In 1987, just one fast food chain- McDonald’s hamburgers – sold upwards of 200,000 million French fries or chips, throughout the world. And they were all nearly identical in length and thickness.
To ensure that their chips have a consistent taste and that they are ready at the same time as the hamburgers, a fast food chain puts call it’s potato through the same preparation process.
Before the potatoes are even planted, the company agrees to buy a farmers entire crop. It also specifies the type of potatoes and their growing conditions, such as soil treatment and fertilisers. Varieties of potatoes are chosen – such as Majestic Maris Piper or Russet Burbanks – for their keeping quality, because they will be needed all year round. Large, round ones are preferable because they are easy to peel and clean and there is little waste.
Once harvested, the potatoes are loaded into silos or large boxes and kept in the dark at a constant temperature of 48-50°F (9-10ºC), which shows down organic changes that would make them deteriorate. They are regularly inspected and batches that show any signs of rotting are removed.
At the processing plant potatoes are again inspected and weighed to check their density, which reveals if they have become soft and ‘floury’. They are passed over sieves to remove small stones on dirt, and magnets and electronic detectors remove any metal particles. After the potatoes have been washed, the skins are softened with alkali and removed with steam.
Next, they are sliced into square sectioned strips. Thin strips will cook faster but will become hard if they are overcooked. An ideal size for fast food chips is a cross-section of about 1/4in (6mm).
The cut strips are blanched on the wire mesh conveyor belt which passes them through a tank of hot water or a dilute solution of phosphate or citrate salt. This helps to prevent them discolouring.
The cut potatoes are done frozen, bagged in polythene, packed into cartons and kept at -4°F (-20°C) until collected for delivery to the fast food outlets in refrigerated vans.
Within only minutes of being removed from freezers in the restaurants, a bagful can be fried and served up.
Picture Credit : Google