WHY FRENCH FRIES DEVELOPED BY Bkumar Food Consultancy services are More crunchi & More Tasty? - Food Consultant India - B. Kumar

As per our R&D; It was found that; we have to make two changes only; No machine and Process to be changed; Only two types of Process additives are to be added, to Your French fries, And your French fries will have more and more better.

The exact recipe for McDonald’s French fries is a closely guarded secret, known only to a select few at the company. However, there are a few factors that contribute to the distinctive taste of McDonald’s French fries:

1. Potato Variety: McDonald’s primarily uses the Russet Burbank potato variety for their French fries. These potatoes have a high starch content, which helps create the desired texture and taste.
2. Preparing the Potatoes: The potatoes undergo a series of steps before they become fries. They are washed, peeled, and cut into the classic fry shape. Then, they are blanched in hot water to remove excess starch and create a crispy exterior.
3. Oil and Frying Process: McDonald’s fries are cooked in a blend of vegetable oils. The specific oils and their proportions are part of the secret recipe. The fries are initially partially cooked, frozen, and then fried again in the restaurants to give them their characteristic golden colour and crispy texture. We at B Kumar Food Consultancy know which kind of blend of Oils to be used, as when making French fries, The frying is less than frozen, and again it is fried, So French fries who sells does not keep these things in mind. Still, One Who makes French fries will have single controls at his own factory, So we, At B Kumar Food Consultancy Services recommend the manufacturers One Special Oil improver Premix, Which can enhance the taste & Increase the crunchiness.

The Macdonald’s Natural beef flavouring contains Three Major Parts i.e. Natural Amino acids(glutamate, aspartate, and alanine), Sugar(glucose, fructose, and sucrose) & Flavour component(nucleotides, peptides, and organic acids.) And We at Bkumar Food Consultancy services have developed such things at our R&D Centre and got Mastery. Presently In the entire world, Three Major companies are making these Natural beef Flavouring compounds. Out of these three companies, The major one is a Swiss company.

• Seasoning: Once the fries are cooked, they are lightly sprinkled with a seasoning mixture that includes salt. The exact composition of the seasoning is also part of the secret recipe. For Example, rock salt has 37% Sodium and Common salt using like Tata has 39% Sodium, But you can taste both by keeping on toung, Rock salt will never hurt your Toung, but you like it most, While Tata Salt will hurt you, Means even Sodium is almost same in both the Salt and percentage-wise negligible difference, taste-wise too much difference.
• Cooling method: This is most important to prevent the Maillard reaction, The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars. It is what gives French fries their browned colour and flavour. However, the Maillard reaction can also cause French fries to become tough and chewy. By cooling the fries in a water bath, McDonald’s prevents the formation of the Maillard reaction, which helps to keep the fries soft and tender. And the second stage cooling by air is the most important step, So we provide such techniques to our clients. This two-step cooling method requires specialized equipment, such as a water bath and an aerator. This can recommend by us to our clients. These factors, along with McDonald’s standardized cooking process, contribute to the unique taste of their French fries. While many attempts have been made to replicate the taste, McDonald’s has successfully kept the precise recipe under wraps.

In the United States, the most common condiments consumed with French fries are salt and ketchup. Recently, Belgian fries have appeared, the idea having been purportedly imported from Belgium. They are larger than typical. French fries are served with mayonnaise. Chips (as in fish and chips) are what French fries are called in the United Kingdom and many other English-speaking countries; they are frequently served with malt vinegar and tartar sauce. Other dips for French fries include peanut sauce, chilli sauce, and gravy. 

French fries have been a flagship product at the McDonald’s restaurant chain because they are more profitable than hamburgers. 

The founders of the chain, Richard and Maurice McDonald, believed that their French fries were one of the important reasons for their success. They perfected the way fries were made and promoted the combination of hamburgers and fries. The brothers used Russet Burbank potatoes, which were peeled daily and thinly sliced. They were cooked in special fryers that produced a crispy texture that became the hallmark of McDonald’s fries. 

Ray Kroc, who acquired the McDonald’s operation from the brothers, began looking for better ways to prepare and distribute their French fries. 

French fries had been commercially frozen since 1946, but the problem was…..

 that their Flavor disappeared when they were fried, Idaho potato grower J. R. Simplot started pro- during frozen French fries in 1953 but sales were disappointing. 

The fries had to be deep-fried, which was difficult to do in home, so Simplot looked for fast food chains that might be interested in the labour-saving benefits of his frozen fries. Simplot met Kroc in 1965 and the French fry world has never been the same since. Working with the Simplot Potato Company, McDonald’s researchers devised ways of freezing raw fries and retaining their good qualities. 

To maintain the taste, McDonald’s and other fast food companies fried their fries in a mixture of 7 per cent soy oil and 93 per cent beef tallow. Other chains emulated this process. 

