Posted on 08/26/2021 7:49:03 PM PDT by be-baw
New version of brand's No. 1 sales product is being rolled out now in the U.S. and Canada and will be in system fully by September.
The Wendy’s Co. has reformulated its French fries, a project last undertaken in 2010, and the new products are rolling out to some markets now and are expected to be completed in September, the company’s culinary team said Thursday.
Culinary leaders from the Dublin, Ohio-based burger chain said the process of reformulating the skin-on fries was a months-long journey.
The new French fry was designed to retain heat and crispness for between 15 and 30 minutes to accommodate the brand’s growth in drive-thru, carry-out and other off-premises sales channels, said John Li, Wendy’s vice president of culinary innovation.
“They are cut above, literally,” said Emily Kessler, Wendy’s senior specialist for culinary and innovation, in a Zoom press conference Thursday. “And that's because these not-exactly-square French fries are by design.
“One side is built with a thicker side, and it's built for heat retention, while the other side is thinner and that’s really to enhance crispiness because we know our customers want hot and crispy fries every time,” Kessler said.
The company last overhauled its fries in November 2010 when it moved to skin-on potatoes.
Li said the new French fry formula has performed well in consumer research.
“Emily and the whole cross-functional team have spent months and months and months on perfecting the best hot, crispy French fry,” Li said, “and we finally have it. … We put some really hard effort into this with a lot of blood, sweat and tears but to actually end up with a fry that is nearly two-to-one preference versus our primary competitor McDonald's, it's pretty exciting.”
The new French fry formula fits into Wendy’s “Fast Food Done Right” motto, Li said.
Li, who admitted to enjoying a squiggle of ketchup on each of his fries, said, “Soggy fries don't make for a very good eating experience when you try to do that.”
Besides specifying the unsquared cut, Wendy’s adds “a whisper” of coating to enhance the crispiness, Kessler said. While the fries are gluten free, they are cooked in the same hot oil as the chicken, which is battered and does contain traces of gluten.
The hold time of 15 to 30 minutes for the fries also helps address the off-premises challenge of moisture getting into the potatoes.
“We know COVID changed the game when it comes to how our customers are getting their food,” Kessler said. “That accelerated the need to develop to make sure our fries are withstanding that delivery experience.”
Fries are not only the best-selling item on the Wendy’s menu, Li said, but they are the first product sampled by customers from the bag when they leave the drive-thru. “Our opportunity was to make sure that we were delivering our promise,” he said.
Wendy's Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger.jpgWendy’s culinary team also said that next week it will add a Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger to the higher-end “Made to Crave” menu, at a suggested price of $5.59 at participating restaurants.
The new cheeseburger boasts features a beef patty topped with Wendy's signature Applewood smoked bacon, custom bacon sauce, crispy onions, American cheese and a creamy cheddar cheese spread in a new cheddar bun that is toasted.
For the second quarter ended July 4, Wendy’s net income rose to $65.7 million, or 29 cents a share, from $24.9 million, or 11 cents a share, in the same period last year. Revenues rose to $493.3 million from $402.3 million in last year’s quarter.
Same-store sales were up 16.1% in the United States, up 31.4% internationally and up 17.4% systemwide.
Wendy's, founded in 1969, has more than 6,800 restaurants worldwide.
:: Wendy’s adds “a whisper” of coating to enhance the crispiness ::
Well, that turned into a big NOPE!.
The “coating” (glycerine) is why I despise BK’s fries.
French fries that retain their heat for 30 minutes. What is the secret ingredient? Napalm?
“Hi, I would like a Dave’s double and a large order of phosphorous fries, please.”
Steak fries are the best.
I miss KFC potato wedges since they quit making them. Not steak fries per se, but I still miss them. The secret recipe fries don’t hold a candle to the old potato wedges.
Wendy’s adds “a whisper” of coating to enhance the crispiness,
It tastes OK right at the very beginning, but when the fries have cooled even slightly they have a sort of unflavored imitation Pringles flavor.
Is tallow the same as suet?
I used to be able to buy suet for pennies, to make bird cakes. This was back when supermarkets still did butchering in-house. Now, you have to go to a specialty butcher for it.
(I know the Brits have some processed and packaged types. It’s used commonly in Christmas Plum Puddings.)
Good question...tallow can come from suet or other beef fat after rendering & clarification...the birds don’t need the extra steps! ;-) Suet fat is just different from other beef fat in “location”...comes from near the beef kidneys. See:
https://discover.grasslandbeef.com/blog/what-is-suet/
“ARE SUET AND TALLOW THE SAME THING?
No, but tallow can be made from suet.
Some people say tallow is exclusively made from suet, while others consider it a general term for rendered fat. Rendering just means melting and clarifying fat, so you’ll need to be specific depending on what you’re looking for.
