Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: Geezer on 25/03/2011 05:51:24
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When you deep fry potato chips (French fries) in oil, a lot of the water in the potato seems to be driven out, which would seem to explain why the chips rise to the surface of the oil when they are almost cooked.
Is any of the water that is expelled from the potato replaced by oil, or is the inside of the chip still pretty much pure potato?
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About 12.5 percent of chip by weight is fat - and that ain't natural so it's the absorbed fat from frying process. I would hazard that the outside crisp layer is very high fat content (water boiled away and replaced) and inside fluffy bit is practically all carbohydrate that is cooked (and dried) by the intense heat
But most importantly - What sort of Scotsman cooks his chips in OIL? You have been on the wrong side of the Atlantic too long - surely you should be using dripping for full flavour and heart-clogginess.
And congrats on 6k posts - "Neilep level member" - Kudos
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wonder if a properly fat impregnated [olive oil] & baked would= yummmy?
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About 12.5 percent of chip by weight is fat - and that ain't natural so it's the absorbed fat from frying process. I would hazard that the outside crisp layer is very high fat content (water boiled away and replaced) and inside fluffy bit is practically all carbohydrate that is cooked (and dried) by the intense heat
But most importantly - What sort of Scotsman cooks his chips in OIL? You have been on the wrong side of the Atlantic too long - surely you should be using dripping for full flavour and heart-clogginess.
And congrats on 6k posts - "Neilep level member" - Kudos
Thanks Matt! I never even noticed the Neilep thing. Sheesh - I need to get a life.
Unfortunately, the the US does not allow the importation of ubersaturated lard from Scotland, so I have to make do. So, this would suggest that big chips are better for you than skinny chips because of the reduction in surface area?
I also wonder about the "double frying" business. Some people claim that chips should be removed from the oil for a bit when they are almost ready, then dumped back in for a final toasting. I'm concerned that the intermediate cooling stage might allow more fat to permeate the chips, but maybe not.
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wonder if a properly fat impregnated [olive oil] & baked would= yummmy?
I once had baked potatoes cooked by a friend of a friend. They were basted with olive oil (and a little salt + rosemary).
They were, indeed, yummy.
I don't normally like the skins of baked spuds much, this method of preparation clearly improved them.
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wonder if a properly fat impregnated [olive oil] & baked would= yummmy?
I once had baked potatoes cooked by a friend of a friend. They were basted with olive oil (and a little salt + rosemary).
They were, indeed, yummy.
I don't normally like the skins of baked spuds much, this method of preparation clearly improved them.
If they were basted, technically, I think they were really roast potatoes, so I'm not surprised they were yummy.
Roast potatoes are excellent, but they are a bit of a pain to make, although you can accelerate the process quite a bit if you parboil the spuds first. (Thinks: Hmmm, maybe I'll have some tomorrow....)
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i think lard has a higher temp tolerance for frying than other oils perhaps related to its density @ room temp? so, if u get this higher temp & then put the chips in will they absorb more of fat?
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as I know, that's very high, unhealthy
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I do not know if it is true, but I heard that thinner chips absorb more oil as a percentage than thick ones.
So a Kg of thin chips would hold more oil, than a kg of thick ones. But I do not know if it's true, and the oil probably might effect the weight.
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Some of them still use beef dripping and if my nearest chippy is anything to go by, they change the fat on their birthday when they get a bath too.
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