CA2102725A1

CA2102725A1 - Vegetable oils having fried and savory flavors and method of use

Info

Publication number: CA2102725A1
Application number: CA002102725A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Allan D. Samson; William E. Bangs; David M. Poust; Frederick J. Haas, Jr.
Original assignee: Campbell Soup Co
Current assignee: Campbell Soup Co
Priority date: 1993-11-09
Filing date: 1993-11-09
Publication date: 1995-05-10
Also published as: GB2283656A; GB9323231D0

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A method for imparting savory and fried food flavor characteristics to non-fried foods comprising frying foods in vegetable oils and utilizing the used frying oils for additives in coated and breaded foodstuffs where it is desirable to have fried and savory flavors without the messiness and less healthy aspects of deep-frying.

Description

r`` I 2~ ~272~) VEGETABLE OILS HAVING FRIED AND SAVORY FLAVORS
~ND
METHODS OF USE

FIELD OF INVEN~ION
Thi~ invention pertain~ ~o flavored vegetable oils and~

in particular, to flavored vegetable oils useful ~or imparting fri~d and savory flavor characteri~tics to foodstuffs having a breaded coating. The present invention i~ particularly useful in the preparation o~ foods where it i8 desirable to have ~ried food ~lavors while avoiding the messines and le~s healthy aspect~ of deep ~at ~rying, and is especially use~ul for imparting savory ~lavor~ to a breading coated product on to which the ~lavored oils ar~ applied. The present invention al~o pertains to methods relating to the production and the use of thesa ~lavored oils.

B~C~ÇROUND OF THE_I~Y~EN~ION

In the past, much attention has been devoted to improving the ~lavor o~ ~oodsturfs and particularly the rlavors ~ .
o~ meat and ~h products. Flavor enhancers and/or additive~
use~ul ~or providing meat and meat-like ~lavors and ~ish and ~`
Pish-like ~lavors, have beQn ~ormed ~rom a variety o~ material~
including; amino acids, ribonuclaotides, hydrolyzed vegetable protein~; ~rom the enzymatic, chemical and mechanical dige~t~ o~
maa~ and meat by-products and ~i3h and ~ish by pro~uct~ and; by the axtra~tlon o~ naturally occurring volatile meat ~lavor~ ~rom .., ~ ~'~` ~ ~ !,; ' ~ ' ' ' ~ ' ' '` ` ' ' ~ . . .

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animal fats under an inert gas stream. These flavorants and the methods relating to their production have numerous disadvantages.
Some of these disadvantages relate to the limited degre~ to which th~se flavorants actually provide the desired ~lavor, while other :
disadvantages concern the di~iculty in the preparation o~ the starting materials and, ultimately, the flavorants themselves.

For example, U. S. Patent~ 3,394,07~ and 3,519,437 to Giacino, pertain to synthetic meat-like ~lavorants obtained from the oxidation reaction products o~ polypeptides and/or amino acid mixtures and acids in the presence o~ sulphur containing compounds. The reactions occur at elevated temperature~. The mea~-like ~lavoring compositions o~ the Giacino patents may ba p~epared in water, or in ~at, and are particularly useful ~or providing meat-like ~lavor note~ in gravies, 80Up~, sauces, dres~ings, salad~, a~pics and purees where meat is used, or where it i~ desirabls to provide a meat-like ~lavor without actually using meats. simllarly, U. S. Patent 3,660,11~ to Tho~as provide~
a msthod ~or preparing a synthetic chicken-~lavorecl 60mposition containing amino acids, sugars, vegetable protein hydrolysates, mono~odium glutamate, edible fat and ribonucleotida~. The ~owl ~lavored compo~itions Or ~homas are par~icularly u~e~ul for Plavoring gravie~ and in bullion~.

U. ~. Patent 3,773,5~3 to Chhuy et al. tQache~ a proce~s ~or preparing co~positions use~ul Por imparting seaPood~-, ~,,,,': ;,. ~,: ',, ~:" ~' ,.,' ' .~ " ."" :~

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like flavors to foodstu~s. ~hese compositions are fo~med from aslurry compo~ed o~ digests o~ seafood, seafood extract, or seashell extracts, sulphur containing compounds~ such as cysteine; th~azole alkanols, thiamine and amino acids and/or polypeptides. The 61urry additiveR ~o~m flavorants as the components undergo reaction in the presence of applied heat.

