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General Science => General Science => Topic started by: paul.fr on 09/05/2007 01:46:43

Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: paul.fr on 09/05/2007 01:46:43
Is this the right section?

you can buy low fat frozen chips, but how can they be low fat when you then deep fry them? any ideas?
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: another_someone on 09/05/2007 01:58:16
I assume they use oil rather than fat.
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: paul.fr on 09/05/2007 02:03:30
I assume they use oil rather than fat.

The manufactoers may indeed, but once you or i fry them are they still low fat? Or is it a marketing play on words - when we sell them they are low fat, no lie there - but once you cook them at home, that's another matter!
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: another_someone on 09/05/2007 02:25:22
I assume they use oil rather than fat.

The manufactoers may indeed, but once you or i fry them are they still low fat? Or is it a marketing play on words - when we sell them they are low fat, no lie there - but once you cook them at home, that's another matter!

What do you cook them in?  If you cook them in fat, they will not be low fat; if you cook them in oil, they will be.
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: elegantlywasted on 09/05/2007 05:17:01
I can;t find deepfryable fries anymore. The only ones in my gorcery store are oven fries. When you deepfry them they taste gross
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: daveshorts on 09/05/2007 13:09:14
This is purely speculation, but could you in some way seal the outside of the chips - so reducing their uptake of oil? Possibly by drying the surface out?
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: Carolyn on 10/05/2007 04:25:08
Is a frozen chip a potato?  If so, you can bake them and they stay low fat.
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: another_someone on 10/05/2007 04:47:51
Is a frozen chip a potato?  If so, you can bake them and they stay low fat.

American translation:

Chip = French Fry.
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: Carolyn on 10/05/2007 04:50:16
Is a frozen chip a potato?  If so, you can bake them and they stay low fat.

American translation:

Chip = French Fry.

Thanks George! [:)]

So what do you all call a potato chip?
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: another_someone on 10/05/2007 04:57:20
Thanks George! [:)]

So what do you all call a potato chip?

A potato crisp, or just a crisp for short.

And there were you thinking we spoke the same language as you [;D]
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: Carolyn on 10/05/2007 05:11:09
Thanks George! [:)]

So what do you all call a potato chip?

A potato crisp, or just a crisp for short.

And there were you thinking we spoke the same language as you [;D]

Ooohhh.  Silly me. [;)]
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: kdlynn on 10/05/2007 06:20:09
you know, i'm really starting to think that we should say we speak american. english english is much different than american english. for that matter, most americans can't speak either!
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: kdlynn on 10/05/2007 06:23:21
oh yeah, back to the topic... how can they make a potato low fat?
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: neilep on 10/05/2007 17:59:33
Paul.....

This is a very common misconception with low fat chips !

As a chef and fintess instructor I can vouch that Low fat Chips are chips which have been on a diet and are therefore healthier to eat.

Yes..this is the truth
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: Karen W. on 10/05/2007 18:07:31
You need to make sure you cook them in the proper oils or bake them as Carolyn said. But me can't help think that perhaps the compant has found a way to first remove some of the starch from the potato before freezing process lowering the fat this way  also.. Is that possible?
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: another_someone on 10/05/2007 19:55:48
You need to make sure you cook them in the proper oils or bake them as Carolyn said. But me can't help think that perhaps the compant has found a way to first remove some of the starch from the potato before freezing process lowering the fat this way  also.. Is that possible?

Removing starch might reduce the calorie count, but I cannot see that it would legitimise the claim 'low fat'.  In fact, the contrary is likely to be true - the simplest, and far from uncommon, way to make something low fat is simply to add something else (add more water, and the percentage of fat goes down - not saying this is true in this case, but it is one way of doing it).  Thus, reducing the amount of starch would increase the percentage value of the residual fat.
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: Carolyn on 10/05/2007 20:05:21
I assume they use oil rather than fat.

The manufactoers may indeed, but once you or i fry them are they still low fat? Or is it a marketing play on words - when we sell them they are low fat, no lie there - but once you cook them at home, that's another matter!

I think it is indeed a marketing ploy.  Potatoes are low in fat anyway, 0 fat grams.  It's how we cook them, E.g. fried, and what we put on them that make them fattening.
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: paul.fr on 10/05/2007 20:14:44
Paul.....

This is a very common misconception with low fat chips !

As a chef and fintess instructor I can vouch that Low fat Chips are chips which have been on a diet and are therefore healthier to eat.

Yes..this is the truth

just how many hats do you have?

Also, good answer Carolyn. To give the marketing guys some benefit of the doubt, so are for grilling so maybe they are low fat?
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: another_someone on 10/05/2007 20:32:44
I think it is indeed a marketing ploy.  Potatoes are low in fat anyway, 0 fat grams.  It's how we cook them, E.g. fried, and what we put on them that make them fattening.

Not sure that is quite the issue.  We are talking about frozen chips (french fries), not raw frozen potatoes.
Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: Carolyn on 10/05/2007 20:38:33
I think it is indeed a marketing ploy.  Potatoes are low in fat anyway, 0 fat grams.  It's how we cook them, E.g. fried, and what we put on them that make them fattening.

Not sure that is quite the issue.  We are talking about frozen chips (french fries), not raw frozen potatoes.

George - not sure why that would not be the same issue.  I just pulled out of my freezer a bag of frozen french fries.  They look like sliced raw frozen potatoes to me.



Title: low fat frozen chips
Post by: another_someone on 10/05/2007 20:57:32
Not sure that is quite the issue.  We are talking about frozen chips (french fries), not raw frozen potatoes.

George - not sure why that would not be the same issue.  I just pulled out of my freezer a bag of frozen french fries.  They look like sliced raw frozen potatoes to me.

We can get raw chips here, and maybe Paul was talking about that.  The chips I have in my freezer are already pre-fried (are brown, and have an oily surface), and just need refrying (or baking) - so that was what came to my mind when Paul spoke of frozen chips.  In fact, you can even get (and I have some, but use them less often these days) microwavable frozen chips.

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