnaise, aioli or lemons.
– Stuff
]]>
But now it’s being made healthier and tastier, thanks to chip training organised by Healthy Families Invercargill and run by The Chip Group.
Operators from about 10 takeaway businesses attended the training, at ILT Stadium Southland, on Monday morning, to learn how to make their chips healthier.
The Chip Group training and education manager Kate Underwood said New Zealanders ate 4 million scoops of hot chips each week. That was potentially a lot of fat and salt going into people’s diets each week, so it was important to show people ways to make them healthier, and retain the nutritional value of the potato.
Small changes such as the temperature of the oil, how often the oil was filtered and replaced, and how long the chips were cooked for, all made a large difference in the final fat content of the chips, and the resulting nutritional value.
As well as showing operators how to cook their chips, to keep the fat content lower than 10 per cent, it also taught them how to clean their fryers and filters.
Healthy Families Invercargill manager Jared Cappie said teaching people how to make their beloved foods healthier was key to being able to continue enjoying them, without the unwanted negatives, such as high fat and salt content.
‘’This is about educating people, so they can still enjoy these favourites. It’s not about taking anything away, it’s about making things better.”
Obesity rates in Invercargill are higher than the national average, but by working collaboratively as a community, small changes could make big differences, he said.
Tips and tricks for healthier chips:
- Thick chips are best – 13mm
- Drain excess oil
- Standard serving size is 330gm (before cooking)
- Keep oil at 175degC
- Not too much salt
- Use Chip Group approved oils
Keep oil in good condition
The Chip Group training and education manager Kate Underwood shows Jagroop Singh, of TJ’s Kitchen, how to make healthier chips. Photo: Healthy Families Invercargill
]]>In the month of September down in the mighty south an eager group of students from Otago Polytechnic were equipped with the best deep-frying knowledge in the country. A group of twenty Level 2 Bachelor of Culinary Arts students were put through their paces, completing the Chip Group’s comprehensive chip training program.
The training was run by Kate Underwood, Training and Education Manager of The Chip Group with David Gillespie, Culinary Arts Lecturer from Otago Polytech, watching on. The class was guided through a series of best-practices frying principles, discussing and challenging the way in which to deep fry, better tasting, lower fat chips.
As with most chip training sessions, the practical element is the highlight for the students, because they get to cook and the chips using the new skills they have acquired. Best of all they get to sample their chips afterwards! Training involves a comprehensive process of scooping, weighing, timing, checking, watching, shaking, banging, hanging, draining, salting sparingly and finally eating their healthier chips.
Having this hands-on experience is an invaluable asset for these students (and their future customers) as they will undoubtedly end up deep-frying at some point in their culinary careers. It was great to see such an enthusiastic group of young people, genuinely interested in their potential role to improve the state of New Zealand’s health. The students’ understanding around the importance of following Industry Standards, and the positive impact this can have both within the food industry and on a population scale was admirable.
The realisation of ‘shoestring’ fries being highest in fat, was of interest and surprise to many students, as they got their head around the surface area to potato ratio. Learning the concept that the thicker the chip, the less fat it absorbs. As well as the idea that chips over 13mm can have less than 9% fat – if cooked according to the Chip Group’s Industry Standards.
It was The Chip Group’s first training session with Otago Polytechnic – who have a strong and impressive history of producing top NZ talent amongst the culinary scene.
David’s fellow tutors Steve Ellwood and Richard Mitchell are providing an inspiring learning environment which involves a range of practical real-life cooking experiences and projects.
Working alongside Tertiary Institutes has become a key focus area for Chip Group training – as it is essentially the future of our kitchens, and by training them early, we can hope for increased knowledge, awareness and a flow on effect toward better frying practices throughout the industry for years to come.
Potatoes NZ are also thrilled to be supporting Otago Polytech and these talented upcoming students in various potato-centric projects – to be revealed soon.
A big thanks to Otago Polytechnic for including The Chip Group as part of their course work for the year. We look forward to working alongside a range of other culinary providers to throughout the country.
]]>
After fat sampling and 2 rounds of mystery shopping… the prestigious title of Grand National Winner went to So Fine Seafoods in Lower Hutt, Wellington. It’s pleasing to note that So Fine Seafoods were a regional finalist in 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2009!
The mystery shopper had this to say about So Fine Seafoods… “The store was well lit and welcoming. I was asked for my order immediately by a well-groomed team member wearing branded clothing. The food grade (A) was on display and clearly visible. The team member cooked the chips, shook and banged the basket before they asked if I wanted extra seasoning. The food was hot, fresh and tasty. Easily the best chips I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.”.
