French Fries Are Good for You!

According to this great article from La Stampa, French fries are good for you!

Great News From Mediterranean Diet Experts: French Fries Are Good For You!

NAPLES - Great news for all connoisseurs of French fries - that is, practically everyone: if it’s done correctly, frying is not bad for your health.

Researchers at the Federico II University of Naples and from the nearby "Dolce & Salato" professional cooking school, have conducted a study that shows that frying isn’t bad, if certain measures are followed.

“Frying is bad for us? Absolutely not!” declares Professor Vincenzo Fogliano, who oversaw the study with Italian chef Giuseppe Daddio, who runs the cooking school. “If it’s fried in the correct way, a potato chip or a montanara (Neapolitan fried pizza) can be an excellent nutritional product.”

The study was conducted in two phases: During the first, the capacity of absorption of the oil by different foods was measured during the frying, where it was found that zucchini and eggplant absorbed 30% of the oil, whereas potatoes or pizzas only absorbed 5% -- the same amount as found in a bowl of spaghetti with oil and garlic.

“A fundamental rule,” explains Fogliano, “is that starch plays an important part in sealing the food being fried, and reducing the oil absorption. The starch in potatoes with large grains and rich in amylopectin is particularly effective. Attention must be paid to frozen, pre-fried products or to becoming accustomed to finishing off foods by frying them, when they have already been pre-fried. In these cases, the quantity of oil absorbed increases significantly.”

In the second phase, the experiments carried out in the kitchen proved the theory: to avoid the absorption of the frying oil in foods, products should not be pre-fried, frozen or re-fried. By avoiding these procedures, in fact, fries and pizzas would only absorb small amounts of oil.

“I have to say that the evidence, in fact, demonstrates the theories. Molecular gastronomy is a fascinating world that allows us to not only know more about the primary materials, but to deepen our knowlegde of cooking methods and chemical reactions, in the pot, on the plate and in our bodies," adds Daddio.

Got a craving for fries now? Well, you have the green light along with the recipe to eat without guilt.

Special thanks go to my very cool Twitter friend Alesia Matson for hipping me to this, and you can read the original article here.

French Fry Diary 256: Skewers 2011

I am always willing to give a place a second chance. I had gone to Skewers quite some time ago and was unimpressed. The mom-in-law had been recently and highly recommended Skewers so I went back - and surprisingly, just by accident, ran into the mom-in-law there. She must really like the fries there! Seriously though she treated me to a nice lunch, and I got to try the fries again.

As opposed to last time where there was much confusion as to what kind of fries Skewers had from one day until the next, things seem to be pretty consistent these days. With a bright new website, a new menu, and a new attitude, Skewers is the place to go. As far as the favorite fried food goes, they have Salt and Pepper Fries and Chickpea Fries. I got the former, catastrophically picky eater that I am.

The fries were natural cuts with sea salt and pepper, and lightly deep-fried. They were definitely different from the crinkle cuts I had last time, which were notably not the ones that had originally been recommended to me. These were good however, and the pepper gave them an extra kick. They were not greasy at all, and almost had a baked texture.

Skewers also offered chickpea fries, also known as panisse. From the devious interwebs, panisse is "a culinary specialty from a region in northern Italy, but it is equally known and appreciated in south-eastern France. It is made from a base of chickpeas, which are fried or baked. It is usually formed into logs, cut, fried in oil, and consumed hot."

I was tentative, but I wanted to give them a try, and tried to on a later visit. I was shocked to find that they were no longer on the menu! Apparently they are a seasonal item. At least being a seasonal item, it means that they might be back. Oh well, I'll try again at some point.

I am so glad I came back after that first time, thanks, Mom. Aces for the fries, good stuff. Check out Skewers in Marlton - for seasonally inspired Mediterranean cuisine.