French fries, the healthier way

[kemist]

Potatoes are known for their high carb and starch content. Deep frying potatoes makes them unfriendly to those trying to lose weight.

Since i enjoy french fries, i've tried baking them instead of deep frying - and they taste great!

However, for me, baking takes a long time (20 mins covered and 10 mins uncovered).

I've heard about microwaving fries but haven't tried it till tonight. I microwaved on high them for 5 mins and then stir fry for about 3-5 mins in cannola oil to get crispy. - and they were great! Since the frying time is short, i'll try using e.v. olive oil next time.

The other fattening thing is the condiments. I can eat my fries with just vinegar, but now & then i feel for ketchup. Ketchup = very fattening!
I'm gonna try making my own 'ketchup' with tomatoes and just a lil touch of splenda. I'll let ya'll know how that experiment goes.

[mivs]

Kem jess bake d fries an enjoy with ketchup (organic)

dem splenda is not good nah..everything is moderation

[kemist]

mivs, baking takes too long, especially when i get home late and dont want to eat dinner too late or too close to bedtime. I dont know where to get 'organic' ketchup in trinidad. Local ketchups are made not only with tomatoes, but also with paw paw and pumpkin as well. And both local and foreign ketchup contains lots of corn starch. I figure if i cud make a batch of tomato paste, like on a sunday, I can season it the way i like it and it'll keep for a week in the fridge. I'll only use splenda sparingly, or if my paste tastes good, i may not use it at all, or i may just use a minute amount of brown sugar.

[shaddeck]

Read this article:
http://www.udri.udayton.edu/NR/exeres/4B…
Olive Oil, Lower Temperatures Less Toxic in Frying. Frying with canola oil releases more toxic fumes into the air than frying with olive oil,

Smoke Points for types of oils.
Safflower 265 degrees C
Sunflower 246 degrees C
Soybean 241 degrees C
Canola 238 degrees C
Corn 236 degrees C
Peanut 231 degrees C
Sesame 215 degrees C
Olive 190 degrees C
Lards 183 to 205 degrees C
A number of factors will decrease the smoke point of any fat:
combination of vegetable oils in products
presence of foreign properties (batter)
temperature to which oil is heated
presence of salt
number of times oil is used
length of time oil is heated
storage of oil (exposure to oxygen, light, temperature)
Knowing the smoke point will also warn you about, because of its proximity to, the flash point and fire point. An oil reaches its flash point (about 320 degrees C (600 degrees F) for most oils) when tiny wisps of fire begin to leap from its surface. If the oil is heated to its fire point (slightly under 400 degrees C (700 degrees F) for most oils), its surface will be ablaze.
Source(s):
http://palestineoliveoil.org/faq/recipes…

[kemist]

thanks shaddeck,
the problem with frying with olive oil is its low flash point. If cooking in a well ventilated area, flames are not a problem if you have a lid nearby and you can remove the pan easily from the stove-top. But olive oil also degrades into the unhealthy stuff at high temperatures. I only use olive oil to stir-fry things that do not require a long time to cook. For instance, i'll stir-fry veggies in olive oil, but not meats.

[Chicabonita]

Frying with olive oil, canola oil, etc means absolutely nothing. FRYING IS UNHEALTHY! Tasty? Sure! but VERY unhealthy.

[kemist]

^ well, it is unhealthy but only to a certain extent, just like every other means of cooking food, it has its advantages and disadvantages. There is a big difference between deep frying and stir-frying, and yes, the type of oil does indeed make a difference as well, depending on how much the oil is allowed to degrade (via cooking time and temperature).

[Chicabonita]

I agree but with fries they are usually DEEP fried. When stir fry, maybe a maximum of one teaspoon of oil is all that is needed. The thing is, most people eat because of taste and not health so when you are baking the potato and then stir fry it, whatever properties it had now is completely gone.

[Falcon]

Frying with olive oil, canola oil, etc means absolutely nothing. FRYING IS UNHEALTHY! Tasty? Sure! but VERY unhealthy.
strongly disagree.

the unhealthy effect of chips is more to do with the potato than with any oil. It's blaming the small boy at the bus stop for littering while the whole country burns.

