Provided is an edible material having an exceptional sweetness-enhancing effect. This oxidized product of a palm-based oil and fat has a total content of α-carotene and β-carotene of 50 mass ppm or more and 2000 mass ppm or less, and a peroxide value of the oxidized product of 3 or more and 250 or less.

A shelf stable fried product and a process for creating a shelf stable fried product is disclosed. Aspects include a process for managing fat migration, moisture migration, and cell degrading of a food product during frying. Aspects further include a resulting shelf stable food product that includes a crispy and/or crunchy texture and a desirable fat distribution.

Method and a deep frying device for deep frying a food product in a deep frying device, wherein the deep frying device comprises a container for fat. For reducing the chances of damaging the deep frying device by the deep frying and increasing the availability, use is made of a deep frying device comprising a pipe section for hot flue gas which protrudes into the lumen of the container but is not connected to an opposite wall. The pipe section comprises—a plurality of supply pipes for the relatively hot flue gas, and—at least one outlet pipe for the relatively cold flue gas coming from the plurality of supply pipes.

Systems and methods for shaping food items are provided. The systems and methods can shape the food items into taco shapes. A system can include a basket, a tool, and an insert. The basket includes troughs and a handle. The tool includes guides that receive patties made of, for example, potatoes, meat, and/or other food items. The insert includes wedges sized and shaped to fit through the guides and into the troughs of the basket. The tool is assembled with the basket in use, and frozen patties are placed in the guides. The insert is assembled with the tool such that the wedges contact the patties. The assembly is placed in hot oil to cook the patties. As the patties cook and soften, the insert moves downward relative to the tool and basket, and the wedges urge the patties into the troughs and into a taco shape.

A shelf stable potato/sweet potato french fry product packaged in a hermetically sealed flexible bag/pouch without the need for a surrounding acidic solution has been disclosed. Such product has a lower pH, preferably below 4.6, with enhanced taste and texture profile features, such as: (a) 0% -2% fat content, (b) a hardness of the exterior layer between 350 gram to 2500 gram after frying, that allows for little to no need for battering of such products, and (c) a moisture content above 55%. These benefits are typically obtained by processing the pre-cut potato via a single-step processing technique which may or may not require pre-processing steps.

A robotic kitchen assistant for frying includes a robotic arm, a fryer basket, and a robotic arm adapter assembly allowing the robotic arm to pick up and manipulate the fryer basket. The robotic arm adapter includes opposing gripping members to engage the fryer basket. A utensil adapter assembly is mounted to the handle of the fryer basket, and the opposing gripper members are actuated to capture a three-dimensional (3D) feature of the utensil adapter assembly. The robotic arm adapter assembly can include an agitator mechanism to shake the fryer basket or another utensil as desired. Related methods are also described.

This identification apparatus is for identifying the degree of degradation of oil and includes a sensor that detects a substance arising from oil contained in an oil tank and a controller that determines the degree of degradation of the oil based on information related to the substance detected by the sensor and the distance from the oil tank containing the oil to the sensor.

A characteristic of edible oil may be evaluated using a spectrometer. For example, optical reflectance data may be obtained from edible oil in situ in a frying apparatus housing the edible oil, the reflectance data corresponding to a specified range of infra-red wavelengths. A model profile corresponding to the characteristic being assessed may be obtained, such as from a repository housing a secured library of such profiles. The model profile may define a regression vector for use in transforming the reflectance data to generate a value corresponding to the characteristic being assessed. A criterion may be applied to the value to establish a simplified representation of the characteristic for presentation to a user for assessment of oil quality.

Provided is a cooking oil degradation degree determination device, etc., capable of accurately determining the degradation degree of fry oil, comprising: a fryer 2 that includes an oil vat 21 for storing frying oil Y therein and a color sample 23 for displaying gradual change in the color of the frying oil Y; a video camera 42 that captures an oil surface image of the frying oil Y; and a controller 5 that executes degradation degree determination processing of the frying oil Y, wherein the color sample 23 is arranged at a position included within an angle of view of the video camera 42 which is the same as an angle of view thereof for the oil surface image, and the controller 5 compares the color of the frying oil Y with colors displayed on the color sample 23, respectively, to determine the degradation degree of the frying oil Y.

Provided is a method for producing a par-fried chip that retains the desirable qualities, such as taste and texture, of a fresh prepared deep fried chips when oven cooked. The method comprises immersing an amount of raw potato strips in water to increase moisture content and par-frying said strips.