U. S. Patent 3,989,847 to Kurihara et al. discloses a procQs~ ~or th~ preparation o~ ~easonings deriv~d from animal and ~i~h meats and bone~. The process comprises grinding raw edible animal or ~ish portions and/or remnants composed mainly o~ bones with meat remaining thereon, to form a mud-like slurry, acidi~ying and heating the slurry, neutralizing the acidified ~lurry with an alkaline solution, ~eparating the insoluble and otherwi~e undi~solved matter ~rom the 801ution, and sub~equently ~iltering and re~ining the re3ultant ~xtract to obtain a naturally ~lavored liquid and/or powdered product which is use~ul as an ~lavorant ~or imparting a ~earood-like ~lavor in ~oodstu~
. ...
Finally, U. S. Patent ~,865,868 to Kuss teachas a method ~or extracting natural mea~ Plavor~ ~rom meat ~ats by heating the rats and volatilizing the natural meat ~lavors under an inert ga~ Plavorant strQa~. ~he inert gas ~lavorant ~trQam i~
conducted through a vegetable oil ~atty ester ~hortening compo~itlon which rotains an intense natural meat ~lavor. ~he ~ 2~2~2~

resultant product may be sprayed or misted onto prebaked products where it i~ desirable to impart natural meat flavorsO

While the aforementioned products and processes provide limited degrees o~ ~avory flavor characteristics (i.e., meat-like or ~ish-like), they d~ not provide any flavor characteristics which would impart "~ried'l notes to the products with which they are intended to be u~ed.

Traditionally, in order to provide desired fried-like ~lavors and textures in bread flavored food~tu~f~, the coated ~oodstu~fs are deep-fried in animal ~ats or vegetable oilB or combination~ o~ the~e ~ats and oil~. It ha~ been recognized that certain di~advantages resulk in cooking ~oods in ~his manner. In particular, in deep-~at ~rying, th~ ~at or oil in which the rood is ~ried remainis at lea~t partially on the ~ood and may become incorporated in the ~ood. ~he result can be a "grea~y" ~eel or taste to the food which i~i not desirable. Furthermore, the ~ats and oils in which ~uch products are ~ried have limi.ted fry live~i and they may piak up o~f flavors or become oxidized or rancid and must, thererore, be periodically ahangad or elabora~ely processed ~or reuse. Where it is not possible or it i~ impractical to treat t~e oils ~or reuse, the oil~ ar~ typically di~carded. One ~uch method relating to the treatment o~ used ~ryer oll~ i3 di~cloo-d ln U. 9. Patent 4,789,554 to 5cavone et ~1.

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While consumers often prefer the taste of fried foods, the actual frying process is often messy due to ~he spat~ering of the oils in which ~ood~ are fried, and may, there~ore, be considered inconvenient. In commercially prepared fried Pood products whlch are intended to be reheated by the consumer, the messiness of preparing ~uch products may be avoided by the consumer; however, the products are still fried and typically include substantial amounts o~ added ~at in the ~orm of oil~
which remain on the ~ried coating. Ths oil which remains adds ~igni$icant calories to the bread coated fried product. There have been attempts to provide desired fried-like flavor~ in non-~ried products which have met varying degrees of ~uccess. These products and proces~es may involve the addition of high fat coatings or considerable amoun~ o~ ~hortening and other ~ats which are incorporated in~o a batter mixture an~ which when cooked essentially "~ries" the breaded coating i~ . The~e proce~se~ and ths products have obviou~ di~advantage~ in that the total amount o~ fat present even after avoidlng the ~rying ~tep i~ only slightly le99 than i~ the product~ were act.ually deep-~at ~ried. Examples o~ ~uch high ~at coating~ are disalosed in U.S.
Patents 4,755,392 and 4,675,197 to Banner et al.

