Pitco Fry Guy Focus: Introducing Austin Schafer

Corporate Chef Austin Schafer recently started at Philadelphia’s One Source Reps, but he brings a wide knowledge of cooking in the foodservice industry. From preparing meals for professional athletes and even one of the former presidents of the United States of America, Chef Austin has seen plenty. We sat down with this month’s Pitco Fry Guy to get more info on his unique background and how frying a whole pig is on his list of things to do. 

How did you find yourself in the world of foodservice? 

I grew up in it and have been around it my whole life. My father ran a restaurant equipment and supply store for most of my childhood and early adult life. I found a passion for cooking early on cooking with my mom and then into college. I declared for a Hospitality Management degree and, from there, got my first job out of college, working at a James Beard Award winning restaurant and chef. 

From then, my passion grew and I worked for a lot of great chefs and companies in the Philadelphia area. I have been lucky and fortunate enough to cook for (a lot) of professional athletes, famous TV chefs, celebrities, musicians, and even the Obamas. 

After years of opening restaurants, I settled into a Culinary Director role for a few restaurant groups over the last decade and have recently moved into (my current role). Having two kids, I cherish the opportunity to continue to work in the industry I am so passionate about without having to sacrifice weekends, nights, and holidays.

What’s the most frequent question you get asked about fryers as a Pitco Fry Guy? 

“Does it have an onboard filtration system?”

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of oil! Why do you think some operators see oil filtration as a hassle? 

I think a lot of them see the initial price of the fryer with onboard filtration and get sticker shock. It’s a simple conversation and math equation to project the cost of oil bought over the course of a year versus the cost of using a filter and purchasing significantly less oil. 

It also requires more training and skill to filter a fryer versus just telling the kitchen employee to drain and dump the used oil. One more thing to manage in an already tumultuous labor landscape in hospitality.

In your opinion, what are the top must-have accessories for any fryer station? 

It all comes down to mise en place. It is crucial that you are set up for success with all the tools, ingredients, and sanitary items needed to run your station. That could mean anything from a fine mesh spider for cleaning between (food) drops to (having) gloves out for safe food handling to proper-sized bowls for tossing finished product. I am a huge advocate for “save a day” recycled paper boards and boats that catch excess grease and make seasoning your final product a breeze.

What are the most common frying mistakes you see in kitchens? 

Overloading fryer baskets, undercooking chicken to then cut it open and refry, not seasoning food as soon as it comes out of the fryer, not cleaning the fryer in between orders with a spider or strainer, and frying at the wrong temperature are also very common mistakes.

And how would you go about fixing those mistakes? Any secret tricks up your sleeve? 

Doing a lot of (research and development) to source consistent products and training staff appropriately on time and temperature. Having an onboard timer or even a simple magnetic kitchen timer to customize the cooking time for each menu item or using a temperature probe or cake tester to test the internal temperature of proteins.

What three golden nuggets of wisdom would you give a restaurant looking to boost profits with its fried foods? 

1. 1. Invest in a fryer with onboard filtration and train your staff accordingly. 
   2. If you have more than one fryer, consider having one that is Gluten-Free and safe from cross-contamination. This will allow you to accommodate many allergies and will allow you to use alternative flours in your frying processes. 
   3. Consider what your service looks like at its busiest time and purchase a fryer based on that volume and expectation.

How do you keep your frying station safe, efficient, and in top shape, especially during those crazy peak hours? 

Having spare baskets and different-sized baskets for certain items or volume pickups, tools like strainers, spiders, backup utensils, and bowls to keep things fresh and clean, and a holding zone to keep fried foods hot and crispy can be a game-changer for quality and consistent execution if you are dealing with high volume.

Are there any innovative frying techniques or trends that have caught your eye recently? 

Siphon batters are a great way to create an incredibly light and airy batter-fried item.

What’s the best fried food you’ve ever tasted, and where did you find it? 

Tempura Octopus at a little Filipino restaurant in South Philly by the name of Perla.

If you could create your ultimate fried dish, what would it be? 

A confit and deboned chicken (flat) wing stuffed with a pork farce studded with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and scallion (think of a pot sticker filling). Then the wing (would be) fried and glazed with a Nuoc Cham style sauce. Garnished with sesame, scallion, and pickled chiles.

What’s a frying disaster you’ve witnessed or experienced that still makes you laugh (or cringe) today? 

During the end of my shift, while cleaning, I watched a line cook empty a fryer full of boil-out and soapy water into a stock pot that still had some oil in it from draining. Luckily, nothing was hot enough to burn him, but the pot proceeded to bubble and overflow all over the kitchen. Because of our layout, he had no way to get out and had to just stand there and take it. I will never forget the look on his face, it could have been a really bad situation that we ended up laughing about over a beer later that night. I was happy I did not have to take him to the hospital.

When you’re not in the kitchen, what’s your favorite way to unwind and recharge? 

Spending time outside with my wife and two sons, on the beach or in the mountains, preferably.

If you could fry anything (literally anything), what would it be and why? 

An entire pig skin to make a giant crispy chicharron.

Thanks for chatting with us, Austin, and sharing your insights as a Pitco Fry Guy!