[Falcon]

thanks shaddeck,
the problem with frying with olive oil is its low flash point. If cooking in a well ventilated area, flames are not a problem if you have a lid nearby and you can remove the pan easily from the stove-top. But olive oil also degrades into the unhealthy stuff at high temperatures. I only use olive oil to stir-fry things that do not require a long time to cook. For instance, i'll stir-fry veggies in olive oil, but not meats.

strongly agree :rolleyes:

[Chicabonita]

strongly disagree.

the unhealthy effect of chips is more to do with the potato than with any oil. It's blaming the small boy at the bus stop for littering while the whole country burns.

So you are saying FRIED food is healthy?

[Falcon]

I'm saying it's more unhealthy to carry on about fried foods than eat them.
Let's try it this way: what's unhealthy about fried foods, beyond the realms of what we normally eat?

[Chicabonita]

The nutritional value of fried food is extremely poor. When you are heating oil in such high degree (as it is needed to deep fried food) it becomes toxic. NOT healthy. Trans fats puts you at higher risk of heart disease and in most restaurants they use the same oil over and over. NOT healthy. Did I mention the CALORIES? :blink

[Falcon]

Calories is rubbsih, that's almost my signature now.....so I ent dealing with that again.

heating oil to such a degree that it becomes toxic is just too non specific a criticism to be able to tackle....it sound slike one of those fear factor websites

trans fats put you at a higher risk of heart disease is applicable to North American diets generally. The rest of the world lives longer and eats loads more trans fats.........enter the discussion about processed foods, additives, colourings and flavours, pesticides, in the context of less fish and salads.

"most restaurants use the same oil over and over": this is a matter for the personal standards of the owners as they relate to legal requirements.

[Mailman]

strongly disagree.

the unhealthy effect of chips is more to do with the potato than with any oil. It's blaming the small boy at the bus stop for littering while the whole country burns.

I disagree with both of you. :)

Frying as a method of cooking, in general, creates more advanced glycation end products (AGEs) than other methods – such as boiling, steaming, roasting, etc. – and AGEs are unhealthful. However, the amount of AGEs created can be mitigated by the degree of “doneness” to which one fries and the type of oil one uses.

Unsaturated oils, which are commonly used in frying, are pro-inflammatory and have an inhibitory effect on the thyroid when consumed. This thyroid inhibitory effect is why it is so effectively used to fatten animals in the meat industry.

Saturated fats, such as coconut oil and ghee, do not have these effects.

Falcon, in the chatbox, you said, ". . . saturated and unsaturated is dotishness." Please explain.

[Mailman]

Calories is rubbsih, that's almost my signature now.....so I ent dealing with that again.

So, you is ah breatharian, now? :D

[indie]

Good idea Kem, may be if it comes out good u can patent it and make some $$$$.....:)

[kemist]

lol indie..maybe i would

[kemist]

I'm doing some research on grapeseed oil since i've recently seen it available in Tdad. This has a higher flashpoint than e.v.o.o. so it may be safe to use for deep frying as well. It is however expensive. Anyone ever used this?- Do you notice any grape-taste in the food prepared with it?

[vaio]

I'm doing some research on grapeseed oil since i've recently seen it available in Tdad. This has a higher flashpoint than e.v.o.o. so it may be safe to use for deep frying as well. It is however expensive. Anyone ever used this?- Do you notice any grape-taste in the food prepared with it?

i've been using this for the last three years. I use jus a little and it does add some flavour to my dishes :)

[kemist]

I use jus a little and it does add some flavour to my dishes :)

do you use it for frying? - do you add a little to the regular oil? or do you use it as a dressing?

[vaio]

i don't mix it and use it for frying, dressings and cosmetic purposes lol

[Scorpio]

French fries - another thing I dont eat. Yuck.

[lexbarker]

I don't think there is any bad/unhealthy food. It has to do with the volume consumed. I have observed fat people in restaurants and I have to say that they over eat.

[Mailman]

the unhealthy effect of chips is more to do with the potato than with any oil.

I came across the site below and it reminded me about this thread. This guy ate a potato only diet - 20 potatoes a day for 60 days. Blood labs after 30 and 60 days indicated improved health.

Yes, it’s an n=1 experiment; but, enlightening nonetheless.

http://www.20potatoesaday.com/

[Falcon]

mailman, I see you took in front before I wuld have pointed out that no sensible conclusions could ever be made from that sample size.

I wont click the article but what is the 'improved health'?