Further still, there are certain health co~siderations due to the pre~ence o~ such added fat~ and oils in term~ o~
dietary ~onsideration~ as well a~ phy~iolagical con~equence~ o~
~a~ and oils being part o~ the ~ood intake. In recognition o~

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changing dietary preferences, recent attempts have been mad~ to produce improved, lower fat foodstuf~s which have the appearance, texture and t~ste o~ fried ~ood~, but which have not been fried.
Typically, these ~oodstuffs are intended to be reheated in microwave or conventional ovens. These processes and the products they produce have limitations in that, while they may be more conveniently prepared than ~ried ~oods, they provide only a limited ~ried-like texture and, more ~ignificantly, they do not provide the ~ried ~lavors typically associated with deep-~at ~rying, nor do they provide any o~ the savory ~lavor elements such cooking imparts~

For examplQ, U. S. Patent 4,943,438 to Rosenthal teaches the use oP edible oil~ which may ~e ~prayed or atomized onto the sur~ace o~ a baked Pood product. The baked ~ood produc~
is expo~ed to high temperature heating ~or purpo~es o~ browning and cri~ping the bread crumb coating. The addition o~ the edible oil i8 rOr improving the ultimate mouth feel o~ th~ bread crumb coating by improving it~ textura. Although it include~ les~ ~at than a deep ~ried product, even Rosenthal involve~ the addition o~ considerable amounte o~ ~ats in the bread crumb batker which ~o~m~ part o~ the bread cru~b coating. Other examples o~ attemp~s to produce ~ried like coatings are disclosed in the ~ollowing patent~: U. S. Patent ~,4gS,601 to Ri~poli et al.; U. S~ Pakent 4~18,485 to Lee et al.; U. S. Patent 4,208,442 to Evan~ et al.;
U~ g. Patent 4,199,603 to Sortwell; U. S. Patent 3,586,512 to ., ,`: ' ' ' ' ' i': ,', i; , .':. ', , , 21 ~,72~
Mancuzzo; and U. S. Patent 4,330,566 to Meyer et al. Thes~
coatings and processes have varying degrees of su~cess in producing a product which suggests the textural or mouth feel characteristics of a ~ried ~ood. Significantly, many of these coatings provide only the "oilyl' ~eel in the mouth which i8 associated with fried foods but none provide the natural siavory and ~ried ~lavor characteristics which complement the oily Peel to give acceptable ~ried-like ~lavor impressions. Moreover, the limited ~ried-like impre~sions provided by thecie coatings are organoleptically in~erior to the genuine ~ried ~lavors achieved by deep-~rying.

From the ~aregoing, it can be seen that it would be de~irable to provide ~oods~u~s which have ~ried and savory ~lavor characteristics and which have the taste, texture and appearance o~ a ~risd ~ood, but which have not been ~ried.
Furthermore, it would also be desirable to provide foodstu~fs which have the taste, texture and appearance o~ a ~ried ~ood which are low in total added ~at~ and which may al~o be prepared without u~ing synthetic or elaboratQly processed flavorants.
Finally, it can be seen that it would be de~irable to provide non-~ried ~oodstu~s whiah are organoleptically equal or superior to ~ried ~ood~.

~ t i~ an object o~ th~ prGsent invention to provide a naturally ~lavored vegatable oil having both ~ried and savory "~ " ' ~ " ~
, '. ~

2~ ~2~2~
flavored characteristics which is useful to be sprayed on to or otherwise be incorporated into the breaded coating of non-fried foods for the purpose of providing fried and savory flaYor characteristics.

It is also an object o~ the present invention to provide a naturally ~lavored vegetable oil having both fried and savory ~lavor characteristics which may be sprayed onto or otherwise be incorporated into bread CrUmb8 which may be used in the bread csating o~ a non-~ried ~ood.

It is another object of thi~ invention to provide a naturally ~lavored vegetable oil us8~ul for ~oodstur~s in which ~ried meat or ~xied ~ish ~lavor attributes would be desirable and which does not involve thQ use o~ synthetic flavorants, It is a further object o~ this invention to provide a naturally ~lavored vegetable oil use~ul in ~lavoring ~oodstu~P~
where it is desirable to mini~ize added ~at3.

