New regulations for cooking French fries!
Since April 11, 2018, a new European regulation comes into effect regarding the cooking of French fries.
Acrylamide in the spotlight
At the origin of this regulation, theacrylamide. This molecule, which gives its brown color to fried or grilled foods, is released when potato-based foods, cereals, coffee or chocolate are heated to more than 120°C and is considered carcinogenic.
TheU.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers acrylamide to be "extremely hazardous" as the substance is believed to cause uterine, ovarian, and kidney cancers.
This is why the European Commission wanted to regulate this practice among catering professionals, by creating a law aimed at putting in place a whole series of measures to regulate this cooking method.
Consult the summary of the EFSA scientific opinion to facilitate understanding and risks:
Belgian fries under threat
The double cooking of "Belgian fries" was targeted by this law.
In order for them to be crispy, Belgian fries are first poached raw in boiling oil, drained and then re-cooked to give them their crispness. This double cooking would cause a concentration of acrylamide, considered carcinogenic, and the fries could therefore contain twice as many substances harmful to health.
The European culinary heritage in danger?
Fortunately not. Belgian fries were not the only ones threatened by this text. Some French fry shops in the North use the same traditional cooking method, just like English fries, the "roast potatoes".
In order to preserve their culinary heritage, some European authorities strongly opposed this regulation, which called into question traditional and cultural recipes specific to each country.
In the meantime, things have changed. The European Commission has agreed to review its copy by not obliging Belgian French fry shops to review their cooking methods, in order to respect national recipes and traditions.
What will change with the new regulations
The European Regulation 2017/2158 of November 20, 2017, therefore, officially entered into force on April 11, 2018, and specifies the cooking temperature of cereals, potatoes and coffee, in order to avoid the formation of acrylamide. Maximum levels of this molecule will be set according to each food.
The measures will be applied in a manner "proportionate to the size and nature of each establishment. "The new regulation will not only reduce the presence of this carcinogen, but will also help raise awareness of how to avoid exposure to the substance, which is often linked to home cooking," said Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.
Restaurateurs should not cook their fries above 175°C and should have in their kitchen a color chart specifying the optimal combination of color and low acrylamide levels.
Manufacturers of potato chips and snack cakes will also have to put in place measures to avoid placing products with too high an acrylamide content on the market.
For perfect cooking, find all our professional electric tabletop fryers, electric deep fryers on stand, gas fryers, or even doughnut fryer on our site CHR MARKET!