[Mailman]

mailman, I see you took in front before I wuld have pointed out that no sensible conclusions could ever be made from that sample size.

I wont click the article but what is the 'improved health'?

If yuh eh go lift an drop ah finger, den end ah discussion.

[Wayne]

We fry our French Fries in Canola Oil.

[Falcon]

ah ent have time these days that is all; I want to talk but I need some help

[Mailman]

ah ent have time these days that is all; I want to talk but I need some help

Very well, here are some of the numbers posted on the site:
Beginning weight: 197 . . . . . . . . .60 day weight: 176
Beginning blood glucose: 104 . . . . 60 day blood glucose: 94
Beginning cholesterol: 214 . . . . . . 60 day cholesterol: 147
Beginning triglycerides: 135 . . . . . 60 day triglycerides: 75
Beginning HDL: 45 . . . . . . . . . . . .60 day HDL: 48
Beginning LDL: 142 . . . . . . . . . . . 60 day LDL: 84

In mainstream medical arena, the 60 day numbers would be indicative of improved health markers. At a height of 6’ 1” his starting weight would be considered overweight. After 60 days he had lost 21 lbs while maintaining lean body mass. His FBG, though still high, would appear to indicate improved insulin sensitivity when viewed in conjunction with improved HDL and TG. For those who subscribe to the lipid theory, his TC was greatly improved. Likewise, his LDL.

By the way, the enlightening comment was self-directed. One would have thought that consuming a high carbohydrate and high glycemic index diet consisting of potatoes would have resulted in higher TGs.

So, this short term experiment would seem to indicate that the potato is not as bad as one might think.

[Falcon]

One would have thought that consuming a high carbohydrate and high glycemic index diet consisting of potatoes would have resulted in higher TGs

that's the problem with the 'mainstream' bunch who assume historical dogma which has no evidenciary basis with the tools available to validate the dogma. The gene effects seen in this individual is most important with respect to the subject matter, and so again suggests caution more than conclusions.

[Mailman]

that's the problem with the 'mainstream' bunch who assume historical dogma which has no evidenciary basis with the tools available to validate the dogma. The gene effects seen in this individual is most important with respect to the subject matter, and so again suggests caution more than conclusions.

Not drawing any conclusions - just asking questions and seeking information.

There's quite a lot of dogma at both ends of the diet spectrum. You have the low-fat group that demonizes saturated fat. On the opposite end, part of the dogma of the low-carb group is that potatoes should be avoided at all costs; and, as you posted in another thread, "carbs is ah killah". How and/or why is it a killer?

[Falcon]

How and why is it a killer.

Well, most Trinidadians, and by genetic extension, blacks and Indian subcontinental browns have a higher susceptibility to metabolic disease resulting from an excess of glucose. Couple this genetic predisposition with the stress of Western life on the cardiovascular system, and you have a group of people with a markedly lowered life expectancy. Then factor in the piss poor medical care you get in Trinidad and other Caribbean countries, and indeed in poorer USA, and you get lots of black and brown people with very bad eating habits dying young.

The answers to these problems seem to be drawn from North American and European diets which may actually benefit that predominant genetic makeup, but not ours.

[Mailman]

How and why is it a killer.

Well, most Trinidadians, and by genetic extension, blacks and Indian subcontinental browns have a higher susceptibility to metabolic disease resulting from an excess of glucose. Couple this genetic predisposition with the stress of Western life on the cardiovascular system, and you have a group of people with a markedly lowered life expectancy. Then factor in the piss poor medical care you get in Trinidad and other Caribbean countries, and indeed in poorer USA, and you get lots of black and brown people with very bad eating habits dying young.

The answers to these problems seem to be drawn from North American and European diets which may actually benefit that predominant genetic makeup, but not ours.



Spot on.

Nominated for post of the year.

Folks, you won't get this kind of information from your doctors.

[straphanger]

ok....there is no such thing as healthy french fries.
either u have a limp half cooked strip of aloo or something that's nice, crisp and golden on the outside and white and fluffy on the inside.
For perfect fries, you have to double fry it. First, on a low heat to cook the inside and then take the fries out for 10 mins and refry it at a higher temp. Works wonder's for your french fry!
Dont forget to salt it as soon as the fries from the second round of frying comes out from the oil

[Falcon]

go to the head of the class Straps.........