Yet another object of the present invention i8 to provlde a method o~ utilizing vegetable based ~ryer oil~ ~rom cther $ood production processes which would havc to be elaborately processed ~or reuse or otherwise discarded.

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SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention is concerned with ~lavored vegetable based oils for imparting fried and savory ~lavor characteristic~ to ~oodstuffs which have the ta~te, texture and appearance of a fried food but which have not, in fact, been ~ried. The ~lavored oils o~ the pre~ent invention are naturally ~lavored in that they are obtaine~ ~rom deap ~at ~rying proces~es ~or the ~rying o~ chicken or the ~rying o~ ~ish. The ~rying proce3se~ ~rom which these oils are obtained may be continuous ~ry or batch fry proaesses. For products in which fried chicken ~lavor~ are desirabl~, fryer oils from chicken ~rying processes are pre~erred. Similarly, ~or product~ in which ~ried fish ~lavor~ are desirable, ~ryer oilg ~rom ~ish ~rying proce~8es are pro~erred, although, in certain inBtanae~ chicken ~ryer oils may also be utilized in part.

In commercial and indu~trial fry cooking proces~es~ the oil in which rried ~ood~tu~fs are cooked may acquire many ~lavor components ~ro~ the ~rying o~ thes~ food~. Wh~le some oP ~hese components are desirable in that they enhance the ~aste o~ the ~ood~ which are ~ried, others are unde~irable becaus2 they impart orr-ta~te~. For example, after numerou~ fryings, the oil~ in whic~ ~oods are ~ried have a tendency to undergo darkening, oxidation, polymerization, and hydrolysis and aPter a relatlvely short period o~ time (e.g. 12 to 24 hours in A continuous fry 2 ~

process), the oil breaks down and becomes unpalatable. Although in certain instances the used fryer oil may bs cleaned and reused, the processes i~volved are often too elaborate to be economically justifiable and, thus, the oils are typically disGarded.

The vegeta~le based ~ryer oils u~eful in the present invention are obtained ~rom industrial or commercial ~rying processes be~ore the oils become overly oxidized or otherwise unpalatable. Preferably, the acidity of the oils remain~ below 1.6 and ~s pre~erable in the range o~ .6 to .8. Pre~erably still, these oils are partially ~ined or filtered a~ they are u3ed in the ~ryer and be~ore they are used as disclosed in the present invention.

The present invention i~i also concerned with imparting a crisp, browned, ~ried and ~iavory ~lavored sur~ace to bread-coated ~oodstu~fs which are predusted, battered, breaded and which may be ~urther processed and, ultimately, cooked or reheated ~or consumption by the consumer.

LO_ FIG. 1 is bar chart comparing the ~at level~i o~
b~ttered and deep-rried ~i~h ~illets with breaded ~ish rillet~
uaing th~ rlavored oils o~ the present invQntion.

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FIG. 2 is a graph showing the percent reduction of fats pex serving of breaded fish fillets using the ~lavored o~ls o~
the present invention.
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FIG. 3 i~ a graph showing the percant redu~tion of ~ats per serving of breaded fish stick~ prepared from a frozen proce~sed fish block using the ~lavored oils of ~h~ present invention~

~ET~ D_DISCLOSU~E OF THE INVEN~ION

Industrial processes for deep-f~ying foods are well known. Typically, a ~ood i8 port~oned, predu~ted, battered and . .
déep ~ried in an edible oil until the ~ood is suf~iciently cooked ~or con~umption. As the ~ood ~ecomas cooked, the outer sur~ace typically becom~s browned or caramelized which provi~es certain de~irable textures an~ ~lavor~ to the ~ried food. The pre~ent invention discloses ~lavored vegetable oils derived ~rom deep ~rying proce~ses ~or ~ish and meats which deliver ~`ried and savory ~lavor characteristic~ to non~ried foods on which the oils are applied.

