How do I account for nutritional changes (oil absorption) and capture which allergens may be present in deep-fried items?
Although lab chemical analysis is the most accurate method for determining fat absorption during deep frying, a simple calculation can estimate the amount of oil absorbed during the deep frying process.
To account for the oil absorbed during the deep frying process:
1. Ensure your fryer oil is added to your Ingredient catalog in Galley.
2. Navigate to a Recipe that is deep fried. Then add the amount of oil that is absorbed into the recipe. Use the following equation to estimate how much oil to add as an Ingredient to your Recipe:
Deep Frying Oil Absorption Calculation (Estimated): Multiply the item's weight before it is fried by 10%. For example, say the item weighs 100 grams. Then multiply the weight by 10% (0.10).
10 pounds julienned potatoes X 0.10 = 1 pound oil absorbed
Add 1 lb of fryer oil as an ingredient to the Recipe.
TIP: If you do not want the fryer oil quantities to be included in your purchase guides, simply duplicate the Ingredient and do not associate the fryer oil Ingredient to a Vendor Item.
Accounting for Allergens from Possible Cross-Contamination during Deep Frying
If your organization deep fries allergen-containing foods in a shared fryer and would like to voluntarily list any possible cross-contamination of allergens, add all possible allergens to the fryer oil Ingredient.
This will declare any potential allergen cross-contamination in deep fried products when a recipe includes the deep frying oil as a component Ingredient in a Recipe.
A note on highly refined oils: Are you using an oil made from one of the top nine allergens like peanut or soybean oil for frying? The FDA does not require allergens to be listed for any highly refined oils due to the removal of allergen-producing proteins during the refining process.
Exception For Pre-Fried Products: If purchasing a pre-fried branded food item such as pre/par-fried french fries, if the finishing cooking method is baked in an oven and no additional oil is added during the baking process, either update the ingredient nutrition information to reflect the manufacturer’s label or find the closest match pre-fried item in the USDA database and link to your ingredient. There is no need to add fryer oil to the Recipe components since the manufacturer's nutrition label already includes the frying oil that was absorbed when frying.