Fry Guy Focus: Introducing Dan Frenette

Fried foods are some of the most beloved in America. There’s a process behind those foods, and in this ongoing series from Pitco, we sit down with the Fry Guys and Fry Gals who know how to get the most out of their fryers. In this edition, we sat down with Dan Frenette, Territory Manager & Culinary Specialist with W.D. Colledge in Canada.

Chef Dan Frenette started his professional cooking career nearly two decades ago. Working in various fine dining restaurants, Dan was offered a job to go on tour with the Rolling Stones where he became Keith Richards’ tour chef. After touring with the likes of John Mellencamp and Tom Cochran, Dan eventually left the road and continue to grow his culinary career. In 2012, he was awarded Top 30 Under 30 in Ontario for upcoming culinary professionals. As an executive chef, then owner of his own catering company, Dan then joined the team at W.D. Colledge as a Culinary Specialist before taking on the role of Territory Manager.

Pitco: What is the most common question you get about fryers?

Chef Dan: How much can I fry per hour?

Pitco: What question do you first ask someone when they want help with a fried food menu item?

Chef Dan: What are you frying and how much?

Pitco: What are the most important accessories to have for fryers?

Chef Dan: Cleaning accessories. While it might not be the first thing people think of when it comes to frying accessories, a clean fryer is an absolute necessity.

Pitco: What is the best piece of advice you would give someone who wants to add fried food to a menu?

Chef Dan: Get filtration! It will save you so many headaches (and a lot of money).

Pitco: What are common frying mistakes that you see?

Chef Dan: Frying in a deep fryer with poor heat recovery. It limits production volume, and for busy kitchens, that’s a big deal.

Pitco: How would you recommend fixing them?

Chef Dan: Calculating the frying throughput before purchasing a fryer. Once an operator understands just how much they are frying regularly, they’ll understand why heat recovery is so important.

Pitco: What is the best fried food you ever had?

Chef Dan: A hot fried chicken sandwich with all the fixings is unmatched.

Pitco: What are your best three pieces of advice for a restaurant to make more money with fried food?

Chef Dan: Invest in filtration. Get a high efficiency fryer. “Cheap” is expensive.

We know what to fry. Schedule a culinary consultation with us to get some ideas for your operation!