The generation o~ savory and ~ried ~lavors in vegetable based ~rying oils during the frying process i~ believed to occur due to a combination o~ factors. The~e ~actors include, in part:
1) the leaching o~ ~ats, ~atty acid~, esters and other ~lavor ., , 2 ~ 2 ~

constituents from the substrate intD oil during frying; 2) the Maillard Reaction of the batter components as the ~rying pr~cess occurs and 3) the caramelization of suspended solids such as batter, bread crumbs and particles o~ ~he foods~uf~ being fried.
The oils which are u~eful for providing ~lavor characteristic~ in the process of the present invention typically have the following profile: they have signi~icantly higher acidity levels than fresh oil~ which have not been used ~or ~rying; they po~se~ a light golden to dark brown color, depending on the temperature of the ~ryer and the rate o~ oil removal; they have a suspended 301id content o~ 2~ to 6% dependi~g on the coating sy tem and the e~ectiveness o~ the filtration system; an~ they pos~ess recognlzable savory component~ characterized by the product that wa~ ~riQd in it. Advantageously, the ~lavored oil~ of the present invention have only minute amounts of saturated Xats when compar~d to animal ~at based frying oils and furthermore have no deleterious cholesterols or other unhealthy congeners which such animal ~at based frying oils pos~ess.

A~ used herein, the term ~Isavory ~lavor'l refer~ to the pleasant and recognizable naturally derived flavor notes t~pically as~ociated with the taste and aroma of a particular food as a re~ult of cooking (i.e. chicken ~1AVCr3 as30ciated with chicken, ~i~h ~lavors associated with ~i3h), The term "~ried ~lavor" a~ u~od her~in re~ers to those ~lavor notes typically lmparted by the ~rying o~ ~ood.

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The flavored oils o~ the present invention are incorporated into bread crumbs which form part of the coating of a ~on-fried food. Preferably, these are extruded bread crumbs which have been precooked and preferably still, toa~ted. The pre~erred bread crumbs have initial fat contents o~ le~s than 5%, pre~erably within the range of 2% to 3%, prior to the addition o~
any of the flavored oils. Preferably, the o~ls are mixed or sprayed directly onto the crumbs be~ore the crumbs are used in a coating although the oils may also be sprayed onto the ~inished product a~ter it is coated. Typically, the oil content of the crumb8 will range from 1 to 22% by weight o~ the cru~b, with the upper limit being determinQd by ~low or mechanical dif~iculties with proce~sing the crumb wh~ch occur when the oil content exaa~ds roughly 25% by weight o~ the ¢rumb. Pra~erably, the bread crumb ~orm~ ~5% or les~ o~ the total weight o~ the coated and breadad ~oodstu~

The pre~erred oil ~or use in the pre~ent invention i~
one which i8 relativQly bland or not strongly ~lavore.d and one which is able to withstand the temperatures typically utilized in ~rying ~oods. Suitable commercially available oil~ include vegetable ~ats and oil~ ~uch as soybean, corn, ~un~lower, canola, aotton seedl sa~lower, olive, na~turtium seed, tiger ~eed, ricebran and wallglower and, nut ~at oils ~uch as palm, palm kern~l, baba~u, or peanut, as well a~ mixture~ o~ the~e oils.
Other vegatable oil3 which are highly ~lavored, such as ~esame ~ "~

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I and coconut, may al~o bP used; however, it is preferred that æuch oils be ~tripped and deodorized as is known in the art" before they are use~ in the present invention.

FRIED FISH FLAVORED OILS

In a speci~ic embodiment o~ the present inven~ion, portions o~ ~ish werta removed ~rom a processed ~rozen fi~h block.
A~ter portioning, the ~ish portion~ were predu~ted and treated a~
i~ known in the art and were coated with a batter suitable for Xrying. Pre~erably, this batter i~ a wet or English-~tyle batter.
The battered ~ish portions were then immersed in ~rtash, unused vegt~tabl~ oil, consisting o~ a mixture atf soybean and cottonseed oils, which wa~ preheated to a ~rying t~mp~srature of approximately 3500 to 450F, pre~erably, between 3850 and 4lOF.
'rhe ~ish were ~ried in a continuous ~rytsr apparatue togethe,r with numerou~ other portions o~ ~ish which were similar.1y prepared, but batch Pryer apparatu~e~ may also be uæed. The oommercially available continuous ~ryer apparatus is pre~erable ~or ~rying ..
becau~e it periodically and automatically repleni~he~ the oil~
which are absorbed by the ~rying ~oods. The appar~tu~ al~o pre~erably includes a recycling ant~ ~iltration system for ~ining and removing large particulate matter ~rom the ~ryer oil. ~he battered ~ish portion~ were par-~ried ~or suh~2yuent reh~2ating and aompletlon o~ cooling; howaver, the rish may also be ~ully cooked1 ~ter the oil wa~ ln u~e in ~h~s continuou~ ~rying ...