Suet is made into tallow by filtering it, cooling it, and simmering it. Tallow is used in all sorts of applications like frying, candles, and even soaps. The main difference between suet and tallow is its long shelf life. Tallow can last around a month without refrigeration and for years if properly stored.
At US Wellness Meats, we use the same methods as pioneers in the 1800’s. Our tallow is brought to a simmer for approximately 8-10 hours to evaporate the water from our raw suet in order to produce the tallow. We simmer the suet at approximately 180-200 degrees F, and the result is amazing.”
Good question...tallow can come from suet or other beef fat after rendering & clarification...the birds don’t need the extra steps! ;-) Suet fat is just different from other beef fat in “location”...comes from near the beef kidneys. See:
https://discover.grasslandbeef.com/blog/what-is-suet/
“ARE SUET AND TALLOW THE SAME THING?
No, but tallow can be made from suet.
Some people say tallow is exclusively made from suet, while others consider it a general term for rendered fat. Rendering just means melting and clarifying fat, so you’ll need to be specific depending on what you’re looking for.
Suet is made into tallow by filtering it, cooling it, and simmering it. Tallow is used in all sorts of applications like frying, candles, and even soaps. The main difference between suet and tallow is its long shelf life. Tallow can last around a month without refrigeration and for years if properly stored.
At US Wellness Meats, we use the same methods as pioneers in the 1800’s. Our tallow is brought to a simmer for approximately 8-10 hours to evaporate the water from our raw suet in order to produce the tallow. We simmer the suet at approximately 180-200 degrees F, and the result is amazing.”
Thanks for the information.
I had to render the suet to make the cakes for birds; otherwise, it wouldn’t solidify adequately.
I just wish the fish sandwich was still as good as it used to be. I guess they’re very busy:
https://www.mashed.com/148375/the-truth-about-how-many-burgers-mcdonalds-has-sold/
Test tube french fries? How about using real potatoes cooked in Crisco or whatever.
I used to be able to get these wonderful potato things at an eatery at the big old Laurel Mall on Rte. 1 in Maryland.
They were big wedge things, flavored with dill, celery, and other stuff.
I remember sitting in the car and eating them the first time I heard Rush Limbaugh on the radio. (Great memory conflation.)
I think they were called ‘Western Fries’. The eatery - and even the mall itself - are gone, now, and I’ve never been able to find anything like those fries since.
If they ring a bell with anyone who has a recipe, I’d dearly like to know.
When I was a kid, I used to make popcorn with Crisco. In my early 20’s I used it to make fried chicken. I may still have some in the cupboard but if I do I’m sure it’s well past the use by date.
I believe shortening is hydrogenated. It’s healthier to use animal fat like pork lard. I have a lot of peanut oil in the basement and I intend to use that the next time I fry something. I want to make fish and chips. Fries are easy, but I’ve never deep fried fish. Maybe I’ll pan fry it instead. I’m not a fan of heavily battered food. Maybe I’ll get some lard. I didn’t even think about it until I started to reply to your post.
https://www.mashed.com/224919/this-is-how-crisco-is-really-made/
(But coconut oil is available in NON-hydrogenated form. Even when it smells like coconut, I haven’t found it to impart coconut flavor to food.)
If an oil is high in trans fats it might be harmful.
A small amount, I believe, is not a problem.
Hydrogenating an oil turns some of the polyunsaturated fats into trans fats.
If an oil contains a small amount of polyunsaturated fats, hydrogenating it cannot create a big amount of trans fats.
Coconut oil is usually 2% polyunsaturated fat, so hydrogenated coconut oil cannot be high in trans fats. I believe you can eat all the hydrogenated coconut oil you want and it will not cause an excess of trans fats.
There is refined coconut oil that is not hydrogenated and does not contan flavors and aromas.
Thanks. We buy the non-hydrogenated stuff.
But mostly we cook with olive oil, butter, or bacon grease.
(I”ve been wanting to spring for some duck fat, which is supposed to be great for things like French fries.)
Yes, that’s what we buy.
Thanks for the info. I’ve never bought coconut oil but I believe movie theaters used to use it to make popcorn. Then the do-gooder nutrition gestapo went after them, essentially forcing them to change to vegetable oil. I remember Rush’s rants about it. I’ll have to try it. I see it’s considerably more expensive than lard, but I just shop for me these days and food has not been that big of a portion of my total budget (it’s getting larger though. Food price inflation lately has been outrageous).
I noticed the inflation in our grocery tab today. We spent a good $35 more than we normally would on a weekly big shopping. (I did buy one household thing that was expensive and unusual, but even with that, our cart contained much less than would have been usual a few months ago.)
Back when I worked at Mickey D’s (paper hat and barber shirt days, just after the Quarter Pounder came out) fries were the only thing I was hungry for after an 8 hour shift. Beef tallow and enough salt to preserve a buffalo hide.
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