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May 17, 2005
French Fries- health food?
In an effort to woo more health-conscious consumers, McDonald's has been working on a slightly healthier version of their famous French Fries by lowering the amount of trans-fat in the oil the potatoes are fried in.
Trans-fats, for those who aren't familiar with the term, are partially hydrogenated fats, which are created to make a solid fat out of something that wouldn't normally be solid at room temperature. This process is the reason that most peanut butter doesn't seperate at room temperature unless it's all-natural and is used in countless other products like pie crusts and margarine.
Basically, the process involves bubbling a hydrogen gas through the oil, which gradually makes the oil become a fat as it absorbs the gas. Although it naturally occurs in meat and dairy products, trans-fats are now thought to increase bad (LDL) cholesterol and destroy the good (HDL) stuff.
Of course, this could backfire, as an A/P article I found at Forbes points out:
But rolling out a new cooking oil for its fries could pose a risk to sales of one of McDonald's most popular menu items, said Janna Sampson of Oakbrook Investments, which owns more than 1 million McDonald's shares. "It's hard to imagine they can do that without some effect on the taste or texture of the fries," she said."I just don't think the people buying fries care that much" about trans fat, Sampson added.
Exactly right. If you're watching your cholesterol levels, avoid French Fries in the first place.
I like to make my own by slicing potatoes into wedges or 1/4" slices. drizzling them with canola or olive oil then sprinkling them with Survival Spice™ and roasting on a sheet pan in a 300º oven until tender, then cranking the oven up to 425º until they're as crispy as you like them.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at May 17, 2005 10:39 AM
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