Grease Is The Word

Anyone remember how much shortening was last October? Are you sitting down? Do you really want to know how much more it costs per case this year than it did last year? Answer: $13.75/case. Yep, that’s right, $5 a case more than last year’s price. If you use 10 cases of shortening a week, that is a difference on your bottom line of over $2600 on one ingredient alone! Most economists do not see an end to the rising costs of oil. Most pop culture watchers do not see an end to America’s insatiable hunger for fried foods. Sounds like an ominous forecast for operators.

What can we do about it? I know we would like to control the price of shortening, but unfortunately we can’t. What we can do is influence the amount of oil that we are using. Wait, you say, “you just said that Americans crave fried foods more than ever” how can I use less? There are a couple of ways to reduce the amount of oil that you are using, and I would like to explore them with you.

I know that most of us think that oil is oil is oil is oil, that there is no difference in any of the shortenings. NEWS FLASH – There is a difference between oils. On the surface it is a little hard to believe, but if you think about it for just a minute, you will see that there are differences. Shortening is a valuable commodity. Millions of restaurants use it all across the country. Millions of pounds of shortening are sold each day. It is the highest volume item in the foodservice industry. The manufacturers want that business. They want ALL of the business. In a lot of ways, shortening is the grease that keeps all of the parts of the foodservice economy moving. It is important. When anything is important and people stand to make or lose a lot of money on it, money is spent on researching and developing ways to make it better, to differentiate their products from the competition. The manufacturers want to earn and keep your business. The manufacturers have spent millions of dollars on scientists to find a way to make better performing shortening to earn your business and loyalty. It is not an urban legend; there is a difference between economy and premium oils.

Okay, I can’t say that they spent all this money on R & D without mentioning a few of the scientific things that they have come up with to create a better product. 1) They have engineered a better quality soybean (high oleic) that creates more stable vegetable oil. 2) The processing is far more involved on the premium oils – the oil now lasts longer and is more stable. 3) They have invented new and improved methods for hydrogenating the oil, which again makes it last longer and increases its stability.

Alright, enough of the scientific stuff, let’s get back to regular stuff. As I did a little investigating about shortening one major fact jumped out at me. The major players in the industry do NOT use CHEAP shortening. Those organizations with the resources to study their usage and analyze the cost/benefit relationship have squarely sided with premium oils. Why? They have moved to premium oils for 3 primary reasons. 1) Less absorption – fried foods come out dry and not greasy (kind of important). 2) Less flavor transfer – they want their customers to enjoy the flavor of the food they are frying rather than the taste of the shortening (important). Why would you want to take shrimp at $13 a pound and deep fry it in the cheapest oil available? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. 3) Longer oil life – while the oil may cost more on the invoice, they found that they spend less on oil per year when they use higher grade oils (very important). McDonald’s has even reported that they average 14 days of usage with their oil. That is a lot of frying! Think about it. With the economy shortening, 3 full days of frying is a stretch – 14 days – amazing! I think they might be on to something.

Not convinced yet? Still think that shortening is shortening is shortening? There is still hope for you to influence how much oil you are using. Here are a couple of helpful hints about fryer maintenance that if followed will help increase the life of your shortening:

Fryer Management
Heat: Fryer temp at 350 or lower. Turn it down when you are slow.
Air: Oxygen breaks down oil. Cover fryer at night and when it’s slow.
Moisture: Water kills fat. Fill baskets away from fryer.
Metals: No copper or brass and avoid cleaning with steel wool.
Salt: Avoid salting/seasoning food over the fryer to prevent breakdown of the oil.

Oil prices are high, and there is no end in sight for the elevated prices. Americans love fried food and there doesn’t seem to be an end to that either. Consequently, oil and shortening is an important expenditure for operators. Oil is a major ingredient, not just a cooking medium, and just like the rest of your ingredients, you should want the best. Premium oils will provide you many benefits. You will buy fewer cases and spend less money over the course of year. You will spend less on labor because you will have to change it less frequently. You will have better tasting, better looking fried foods. That sounds like a winning combination to me.