The right oil for the job.
Nearly all operators with a deep fryer can agree: oil is important. Beyond that, “Fryer oil is an ingredient,” says Mike Zoladkiewicz of Ventura Foods.
Quality ingredients, like fryer oil, matter because oil makes it into the food we eat through absorption. For example, products like cake donuts and tortilla chips can absorb up to 36-40% of the oil they’re cooked in. Using a high-quality oil matters for flavor, texture, and overall quality.
From a cost perspective, premium oil is more expensive, but it lasts longer than a commodity oil. The life of a premium oil is 7 days on average, versus the 3 days an operator can get from a lower tier oil. In fact, fewer oil changes, reduced injuries, and product cost savings can save an operator up to $1,000 a year.
All oils will eventually fail. Commodity oils have a rapid, steep fail while premium oil breaks down in a more gradual manner. The imaginary line between good food quality and bad food quality is crossed sooner with a commodity oil. Ventura oils will maintain a good food quality for a longer amount of time.
There are two product tiers of Ventura Oils: Versa Essentials and Mel-Fry.
Versa Essentials is your everyday solution to fuel the demands of an active kitchen. These oils and shortenings provide the economic value to achieve your food preparation needs.
- #260837 1/35 lb. Versa Essentials Clear Frying Oil (pictured right) is the proverbial workhorse of all frying oils. Featuring a neutral flavor profile and high heat stability, it provides consistent finished foods quality. More oils in the Versa Essentials line include:
- #260903 1/35 lb. Versa Essentials Creamy Frying Shortening is pourable and doesn’t require pre-melting. It resists breakdown and has excellent high heat and oxidative properties. Produces finished fried foods that are crispier and better tasting than traditional clear fry.
- #261406 1/35 lb. Versa Essentials Soybean Salad Oil is perfect for woks, sautéing, salad dressings, light frying and baking. Though it can be used for deep frying purposes, it does not contain TBHQ or anti-foaming agents.
- #261501 1/35 lb. Versa Essentials Corn Frying Oil is a traditional favorite with a flavor profile that is semi-neutral. Featuring high heat stability and high-heat stability, it is also higher in “good” unsaturated fats.
- #262609 1/35 lb. Versa Essentials Pan & Grill adds delicious buttery flavor and enticing aroma to all foods. It is convenient to use, requires no refrigeration, is salt free and contains no added moisture.
Blended specifically for foodservice, Mel-Fry has a proven reputation for performance in even the most demanding kitchens. These premium oils resist flavor transfer from one fry to the next and results in food with a crisp, clean texture throughout its time in the fryer with efficiency and consistency. Products in the Mel-Fry line include:
- #262210 1/35 lb. Mel-Fry Canola Blend Shortening (pictured right) enhances food quality for even the most delicate of fried foods. Exceptional stability for up to double the fry life of traditional vegetable oil.
- #262212 1/35 lb. Mel-Fry Clear Liquid Shortening is know for “clean eating” with no greasy aftertaste. It is specially formulated for high heat stability and outstanding fry life. It can also be cold-filtered for added employee safety.
- #260832 1/35 lb. Mel-Fry Cottonseed Canola Shortening is the perfect “entry point” to premium oils. It enhances food quality and fry life compared to traditional vegetable oil, lasting 25-50% longer. It also contains zero grams trans fat per serving.
For more on oils in the Versa line, please contact Mike Z at MZoladkiew@venturafoods.com.