Anthony Cho (Owner/Manager) of So Fine Seafoods said… “This was such a surprise. We are delighted to have won this amazing award. We place a big emphasis on our customer service and quality of our chips, fish and other foods served. We’d like to thank Potatoes New Zealand and the Chip Group for organising this competition. The Chip Group Training was very good for teaching us how to make healthier chips that still taste great.”
Potatoes New Zealand Chief Executive Chris Claridge offered his congratulations to the finalists and winner… “Fish & Chips is a Kiwi tradition. New Zealanders love hot potato chips and there’s all the more reason to love the healthier chips served by our regional winners. Congratulations to So Fine Seafoods they are renowned for producing great tasting, healthier chips”
The competition was open to any business or operator that served hot potato chips to the public. To enter they had to have completed and passed the Chip Group’s Best Practice Frying training, then simply filled out on online registration form then…
1. Entrants submitted a sample of their cooked hot potato chips to Hill Laboratories for scientific testing of the fat content percentage.
2. Stores whose chips were 9% fat or less received Highly Commended Chips awards and became ‘Regional Finalists’. Those whose chips were more than 9% fat were eliminated from the competition.
3. All 51 Regional Finalists were then mystery shopped by Hoed Research. They mystery shopper assessed chip taste & quality, cooking process, salt options, customer service and store presentation.
4. The highest scoring store in each region became the ‘Regional Winner‘.
5. All 7 Regional Winners were then mystery shopped with the with the highest scoring store being crowned ‘Regional Winner’.
The 7 regional winners were;
- Northland & North Shore: Northcross Takeaways, Browns Bay
- Auckland: Oceanz Seafood Botany, Auckland
- Waikato/Bay of Plenty: Welcome Bay Takeaways, Tauranga
- Central Regions: Okato Takeaways, New Plymouth
- Greater Wellington: So Fine Seafoods, Lower Hutt
- Lower South Island: The Naked Chip, Waimate
- Upper South Island: Gourmet Seafoods Shirley, Christchurch
So what about the Bidfood People’s Choice Best Chips Award?
The Bidfood People’s Choice Best Chips Award (decided by public voting) went to Mr Chips, Masterton.
Mr Chips Masterton owners Steve & Monica Fair were understandably delighted with the news… “We and our staff are feeling very proud and elated to have been voted as having the best chips in New Zealand. We’ve been in business 6 years and have never needed to advertise. The best part is receiving daily praise from our customers who have stood behind us so we can receive this public recognition award.”
“Bidfood are proud to support the re-emergence of the Best Chip competition; celebrating excellence in the art of ‘chippery’. We see the people’s choice award as an integral part, because we understand first-hand how nice it is to have accolades on the wall. People’s Choice truly is the judgement of your customers, as such it is the defining call of success.” – Dan Parsons, Head of Marketing, Bidfood Limited
For more information and photos please contact:
Steve Sheppard
Engagement & Communications Manager
Potatoes New Zealand | The Chip Group
[email protected]
phone: 027 863 1246
It is with great excitement that we announce the 7 Regional Winners for the Best Chip Shop Competition 2017…
- Northland & North Shore: Northcross Takeaways, Browns Bay
- Auckland: Oceanz Seafood Botany, Auckland
- Waikato/Bay of Plenty: Welcome Bay Takeaways, Tauranga
- Central Regions: Okato Takeaways, New Plymouth
- Greater Wellington: So Fine Seafoods, Lower Hutt
- Lower South Island: The Naked Chip, Waimate
- Upper South Island: Gourmet Seafoods Shirley, Christchurch
These 7 regional Winners will now go on to compete for the prestigious supreme title of Grand National Winner 2017. All 7 stores will be revisited by a mystery shopper with everything from chip quality to salt options to service and store appearance being assessed.
From this mystery judging, a Grand National Winner will be decided and the award presented the at the Potatoes NZ Conference Awards Dinner on Wednesday 26th July.
As well as the kudos of being a Regional Winner, each of the 7 stores will receive 10 boxes of chips, a Best Chip Shop Competition Regional Winner pavement sign, aprons & caps, a Framed Certificate and $500 travel allowance to attend the Awards Dinner.
How was the competition judged?
- All stores had to submit a sample of their cooked chips for fat testing. If the result was 9% fat content or less, they received a Highly Commended Chips Award and became ’Regional Finalist’.
- The 51 Regional Finalists were mystery shopped by Hoed Research with the mystery shopper’s score deciding the Regional winner.
- The Regional Winners are now being mystery shopped (for a second time) to assess the overall winner.
So what about the Bidfood People’s Choice Best Chips Competition Award?
The Bidfood People’s Choice Best Chips Award is purely a public popularity contest – decided only by public voting. Congratulations Mr Chips Masterton for winning this award.
Stay tuned next week to find out who will take out the title of 2017 Best Chip Shop Competition Grand National Winner…
]]>