Thread: Frozen French Fries

I got the fatter ones from Makro. I only do them in the oven though, can't be arsed with the left over chip fat.

I saw Weightrose chips in Tops last week, they looked nice. Which reminds me, I took a pic of the weightrose fish fingers for you other thread DD.

those shoestring ones a crap, get the 12mm from Makro,made in Egypt of all places, they are bloody good and cheap.

Originally Posted by peterpan

get the 12mm from Makro

Did you measure them?

Originally Posted by dirtydog

I just read the instructions, 3 minutes at 180 degree's,

Ignore that. That's for idiots who can't cook. Do it my way and see and taste the difference.

For someone who seems anti American DD, why do you use their spelling of the word 'colour' as in post #1 & 3. Are you really a closet American ? Do you want to talk about it ? I'm sure there are help groups.

Originally Posted by dirtydog

for some reason the Americans have a problem with the translation.

Originally Posted by peterpan

those shoestring ones a crap, get the 12mm from Makro,made in Egypt of all places, they are bloody good and cheap.

Watch out for those Egyptian Potatoes...Egyptian Potato Exports to

We did the fast food burgers, now we need to do the fries:

May 26, 2010


by YouAreNotAFitPerson

So, let’s break down the ingredients:

According to wikipedia:(notes in red are my comments)
Potatoes, canola oil, safflower oil. These things are things we all know about. I won’t look them up.

This leaves us with:

Hydrogenated Soybean Oil: This one has me a little confused on numerous fronts. Number one, I can’t find anyone who actually hydrogenates oils to completion. Almost all oil is partially hydrogenated oil. I am not sure if wholly saturated oil has any upside. I don’t think it does. In any case, I had thought that Canada had made Trans fats illegal, and with a little research I realize just how wrong I was… Damn the food industry for being so evil!! Damn the government for being so weak!! This product is bad, really bad. You shouldn’t eat trans fats. I have never heard one person able to defend these things, I cannot imagine how they are still around…

dextrose: Glucose (Glc),

a simple sugar (monosaccharide) is an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as a source of energy and a metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts cellular respiration. Starch and cellulose are polymers derived from the dehydration of glucose. The name “glucose” comes from the Greek word glukus (γλυκύς), meaning “sweet.” The suffix “-ose” denotes a sugar.
Glucose can adopt several different structures, but all of these structures can be divided into two families of mirror-images (stereoisomers). Only one set of these isomers exists in nature, those derived from the “right-handed form” of glucose, denoted D-glucose. D-glucose is often referred to as dextrose, especially in the food industry. The term dextrose is derived from dextrorotatory glucose.[2] Solutions of dextrose rotate polarized light to the right (in Latin: dexter = “right” ). This article deals with D-glucose. The mirror-image of the molecule, L-glucose is discussed separately. (so, dextrose is just sugar, and what french fry would be complete without sugar…).


Disodium pyrophosphate or sodium acid pyrophosphate

is a buffering and chelating agent, with many food and industrial uses. It is polyvalent, and acts as a Lewis base, so is effective at binding polyvalent cations.(what does this mean?!?!): Disodium pyrophosphate also is found in frozen hash browns and other potato products, where it is used to keep the color of the potatoes from darkening.[1] Ahhh… that may explain it. In any case, I have no idea if this stuff is good for you or inert, but this data sheet suggests that eating it isn’t a good idea…


Citric acid

is a weak organic acid, and it is a natural preservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks. In biochemistry, it is important as an intermediate in the citric acid cycle and therefore occurs in themetabolism of virtually all living things. It can also be used as an environmentally benign cleaning agent.
Citric acid exists in greater than trace amounts in a variety of fruits and vegetables, most notably citrus fruits. Lemons andlimes have particularly high concentrations of the acid; it can constitute as much as 8% of the dry weight of these fruits (about 47 g/L in the juices[3]).
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) belongs to a group of polymeric organosilicon compounds that are commonly referred to assilicones[1]. PDMS is the most widely used silicon-based organic polymer, and is particularly known for its unusualrheological (or flow) properties. Its applications range from contact lenses and medical devices to elastomers; it is present, also, in shampoos (as dimethicone makes hair shiny and slippery), caulking, lubricating oils, and heat-resistant tiles. As a food additive, it has the E number E900 and is used as an anti-foaming agent and an anti-caking agent.[citation needed] This silicone can be found in many processed foods and fast food items. This stuff doesn’t sound so bad. I am used to complex and scary names in ingredients turning out to be harmless food products, and this may be inert. A cursory search turns up the following… According to this paper, there are some health risks associated with Polydimethlsiloxane. Apparently it is only approved by the FDA at 10 ppm in foods and it degrades to Formaldehyde at temperatures over 200 degrees Celsius. I don’t know how hot fry oil is, but I would hope it is less than 200, for our sakes. Phew, but awfully close.


Hydrogenated Soy Bean Oil with THBQ:

We know what Hydrogenated Soy Bean Oil is, but what is this interesting sounding THBQ? tertiary butylhydroquinone??? tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ, tertiary butylhydroquinone) is an aromaticorganic compound which is a type of phenol. It is a derivative of hydroquinone, substituted with tert-butyl group. Butyl group? This doesn’t sound good… TBHQ is a highly effective preservative for unsaturated vegetable oils and many edible animal fats. It does not cause discoloration even in the presence of iron, and does not change flavor or odor of the material to which it is added. It can be combined with other preservatives such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). As a food additive, its E number is E319, where it is used as a preservative[citation needed]. It is added to a wide range of foods, with the highest limit (1000 mg/kg) permitted for frozen fish and fish products. TBHQ as a food additive is regulated in the United States by 21 C.F.R. § 172.185.[1] Its primary advantage is enhancing storage life.
It is used industrially as a stabilizer to inhibit autopolymerization of organic peroxides. In perfumery, it is used as a fixative to lower the evaporation rate and improve stability. It is also added to varnishes, lacquers, resins, and oil field additives. According to Yahoo answers, this stuff is toxic in large doses. I have found a WHO (World Health Organization) document outlining the Toxicological studies on TBHQ, and in a short perusing, I haven’t found anything that appears that bad. Mind you, I am kind of scared that they needed to and were allowed to use the name THBQ instead of the whole name… Seems a little damning to me.

You can actually see a great collection of french fry information here.

Originally Posted by superman

For someone who seems anti American DD, why do you use their spelling of the word 'colour' as in post #1 & 3.

Because he doesn't like you

Originally Posted by Thetyim

Because he doesn't like you

Why ? I've done him no harm. Other than point out that he's a closet yank.

Originally Posted by superman

For someone who seems anti American DD, why do you use their spelling of the word 'colour' as in post #1 & 3. Are you really a closet American ? Do you want to talk about it ? I'm sure there are help groups.

Originally Posted by dirtydog

for some reason the Americans have a problem with the translation.

DD's use of the non-English spelling of colour was noted by me as well. Of course, it's posh to be anti-American. DD would probably be found at one of Hyacinth Bucket's "Candlelight Suppers".

You could start by cooking them in beef dripping.