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Where have all the good fries and wings gone?

D

Daysleeper

New member
I live in south NJ and had to switch pizza shops five times mostly because of the fries.
All shops here are switching to fries with a nasty coating on the outside and taste like they are made from powdered potato.

The wings are now all breaded (probably frozen) and dry. There is one shop left that has real fries, real winds and thankfully - great pizza. Just one and there is a pizza shop on every corner here being so close to Philly.

Can anyone explain what this awful coating is on the new french fry trend is and why operators are switching to them? Everyone I know now has to ask or see what kind of fries are served before ordering from a new place. I
I’d appreciate any response because the topic comes up often in my home and I just can’t explain it.
 
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Ok…I am sure I am off since I am from the midwest…but I think the first problem is trying to find great fries at a great pizza place. Where I am from the two do not interact well together. It’s not like the peanut butter cup commercial… where the guy holding the fries bumps into the girl with the pizza and WOW! French Fry PIzza! Now that being said…I am sure that the PH thinkers are reading this now and by tomorrow I will see that on the TV and hear about their French Fry Stuffed Crust Pizza! Oh yummy! 😛
 
One other thing…about the coating on the new fries on the market. I was just reading about Wendy’s natural cut fries… yeah they removed the steaming process to get the skins off. That’s it. They still coat with 2 separate chemical coatings to protect color and enhance flavor after their first frying at the factory before freezing and shipping. The one that really caught my attention was the SILICONE based sprayed on coating that it gets before freezing that helps give it that extra crispy texture after its second frying at the local store. Oh how natural it all is.
 
A coated fry product gives two or three things to a shop.
  1. longer hold times. That means less waste, better management of customer peak demand times.
  2. crispier product. In response to customer demands for crispier product without peanut oil, the coating gives a quick answer, and interacts with #1 above. The crisp finished product, like pizzas, will soften and lose texture kinda quick . . coating gets crisp and has the better chance of it staying that way.
  3. less wear on the oil. Fresh potatoes have a LOT of water and wear down oil fast. Same with really cheap frozen fries . . . less potato means more water and faster wear. The frozen coated fry gives longer life to frying oil.
 
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Another possibility is that it seems to me that deep fryers are phasing out fast in the pizza business up here. For my money, nothing beats a fried wing. I’m not too sure if this applies to ther fries as well, just an idea!
 
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I’m also in central/south jersey…

It’s economics, most pizzerias around here seem to simply go with whatever is on sale with the vendor… you know if Roma has a deal because half of the shops around me have the same type of fry… fortunately I live 10 minutes from seaside heights (where Snooky hangs out yo) and I LOVE boardwalk fries, so this times a year I will make a run to pick up a bucket a couple of times a week.

Once I open my shop in a few months I will most likely stick with the fresh cut since it doesn’t seem that any of the shops here want to reap the benefit of a hugely popular item. just a few miles away.
 
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@Daysleeper.

I am around your area sometimes and I realize what your talking about. It’s almost like a crispy,flaky,coating on the fry. This is just because of popularity. Actually it costs restaurants more to purchase this product, than say normal shoestring, or steak fries. I do not like them that much personally, however there are so so so many places in the area there are def some places that have some great fries!
try Harrison they have a neat little euro district with some great chicken places with real fries!
 
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If you’re ever in KC look me up. Our local paper said our fries were the best in town and almost better described as pommes frittes. Believe me, it took a long time to get my staff used to prepping them, but now we have it down to a science.

If anyone wants to add fries to their menu, I highly recommend you try this method:
  1. Cut your fries and let them soak in ICE water for 30 minutes or more.
  2. Turn your fryer down to 275-300 and cook them for 3-4 minutes.
  3. Place the fries on a sheet pan or in a dough box and let them come all the way back down to room temperature.
  4. Once they reach room temperature, you can store them in buckets in your walk in for 3-4 days. They will cook very quick (3-4 minutes). They will be cooked all the way through and crispy on the outside.
Here’s a pic of our grinder with a side of “Puerta Fries” (queso, bacon, and jalapenos):
http://www.pitch.com/slideshow/cafe-up-close-next-door-pizza-32048294/12/

FWIW, they also make a killer pizza topping. Especially with queso and bacon!

As for wings, I wish I could help you. We started out by cooking our own three-section wings but no one appreciated them. People seem quite conditioned to the BWW experience - crappy wings with lots of sauces. It makes me sad that I can produce a wing better than the one we sell - but I’m selling twice as many wings since we went to wing-dings with 10 different sauces…
 
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I do see where you are coming from, pcuezze.

See, the actual prep for properly done fried potaotes includes a starch soak and a pre-blanch followed b high temp finish. If a PIZZA place is willing to deal with the grime and expense of a fryer and the hood system to support it . . . then they would either need to have this somewhat labor inducing process in place along with all their pizza-related tasks . . . or find a shortcut product. Plus added stress on the oil. Really, unless the fries are some signature or flagship item on the menu, it makes not a lot of sense to dedicate much time and labor resources to it. If it cuts costs, then game on, but most pizza joints have these as a convenience add-on.

I am particularly skilled at the crispy fried potato product. I don’t have the time or inclination to go through the process to do them for the tiny volume I would sell . . . and we are a pizza place. Those who might buy them wold roll their eyes back in extacy . . . but that would all take from my core business concept of selling pizzas and ancillary items. Even my cheesesteaks are not intended as my core business.

I think those who do fresh cut potatoes need to learn and use the best technique as listed above. If you aren’t geeked up about high end potatoes, or not into having a fryer, then do use the best product for the best application.
 
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i use a 3/8 coated straight cut. more expensive than a regular 3/8 straight. as nick said they hold wayyyyy better and personally, i think they taste better.
 
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im pretty close to pakula… i picked the best one at the best price convergence…sorry fry guys (really) …im really looking forward to trying out some of your best! there’s nothing like bringing in an outside menu item that your public is not expecting to give ya a lil boost in the ass!! i mean in the sales dept! 😉 i got a great fried oreo 😉 runs about 7% food cost 😉

altho true, confusing sez cf3
 
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