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Different products are cooked in different kinds of oil. Why might that be? Here are some of the factors Chick-fil-A has to take into account when deciding what kinds of oil to use for their products.
Peanut Oil
Peanut Oil
The hybrid pressure fryers cook all breaded chicken products in 100% refined peanut oil. It is a neutral oil—it has very little color or flavor—derived from peanuts that has had most of the proteins removed that cause allergic reactions. It has a high smoke point, meaning it can be heated to high temperatures without burning.
Canola Oil
Canola Oil
The open potato fryers cook waffle fries and hash browns in canola oil. It is derived from rapeseed, and its name comes from combining "Canada" and "oil," because it was created in Canada and sounds more appealing to English speakers. It is a neutral oil with little color or flavor and has a high smoke point.
Oil is one of the most expensive ingredients in food service operation. When frying, it serves as both a cooking medium—a means by which heat is transferred from the heat source to the food—as well as an ingredient, because some oil penetrates the food as it cooks. For these reasons, it is vital that oil quality is maintained for as long as possible.
However, oil quality will naturally degrade. To remember what contributes to it, just think of a Car-W.A.S.S.H.
Carbon
Carbon
Carbon is in all organic material, so any food cooked in the oil is going to expose it to carbon
Water
Water
Water, also coming from the food, causes hydrolysis—a chemical breakdown due to reaction with water
Air
Air
Air is everywhere, so the best way to minimize oil's exposure to it is to make sure fryers are closed or covered when not in use
Salt
Salt
The sodium in salt—which is in all of the chicken varieties' marinades as well as the coater—causes oil to break down
Soap
Soap
Oil gets exposed to soap in the form of residue leftover by the deep cleaning (boil out) process
Heat
Heat
Both the magnitude of the heat and the duration the oil is exposed to it influence how rapidly it breaks down the oil
Filtering the oil is the best way to combat these factors. The condition of the oil in each fryer should be checked daily. The oil may need replaced if:
Product is consistently too dark or light—use Quality Photos for reference
Product does not hold well—it is oily, limp, tastes burnt or old, or has off flavor or odor
Oil releases excessive steam, is excessively dark, smoking, or foaming
Oil is excessively viscous (thick) and produces buildup on edges of the fryer
Oil color matches the "DISCARD" color in the oil test kit
The oil level lines on the rear wall of each fryer are cold fill and hot fill, not minimum and maximum. This means that when the oil is at room temperature, it should be filled to the bottom line; when the oil is heated to cooking temperature, it should be filled to the top line. Overfilling or underfilling fryers both carry dangerous consequences:
Underfilling may result in heating elements to become exposed and can cause oil to get burned or fire to break out
Overfilling can cause oil to leak into the lid assembly, the deadweight valve, the pressure solenoid, or out onto the exterior of the machine, making a mess and risking burns or other injuries
When oil has reached the end of its life, a "boil out" must be performed. Boiling out a fryer involves pumping out and discarding the old oil, performing a deep clean of the fry pot, lid, and exhaust stack with a degreaser solution, rinsing the fryer thoroughly, and then filling it with new oil.
A batch of peanut oil should be able to last anywhere from 30 to 90 days, and a batch of canola oil lasts about seven to nine days. One of the probable reasons the open potato fryers use canola oil is because of this difference in lifespan and canola oil is less expensive than peanut oil.
The actual lifespan of a batch of oil is dependent on numerous factors, including how well it is maintained, how often it is used, and the types and quantities of products cooked in it. If used correctly, the fryers can keep track of most of this information and will display when the oil needs changed.
To hear these topics discussed in greater detail, watch this video:
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