Pitco Fry Guy Focus: Introducing Dale Williams

Growing up eating a variety of foods that some would consider untraditional, chef Dale Williams has learned that no matter what’s being served, food means community. Today, as the Director of Culinary Innovation, Multi-Units at Chrane Foodservice, he’s sharing his more than 30 years of foodservice experience with his clients. We sat down with Chef Dale, who is this month’s Pitco Fry Guy, to learn more about his background, what he thinks about filtration, and why he believes fryer training for leadership is just as important as it is for line workers.

How did you land in foodservice? Give us some background and fun facts about yourself. 

I was raised in a very food-centric family, everyone cooked, and everyone had their specialty. If it wasn’t Grandma’s breakfast of fried squirrel, potatoes, eggs, and pancakes, it was Mom’s casseroles, meatloaf, or fried chicken. Somewhere in there, my Dad or Grandpa would jump in with some outlandish grilling skills. 

We were pretty poor, and until I was a teenager, most of my meals were hunted, fished, or plucked from a garden. And it wasn’t always things you would find a kid eating; we had rabbit, possum, soybeans, fresh vegetables, etc. (when you’re a kid from the country, you eat whatever you’re given, lol). Because of this upbringing, I always felt like food was something that brings people together, in both good times and bad, and has always created my favorite memories. Consequently, I was ALWAYS going to end up in a kitchen somehow, some way.  I guess it was just the stars I was given 😉 

What is the most common question you get about fryers? 

Lately, they have been all about recovery time and filtration. Things like “What is the recovery time for a 50# fryer if I am cooking 10# of fries at a time?” or “How do I get my staff to WANT to filter the fryers regularly?” 

Let’s talk oil. Why do you think operators think oil filtration is a waste? What’s the disconnect between throwing away oil constantly and the option to filter and reuse? 

I don’t think that operators consider filtration wasteful. I think that they are more concerned about the amount of time that is spent filtering and if it offsets the savings gained by properly filtering oil. Having spent 30 years as an operator, I can categorically say that I never wanted to use dirty oil, and I never wanted to waste product, but with the laborious nature of the way filtration used to be, I have been guilty of mistreating my oil in the past.  I believe that if we make filtering easy and cost effective, we wouldn’t be hearing that operators think it is wasteful.  

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

Buy the right fryer for the job. All too often, I meet clients who (are hand-breading all their product) have . . . bought an ROV fryer, and their oil is burning up. Or someone buys a fryer from an internet dealer without any guidance on what they need and ends up in trouble. 

Please utilize your local and /or factory reps. Technology moves fast, and if you don’t keep your finger on the pulse of the equipment world, there are most likely some advances that you’re not aware of. So use our knowledge to help you get matched up with the right products for your needs.  

Dale Williams fish dish

What are the most important accessories to have for fryers? 

Quality baskets, skimmers, and high-quality filter paper. Also, built-in, one-touch filtration is an absolute must for me.   

What are the key factors to consider when choosing the right fryer for a kitchen? 

    • What volume are you expecting?  
    • What type of frying oil are you using? 
    • Are you hand breading/battering? 
    • Do you use bulk tank systems, or are you buying your own oil? 
    • What is the skill level of your staff currently, and are they able to utilize on-board filtration successfully? 

What are common frying mistakes that you see? 

Number one has to be overloading fryers. I hate to see a fry cook dropping baskets of fries filled to the top, two at a time, one after another, and continuously serving soggy, undercooked fries.   

Next up is overheating the fryer. I see people turning up the fryer to over-compensate for poor recovery time and consequently burning up the oil prematurely. 

And, of course, not skimming the fryers during shift and not filtering adequately.  

How would you recommend fixing those mistakes? 

Training and, I mean, for the leadership teams out there. There are so many resources available for our operators that they don’t utilize. If the person making the equipment decisions isn’t aware of how their choices impact all aspects of kitchen operations, then they’ve lost before they even get started.  

The people in operations have to understand what a fryer can and cannot do and how to make the features of the fryer work to their benefit. If the leadership in the restaurant doesn’t know how to use the fryer correctly, you can’t expect the guy on the line to either.  

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

    1. Buy the right fryer for the job.  
    2. Train your staff to fry properly, including breading & battering techniques, skimming, and filtering.   
    3. FILTER YOUR OIL!!!! 

How do you ensure the safety and efficiency of your frying station during peak hours? 

Make sure your staff are trained properly. Have a designated breading area on the same side of the line as your fryers, and make sure that all proteins are correctly stored. Use one-touch filtration. If you don’t have to open the door to the fryer, things become easier and safer.  

What innovative frying techniques or trends have you noticed in the industry recently? 

I feel like I am seeing a ton of Karaage frying. I love using cornstarch instead of flour myself since you’ve taken gluten out of the fryer. It brings some great texture. 

I recently did a Karrage whole snapper for a customer, and it came out AMAZING!! 

What is the best fried food you’ve ever had?  

Look, I grew up country, and we fried everything, so it’s always gonna be tough for me to pick one, but here goes . . .  

I lived in the UK for about 10 years, and if you know anything at all about the English, they LOVE to fry stuff, especially fish!! I had the opportunity to open a restaurant for one of my previous employers in a town called Scarborough. We opened this place right on the North Sea harbor wall. So in the mornings, we would be right next to the cod boats coming back in. 

One day I noticed that the first fish trays off the boat went directly across the road to a little fish & chips shop called Winking Willy’s. Of course, as soon as they opened for the day, I was waiting outside the door. Absolutely the best cod & chips I have EVER had, and quite possibly the best fried food I have ever eaten! 

Thanks for chatting with us Dale! 

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Topics: Fryers, Oil