Originally the technology was designed and intended to improve the oil life efficiency in the engines of motor vehicles and other mechanical engines, this technology in those pioneering days did not perform as expected, only producing an average efficiency of 5%. While our research and development team knew on paper that from a scientific and molecular viewpoint, the efficiency should be higher, they were frustrated at the early results and almost gave up until one scientist suggested testing all types of oil, including edible oil.
When the technology was used with edible oil, the results were astonishing. The OiLChef technology greatly slowed down the oxidization process in the oil before, during and after oil was heated and used for deep frying food.
This was an important discovery because OiLChef slowed down the rate of oxidation in cold oil which has a significant impact for cold oil storage. It also stopped the polymerization process happening in oil, (a process whereby oil molecules clump together in deep frying oil as a result of oxidation, heat, moisture and other reactions and combinations). This is very significant because by OiLChef acting at a molecular level, it keeps the oil molecules from bonding together and you end up with the oil remaining in a thinner / finer form for a longer time which has at least 6 major positive impacts for the user:
Fried food absorbs the oil/fat/grease that it is being cooked in and different foods have different oil pick up rates. Using OiLChef in the cooking medium significantly reduces the level of pick up by at least 3% and in some case by up to 64% without negatively affecting the food flavor profile.
Food fried in the oil that is being conditioned by the OiLChef technology is crispier as a result of several different factors such as higher heat penetration onto the surface of the food which creates a crispier and more robust surface crust on the food thus reducing the ability of the food to soak up or absorb oil, combined with the reduced exposure to the oil by shorter frying times. This increase in the crispy texture of the food,– increases the hot hold times/shelf life of the food, which is great for food deliveries.
As frying oil starts to break down and begins to darken and change color, fried food tends to start to mirror the color of the oil and as the oil gets darker – so too does the food you are cooking. With OiLChef in the fryer, as the oil becomes darker, the food retains the fresh, clean color profile you achieve in the first few frying cycles and this is the INDUSTRY GAME-CHANGER. Clients can now focus on food quality – rather than oil quality – as it is the food, they are selling that the customers will be judging them on. We all know you cannot produce great looking and tasting high quality food from bad oil. And new oil management protocols can be put in place when new clients adopt the OiLChef program.
Deep fried food maintains its crispy texture for longer periods when OiLChef is in the Oil. This can vary but for French fries this increased hold time can be increased by as much as an additional 25 minutes to chicken increasing its increased texture by as much as an additional 90 minutes. During the frying process, the forcible catalytic effect of the OiLChef technology absorbs molecular oxygen, which is normally generated on the food surface, this reduction in oxygen content on the surface of the food yields an increase in food hold time.