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21~?J72~
process for approximately 4 to lo hours, or when th~ acidity of the oil was approximately betwee~ .6 and 1.2 t roughly 30% to 50% :~
of the sil was removed and maintained at a temperature of approximately 70 to 125F to yield a "flavored oil" for use in accordance with the teachings o~ the pre~ent inven~ion. An equivalent amount of fresh oil was then added to the continuous ~ryer apparatus to replace the oil that was removed and ~he proce3~ wa~ repeated.

As the oil~ are heaked and u~ed ~or ~rylng, the moisture ~rom the foods and batters accelerates oxidation and hydrolysis oP the oil which increases its acidity. When the acidity o~ the oil i~ greater than approximately 1.2, ~he oil davelops pronounced o~-taste~ and bitter notes which ma~k or otherwise detract ~rom ~the ~avored oil~' ~avory and ~ried ~lavor characteri~ics. Thererore, it i8 pre~erred t~at ~he acidity of the ~ryer oil be maintained below 1.2 a~d preferably still, in the range oP .6 to .8. ~urthermora, it i8 also pre~erred that the removed ~lavored oil~ have suspended solids ln the amount o~ 1%
to 10% by weight o~ the oil, and pre~erably still, in the range o~ ~ t~ 6%.
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The pre~erred ~orm o~ ~ish ~or the ~rying process i8 a ~rozen, processed ~ish block; however, other Porm~ o~ h may be :
u~ed in this a~ well as in other a~pects o~ the invention, partiaularly, on the non-rried ~ood~tuf~ on which the ~lavored 7 `2 5 oils are used. Suitable fish include fresh fish, previou ly ~rozen and thawed fish, shell fish, macerated fish and mac~rated shell fish, or combinations of these suitable fish. The pre~erred batter is a wet or English-style batter because such batters provide balanced and more satisfying savory and fried flavors and leave less particula~e matter in the Plavored oil than dry or bread arumb batter~ provide, although, dry or bread crumb batters may al~o bs used ~or fryingO

~XAMPLE 1 Twelve ~rozen fish ~illets weighing approximately 4 oz.
each wera cut ~rom a fish blocX con~i~ting of pressed and proae3sed ~ish meat co~si~ing o~ pollack and cod ~ish. The ~illets were deglazed by dipping in a cold water bath, patted dry and dusted with a predust mixture comprising hard and 80~t wheat ~lours, corn ~lour, dextrose, baking powder, spice~ and a food grade adhesive such as carboxymethylcellulose. ~ker predusting, the ~illets were dipped in a prepared batter made :erom the predust ~ormulation and approxi~ately 85% water, although, : ;
acceptable batter~ may also be prepared with water in the range Or 65~ to 92% depending on the texture e~ the batter desired. The ~::
battered ~illsts were then rolled in a bread crumb mixture con3i~ting o~ precooked, pre~erably, triplc toasted, extruded bread arumb~, spices and ~rash vegatable oil, which compri~e~
approximately 10~ by weight o~ the crumb, to yield a battered and ..

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breaded fillet. The fresh oil wa incorporated int9 the bread crumb by mixing and spraying the oil onto the bread crumb~ a~ is known in the art. Th~ ~illets were transferred to a freezer where they were maintained at or below 0F for approximately 14 daysO
The frozen coated ~illets were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 350 to 425F ~or 15 to 20 minutes~ The cooked fish fillet products were ~udged to have crispy exteriors and moist ~ooked interiors, but were generally considered somewhat oily, bland and les~
sati~fying than similar foods which were fried. Signi~icantly, these ~illets possessed no fried food ~lavors.

