Jul 2012 - Issue 5 - National Federation of Fish Friers

Chips (Thickness)
We tested 3 different thicknesses of chips (14mm x14mm, 14mm x 17mm
and 17mm x 17mm) all fried in palm fat and also cooked one sample by
blanching and one straight through to see if blanching affected the fat and
calorie content. The results are per 100 grams.
CHIP SIZE (mm) CALORIES FAT (Grams)
14 x 14 220 8.6
14 x 17 208 8.3
17 x 17 212 9.0
14 x 17 (blanched) 225 8.7
Summary: A chip cut to the size of 14 x 17mm proved to be the healthiest
in term of having fewer calories and less fat. We expected a thicker chip cut
to 17 x 17mm to be the healthiest but this came out with higher results. This
can perhaps be explained by the requirement of a longer cooking time,
meaning more time to absorb the fat, or it could be due to the fact that the
17 x 17mm chips were “ready chips” and the others freshly prepared in the
training school that morning.
Fish (Portion Sizes)
We tested 3 different sizes of fish (4oz, 6oz and 10oz). The same batter was
used for all samples and all the fish used was Icelandic FAS Cod. The results
are per 100 grams.
FISH SIZE (mm) CALORIES FAT (Grams)
4oz Cod 227 16.7
6oz Cod 240 17.3
10oz Cod 265 20.3
Summary: The results indicate that bigger fish contain more fat and calories
per 100g, meaning that an accurate result cannot be obtained by simply
testing one size of fish then applying to other sizes (i.e. testing a 4 oz fish
and then multiplying by 2 to get results for an 8 oz fish)
Chips (Portion Sizes)
We fried chips cut to 14 x 17 mm in palm fat and then produced the
nutritional values for various portion sizes commonly offered in fish and chip
shops.
PORTION OF CHIPS (oz) CALORIES FAT (Grams)
5oz 295 11.9
10oz 589 23.8
15oz 884 35.7
20oz 1177 47.5
25oz 1473 59.5
Summary: The portion size you sell has a huge impact on the total fat and
calories your customers consume. However healthy the product is, if portion
sizes are very large the customer will have consumed a high amount of fat
and large number of calories.
Overall Summary
Fish and chips are less than 10% fat if properly cooked and an average
sized portion is less than 1000 calories.
Adding peas to the meal lowers fat and calories per 100 grams, but as peas
contain approximately 100 calories per 100 grams, this increases the total
calories consumed in the meal.
Issue 5 July 2012
Rapeseed oil (when in optimum condition) produces the healthiest product,
but breaks down more easily than other frying mediums. It is, however, a
reasonable view that the customer expectation of taste is more important.
The size of portion you serve is key to total calories and fat your
customers consume.
In our original article about nutritional testing in the FFR, Mark Drummond
wrote that a large portion of Fish, Chips & Peas could be up to 1600 calories,
and this resulted in complaints from several members saying it was an
exaggeration. Our results show that a 10oz Fish, 15oz portion of Chips and
7oz Peas (not an exceptionally large portion in some places) actually
contained 1846 calories.
Our results also show that the proportion of fish/chips/peas in a meal has a
big effect on the fat and calorie content, as the fried fish is higher in fat and
calories than chips, and peas are almost fat free and less than half the calories
per 100 grams of the chips. So for example a meal consisting of a 4oz fish,
10oz portion of chips and 7oz Peas would contain 1110 calories (186 calories
per 100 grams), whereas a meal consisting of a 10oz fish, 7 oz portion of
chips and 4oz peas would contain 1291 calories (217 calories per 100
grams), even though the total weight of both the meals were the same (21oz
or 594 grams).
Further tests would need to be done to establish if treating chips with
preservatives effects nutritional content and also if pre-produced ready chips
have different fat and calorie levels to those produced in a shop.
For the full spread sheet of results please visit the NFFF website
www.federationoffishfriers.co.uk
NFFF MEMBER SPECIAL OFFER
15% DISCOUNT OFF FISH AND CHIP TESTING FOR
CURRENT NFFF MEMBERS. PLEASE QUOTE MEMBERSHIP
NUMBER AS REFERENCE.
Please contact Stelios Theocharous to book your test now: -
084537115522 - stelios@fishandchipstest.co.uk
www.fishandchipstest.co.uk
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