In 1989, it was revealed that the company used beef tallow in making its French fries and vegetarians complained that the company had not informed customers that 

the fries were 

                             prepared using 

                                                           an animal product. 

In addition, a number of nutritionists complained about the amount of cholesterol in the fries; The source of that cholesterol is 100% Animal Fat ( Cow’s Fat).

In 1990, with considerable fanfare, McDonald’s announced that they had switched to vegetable oil

 with “added natural flavorings.” When it was disclosed that ….

the flavourings included small amounts of beef tallow, Hindu vegetarian customers in Bombay, India, ransacked a McDonald’s restaurant and smeared cow dung on a statue of Ronald McDonald. The company denied that any beef product had ever been used in its restaurants in India. 

In the United States, 12 vegetarians sued McDonald’s for falsely claiming that the fries were vegetarian, a claim that the company denied making. McDonald’s eventually settled out of court, agreeing to post an apology on the company’s Web site and to pay $10 million to vegetarian organizations and to the 12 individuals involved in the suit. 

French fries have been criticized for their levels of cholesterol, trans fat, salt, and their lack of essential nutrients. This is a special problem for children and teenagers. Approximately one-quarter of the vegetable products consumed by children are in the form of potato chips and French fries. This increases to about one-third of the vegetable servings consumed by teenagers. 

McDonald’s continued to innovate the way its French fries are prepared. It was the first fast-food company to use computers that automatically adjust cooking times and temperatures. It created a rapid frying system for frozen potatoes that pared down the delivery time by 30 to 40 seconds. While this may not seem to be a lot of time, when millions of customers order fries, the time saved easily covers the cost of the equipment. 

Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation (2001), has pointed out that….

 the special taste of McDonald’s French fries…

      does not derive from the type of potatoes, the technology that processes them, or other restaurant equipment that fries them. 

THE SECRET:Other chains buy from the same sources and use similar equipment. What gives McDonald’s fries their unique taste today is…..

 the chemical flavourings that are added to the oil.

During the past 50 years, the size of French fry portions has steadily increased. Initially, McDonald’s only offered a large, 2-ounce size. Today, the former large size of a French fry order is now the small size and the new large size weighs in at 6 ounces. At one time, McDonald’s supersized its fries to 8-ounce portions but, due to pressure from the documentary film Super Size Me, released in 2004, McDonald’s discontinued this size. Other fast food chains continue to serve 8-ounce fries. 

Today, French fries are the single most popular fast food in America. As a result, annual sales of frozen French fries have grown dramatically over the past 50 years. In 1970, frozen French fries surpassed regular potato sales in the United States. Since then, the sales of frozen French fries have continued to skyrocket. By 2000, annual sales of frozen French fries worldwide grew to more than $1.9 billion. Some unusual types of French fries have recently been released by Ore-Ida, owned by the H.J. Heinz Company: Funky Fries comes in five varieties, including Cinna-Stiks (with cinnamon and sugar), Cocoa Crispers (with chocolate), and Kool Blue (with blue color). In 2004, Americans consumed 7.5 billion pounds of frozen French fries, 90 per cent of which were sold by food service outlets. 

One exception to the trend toward frozen fries is that of In-N-Out Burger. Depending on the season, the company uses Kennebec or Russet potatoes. 

As fast food chains moved abroad, so did production of frozen French fries. Russet Burbank potatoes are grown for making French fries in many countries today. As of 2004, the United States remains the world’s largest producer of frozen French fries, the Netherlands now ranks second, and Canada third. 

French fries have also become entangled in international politics. When France refused to join the American-led coalition against Iraq in 2003, some Congressional Republicans urged that the term French fries be changed to liberty fries, but this name change never caught on. 

In MacD Website https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/faq/snacks-and-sides.html#:~:text=Yes.,our%20World%20Famous%20Fries®., it is mentioned that they are adding Beef flavour ,The screenshot dated 21^st June ’23, is attaching here

What is the case in India ? ; Information as of dated 27th June 23 McDonald’s French fries in India do not contain beef or beef flavouring. The company has stated that they use 100% vegetable oil to cook their fries in India, and there is no added flavour. They also have separate kitchens for vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu items, so there is no cross-contamination.

In the United States, McDonald’s French fries do contain beef flavouring. This is because the oil blend that is used to fry the potatoes before they are shipped to restaurants partially contains beef flavouring. 

In India, McDonald’s is aware of the large vegetarian population and the religious sensitivities of many Hindus, so they have made sure that their French fries are 100% vegetarian. They have also received certification from the Vegetarian Society of India to confirm that their fries are vegetarian.

Article Prepared by 

B kumar

Linkedin Profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceo2018/