Forty-eight ~rozen ~ish ~illets weighing approximately 4 oz. each were cut ~rom a ~ish block consisting o~ pre~ed and proce~sed ~ish meat such as pollack or cod ~ish. The ~illets were deglazed by dipping in a cold water bath, patted dry and dusted with a predust mixture compri~ing hard and æo~t wh~3at flo~rs, corn flour, dextrose, baking powder, spices and a ~ood gra~e . ;;
adhe~ive such as ~arboxymethylcellulose. ~rter pre~usting, the ~illets were dipped in a prepared batter made ~rom tbe predust ~ormulation ~nd approximately 85% water. The ba~tered ~illets were then rolled in a bread crumb mixture consisting oP
precooked, pre~arably, triple toasted, extruded bread cr~b~, ~piaes and varying amounts o~ ~lavored oil obtained Prom the 2~ 7?.~
deep-frying o~ fish, to yield a battered and breaded ~illet. The ~lavored oil had an acidity oE approximately .7 and a suspended solid content of approximately 5% by w~ight of the oil. The flavored oil was incorporated in the bread crum~ by mixing or ~praying the ~lavored oil~ onto th~ crumbs in a range of approximately 5 to 20% by weight o~ the crumb.

In this Example, twelve ~illets received bread crumb coating~ having an oil content o~ approximately 5~, twelve ~illets received bread crumb coating3 having an oil content of approximately 10%, twelve ~illet~ received bread crumb coating~
having a oil content oP approximately 15% and twelve ~illets received bread crumb coatings having an oil content o~
approximately 20%. The glv~n percantage~ are all by weight of the crumb. The ~illets were transParred to a ~reezar where they were maintained at or below 0F ~or approximately 14 days. The frozen coat~d ~lllets were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 350 to 425F for approximately 15 to 20 ~inutes. ~he cooked fish ~illet produc~
were ~udged to have a crispy exterior and moist cooked interior and wera qenerally considered ~uperior to the Pillet~ oP
Exa~pla 1 and, in general, equally ~ati~ying a~ similar Poods whlch were ~ried. Siqni~icantly, the cooked Pillet~ possQs~ed genuine savory and ~ied ~ood ~lavors.

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In particular, in order of pre~erence, the fillets receiYing ~lavored oil in the range ~xom 10% to 15~ were ~udged to have mild fried flavors and were slightly buttery with definite savory fish flavors. The fillets having flavored oil contents of approximately 10% were con~idered to have slightly le~s pronounced fried and savory flavors than those having approximately 15~ flavored oil. The fille~s having a bread crumb with an oil content o~ approximately 5% also exhibited fried and ~avory ~lavors, but the ~lavor impact was less than the ~illet~
which incorporated higher amounts of the flavored oil.
Signi~icantly, the ~illets which had a bread crumb with an oil content o~ approximately 20~, did not have noticeably better ~ried or savory ~lavQrs ~han thosa in the 10% ~o 15% oil content range. Instead, those ~illet~ had a greater oily mouth Peel and texturQ, and exhibited no appreciable increase in ~ried or sa~ory ~:
charackeri~tics. 'i ' ' ~.
Twelve ~ro~en ~ish ~illets of approximately 4 oz. each were prepared essentially as ~et ~orth in Example 2. Th~
battered ~illet~ wer3 rolled in a bread crumb mixture consisting o~ precooked, pre~erably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, ~plces and ~ ~lavored oil obtained ~rom the deep-~rying o~ ~ish, to yield a battered and breaded ~illet. ~he ~lavored oil had an acidity o~ approximat~ly 1.2 and a suspended solid ~ontent of 19 :

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approximately 5% by weight of the oil. The ~lavored oil was incorporated in the bread crumb by mixing or spraying the ~lavored oils onto the crumbs in a range o~ approximately 10% by weight of the crumb. The fillets were trans~erred to a freezer where they were maintained at or below 0F for ~pproximately 14 day~. The ~rozen coated fillets were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 350 to 425F Por approximately 15 to 20 minute~. The cooked fish ~illet products were judged to have a cri~py ~xterior and mo.is~
cooked interior but Were generally considered inferior to similar food8 wh~ah were ~ried and were al~o con~idered inferior to the ~illets produced in Examples 1 and 2. In particular, the fillets exhibited slightly rancid, somewhat astringent and bit~er ~ried and ~avory ~lavor~ which detracted ~rom the overall ta~te o~ the cooked ~illets.

