Shortening or Oil

[Deleted]

Hydrogenated vegetable oil.

You can hear it from CHS himself here:

[Ken_Griffiths]

The U.K. KFC outlets currently use rapeseed oil... It shows how much things have changed over the years. I guess these things are driven on the grounds for improved public health.

I would have assumed things in the real 'original' recipe in the Colonel's early days, started with 'lard', as animal fats were quite popular in the early post-war years.

I assume vegetable 'shortening' followed on from that.

[johnnyb]

Hi Ken,

First of all, thank you for the vast information you have shared in the forum. I just started researching KFC after being vastly disappointed when I tried the Ledginton Recipe. It tasted nothing like KFC. Although disappointed, I am now in a mission to try and emulate the original recipe and your forum had provided the best information yet. 

I am interested in frying in Lard. I have used it in the past for frying pork (best taste ever) but not for chicken yet. 

I'm considering some other options as well:

Vegetable Shortening
Peanut Oil

Any thoughts?

Thank you,

John

[Deleted]

hydrogenated refined lard

[Ken_Griffiths]

John,

In the very early days the colonel apparently used Crisco vegetable shortening: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisco

The recipe was then switched at some stage and was cooked in corn oil and eventually, Soy Bean oil. The latter is/was very popular in the U.S.

In the U.K. corporate outlets seem to now be using either sunflower oil, or the (now) more popular (and healthier) rapeseed oil, which has a high burn-point. In fact KFC (UK) has said that all their UK outlets now use rapeseed oil.

I have tried many different things including rapeseed oil, but now I simply use vegetable oil. I always (paper) filter my oil after each cooking session, to clean it and it is normally 'chucked' and replaced after 4 or 5 uses. Some people like to carry a bit of old oil over to the new, for added flavour, but personally I have never done that, as I prefer my oil clean and fresh.

I hope that helps. I'm sure others here may use other things .. and whilst I'm sure lard may taste great, I'm not so sure it's the healthiest of options to use on a regular basis.

Lard definitely made the best fish and chips though when I was a lad, but even the TV picture was still in black and white in those days.

Vegetable cooking oil has improved a lot over the years, but like any oil, if you pass its burn-point, you will ruin it immediately and it will be rendered completely useless for any further cooking.

For home pressure frying i find 320°F (160°C) seems to work okay for me as an average temperature, but things can depend on the amount of oil in the pot and the amount of chicken portions being added to it. I usually fry 4 pieces at a time.

[johnnyb]

Hi Ken,

Yes, lard does taste great but as you say, not healthy for eating on a regular basis (although my grandfather of 84 begs to differ. He ate that while growing up and is still going strong.)

I'll go for vegetable oil when trying out (Hopefully this next weekend) recipe Recipe KG-127/2016 and KG-113/2016 also, I plan to test out the difference between the milk/egg wash vs using the milk/egg powder.

Thanks for the information!

Best regards,

John

[Deleted]

Early Crisco was made with cottonseed oil. Then it was changed to soybean oil. Now it is a combination of soy and various other oils. Soybean oil does not have a neutral taste, and, IMO, is not fit for human consumption.

[Ken_Griffiths]

Sept 22, 2016 18:24:05 GMT @smallgree said:

Early Crisco was made with cottonseed oil. Then it was changed to soybean oil. Now it is a combination of soy and various other oils. Soybean oil does not have a neutral taste, and, IMO, is not fit for human consumption.

Fred or Anyone,

I'm just curious. Do you know what oil is used nowadays by the U.S. KFC stores/outlets?

Thanks

Ken

[swamprocker]

I believe they are now using corn oil

[Ken_Griffiths]

Sept 23, 2016 8:34:06 GMT swamprocker said:

I believe they are now using corn oil

Thanks John, we have Mazola corn oil over here in the UK and I must admit I have not tried that personally, but I must give it a go. I seem to get along okay with vegetable oil.

I did find this news article earlier today, showing they were using palm oil in the UK in 2011, but the corporation here decided to switch the stores over to rapeseed.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/kfc-to-stop-using-palm-oil-2264326.html

[Deleted]

expeller pressed soybean oil

[nitebeat]

I believe CHS stated in his early patents vegetable oil was specified.
In the early sixties Cotton seed Oil or Corn Oil was Used, I Use Cotten seed oil and have found that this oil is key to the sticky finger
experience that resulted in the term "finger Lickin good", remember the wet wipe towels that were supplied in the mid seveties.

[ThePieMan]

I se a form of Crisco-like Vegetable shortening. It comes in 1kg blocks. I use three to fill my deep fat fryer and fry chicken pieces, 2 at a time if they are on the large side, for 8 minutes then finish them off in the oven at 85°C with a bowl of hot boiled water in the bottom of the oven. I have a 6l (or is it 7? I forget now) in which I normally only drop a 1kg block into for pressure frying. I can usually fit three to four pieces in it.

[ThePieMan]

In recent days, it has been suggested that CHS used animal fat to fry his chicken and the type of fat had a distinct impact on the flavour of the cooked chicken, so much so that when forced to move away from Animal fats to seed oils, that the Corp. may have tried to make up for this by adding meat stock to some brining process. That is the current discussion.

One must always check the veracity of claims, one way or the other. Old cook books often refer to using LARD as the principle fat source from frying meats and chicken, and yet according to this site: carnivoreaurelius.com/what-is-tallow/ beef tallow was supposedly ubiquitous. It does however provide links that attempt to deal with the historic hatched job that was done on the consumption of animal fats.

If we take all this into account, it would seem that for every researcher's ongoing health benefit, that we should all dump seed oils and shortening from our kitchens immediately, that stuff is apparently killing us - I refuse to be seen as a walking bottle of Canola.        

This now raises an interesting quandary for us, which animal fat, and in which country? According to deepfried101, the answer is simple, Beef Tallow. I would like to see a little more information about this topic, vis a vis Tallow vs Lard, and their impact on the flavour of fried chicken. 

Some additional factors to consider:

In Muslim countries, lard (rendered pork fat) cannot be used.

In Hindu countries, tallow/dripping (rendered beef fat) cannot be used. (ghee, clarified butter fat, is the fat of choice...)

In many Asian countries pork fat is highly preferred.

In the US, was it lard or tallow that was used?

Whichever, fat, it would seem that we have a whole new and more serious research area to consider. I have long said that the choice of fat has a direct impact on the flavour of food and that more research is needed in this area. Please consider.

jm2cw

TPM

[mpmn04]

I usually use new corn oil which I mix about 25% of the used oil with it. However, I had to start with fresh, new canola oil instead with no used oil in the mix. What a disappointment! The chicken would not darken hardly at all (I was using 711-CSE) and it was lacking its normal flavor, kinda bland.
I don't remember anyone reporting how long CHS used his fry oil, or what the ratio of used:new oil is. Anyone have any info?

Mike