Fry Guy Focus: Introducing Jeff White

Fried foods are some of the most beloved in America. There’s a process behind those foods, and in this new series from Pitco, we’re going to 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 Jeff White, frying expert and corporate chef with Phoenix Marketing in Indianapolis,Indiana.

Chef Jeff White is the Corporate Executive Chef for Democook.com and Phoenix Marketing, Inc. He serves as the current Indianapolis ACF Vice President along with serving as the past Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Chef and Child Committee. Jeff was formally trained at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island and is a Certified Executive Chef and a Certified Food Service Professional. He has been involved in the food service industry for over 30 years in numerous capacities as a chef, manager, food & beverage director, and sales manager for many hotels, restaurants, private clubs, and food equipment manufacturers. He and his wife Amy operated a catering company in Indianapolis for 20 years. We sat down with Chef Jeff to talk about fried foods.

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

Chef Jeff: Everyone likes to ask, “How often do I need to change the grease?”

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

Chef Jeff: The first place to start is how are you cooking it now? What results do you want, and have you recently changed any of your standard operating procedures?

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

Chef Arturo: Three things — Filters, Boil out powder, Brush

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

Chef Jeff: Menu mix! Be sure to calculate how many items you’ll be frying.

Pitco: What are common frying mistakes that you see?

Chef Jeff: Not changing oil often enough and then not boiling it out when they do.

Pitco: How would you recommend fixing those mistakes?

Chef Jeff: It starts with the top. Train upper management on the proper processes so they know how to hold their employees accountable.

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

Chef Jeff: Well, I try to avoid eating too much fried food. However, when chicken is fresh and prepared correctly, it is great fried.

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

Chef Jeff: First, it’s important to clean fryers on a regular bases. Next, make sure to rotate the frying oil. Finally, always use a separate fryer just for seafood and shell fish.

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

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Topics: Pitco