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To blanch or not to blanch?

by | Oct 21, 2021 | Informative

No one will know what works best for your business more than you. If you’ve been sticking to a practice for years with happy customers returning week in week out, then you probably shouldn’t change the taste they’ve become accustomed too. However, if you’re just starting out or think it might be time to change, we’ve listed a few things you might want to consider, to help make that decision a little easier.

Cooked straight through

 

Advantages

Cooking straight through is sometimes considered the more traditional way of cooking your chips. When compared to blanching, cooking straight through is minimal labour, all you do is put them into the pan, let them cook, and get them out ready to serve your hungry customers.

If you don’t offer seating or know that your customers tend to take their food away, then this method could suit you. Cooking your chips straight through will give them a different texture, making them better suited for being wrapped up and taken home.

There is no need for a separate pan to blanch them in, which can be helpful depending on the size of your range.

Did you know a Florigo HE 3 basket or equivalent chip pan will cook chips straight through in approx. 7.5 minutes, producing an average of 16 portions of chips. Each basket will cook a sack of spuds every hour when flat out.

Blanching

Advantages

Blanching produces a good product that has trended widely since the introduction of High Efficiency Dutch pans. It allows for chips to crisp on the outside yet produce an exceptionally fluffy centre which is considered by many to be the way chips should be. It also means customers that eat their chips almost straight away will see the benefits of cooking this way.

Blanching your chips allows you to cook to order with little waiting time for the customer, providing them with a fresh product and reducing your waste. It also enables you to get a head start on days that you know you’re likely to be busier as blanched chips have a longer storage time so you can prepare your chips and have them ready to cook for when your customers come flooding in.

Even though you’ll need to use more oil initially to fill the pans, this method can save you oil in the long term.

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Quick how to guide

Our friends at Ceres have put together the below points for blanching your chips

  1. Start with chips that have been treated and dry;
  2. Add to oil set to 150c and fry for 7 minutes;
  3. The chips should be soft to touch and pale in colour;
  4. Take out, set aside (do not refrigerate);
  5. When ready to fry for customer scoop desired amount into hot oil around 185c for 90 seconds.

Outcome

Like with most things in life, there are pro’s and con’s associated with both methods but at the end of the day, it’s what suits your business that matters most and the taste your customers keep coming back for.

For a more insightful view on these methods, or for someone to give advice and answer any questions you may have regarding all Edge ranges and equipment then you can contact our expert, Carol-Ann, on 01527 592 000 or email info@edgeranges.co.uk.