Food Services Industry Standards

Cooking

Background

Raising the temperature of the frying medium higher than 185°C causes it to breakdown more rapidly.
If the temperature is too low, a greasy product is produced.
The Heart Foundation recommends cook chips 3 - 4 minutes at temperatures of 175 – 180°C (2005); this is also an industry standard for independent fastfood operators (set 2007) and is supported by chip manufacturers.
World Health Organisation recommendation: "Optimise time, temperature and cooker settings to produce a crisp product with a golden yellow colour" (WHO, 2008). "Set the temperature of the oil at the start of frying to no more than 175°C and cook to a golden-yellow rather than a golden brown colour." (WHO, 2008).
Customers are equally satisfied with chips cooked to the recommended time and temperature (Heart Foundation, 2007).

Fastfood Outlets Survey (1998)

A wide range of frying medium temperatures was recorded:
136 - 233°C
Just before the basket of chips was put into the fryer, 57% of outlets had frying medium temperatures outside the survey reference range of 175 - 190°C
Temperature differences of greater than 20°C between the fryer temperature setting and the actual temperature of the frying medium were found in 26% of outlets.

Stakeholder Feedback/Forum Discussion

Cooking depends on the type of potato and the chip size, also whether the product is fresh or frozen.

Cooking should follow the suppliers’ recommendation. There was supplier agreement that 3-4 minutes at final fry stage is a general rule in almost all situations.

Season variations will occur and potato storage also affects the cooking time.

There are significant differences between potato varieties and cooking time should not be based on external characteristics as some varieties do not brown based on the sugar content of the potato.

Frying medium and the condition of the frying medium can also play a part. The amount of product cooked at one time may also influence temperature and therefore the cooking time. The standard ratio of 1:6 food to oil was reiterated. Information should be available from suppliers of equipment to advise quantity to be used in the vat.

The technology is also becoming more widely available for chips to be baked as an alternative to frying. This was seen by chefs as cost prohibitive at this stage.

At the forum a draft standard of 175 - 180°C was agreed on, however as the World Health Organisation has released a recommendation of 175°C, we recommend that this is adopted.