~RIED CHICKEN F~AVORED OIL

In another specific embodiment of the pre~ent invention, whole ~resh or ~rozen, thawed chicken wa~ cut-up, leaving the bon~-in and the skin-on. A~ter cutting, the chicketn portions were ~njected with a ~olution containing pho~phate~, ~alt~ and spice8, predu~ted with a Plour based predus~, ~n~ then batter coated. The batter coated chicken portlon~ were then coated with a braad crumb mixture, although, a second du8ting may al~o b~ applled. ~he batter coated chicken portions were then ~"~,,',:,'~,~' ~` ~'''"'`'.''~'.''"''';" '"'':''`
; ,~ ., ; " ; ,,.,,~

.

2~ a~72~
immersed in fresh, unused vegetable oil, comprising a mixture of soybean and cottonseed oils, which was preheated to a ~rying temperature of approximately 300O to 42soF~ preferably, between 350O and 390F. The batter coated chicken portions wer~ fried in a continuous fryer apparatus together with numerous other portion7~i o~ chicken which have been similarly prepared, although, as ln the ca~e of ~rying fish, a batch ~yer may also be us~d.
The commercially available continuous fryer apparatus is again pre~erred because it periodically automatically replenishes the oils which have been absorbed by the ~rying foods. The appara~us al50 pre~erably includes a recycling and ~iltration syste~ for ; .
~ining and removing particulate matter from the oil. The chicken portions were par-~ried, typically for 3 ~o ~ minutes, removed .
and werQ either ~rozen and subsequently reheated, or wer~
dire~tly trans~erred to a preheated oven to complete7 cooking.
A~te7r cooking, the chick?en portions were cooled, ~rozen and packed.

A~ in the process ~or generating ~avory and Eried ~ish ~lavors, whan the acidity o~ the oil was between .6 and .8, or a~ter the oil has ~een in use in the continuou~ ~ryin~ proce~s ~or approximately 4 to 10 hours, betwe7en 30% to 50% o~ the oil wa~ ramoved and maintained at a temperature o~ approximately ~J0 to 125F to yiel~ a "~lavored oil" ~or use in accordanca with ~he teaching~ o~ ~he pre~ent invention. An equivalent amount o~ rra~h ;..4~ ~7~ h~ ?7?~

2~2~2~
oil was then added to the continuous ~ryer apparatus to replace the oil that was removed and the process was rep2ated.

As is set forth in the method for ~ried fish ~lavored oils, it is essential that the acidity of the fryer oils, and therePore, the ~lavored oils removed for flavor enhancement be ~aintained below 1.2. Preferably still, the acidity should be approximately .6 to .8. The suspended solids should al~o be :~
approximately 1% to 10% by weight o~ the ~lavored oil, pr~erably, 2% to 6~.

The preferred ~orm of chicken ~or the frying proce~s is ~resh or ~rozen, cut-up, unboned, unskinned chicken portion~;
howaver, other Porm~ o~ chicken (i.e. boned, ekinned, macerated) a~ well a3 other ~owl, and other meats, may be u~ed in this a8 well ae other aspects o~ the invQntion, particularly, in ~he non-~ried ~oodstu~ on which the ~lavored oils are used. Suitable meats ~or treating in accordance with the pre~ent invention include turkQy, turkey parts, and macerated or ground turkey;
duck, duck parts and macerated or ground duck; bee~, beeP chunks, ground bee~; por~, pork chunk~, ground pork; lamb, lamb chunk~
and ground lamb, and oo~binatio~s thereo~. The preferr~d coatiny o~ this a~p~ct Or ~h2 invention were ~lour or ~lour an~ bread crumb ba~ere becaues such coatinge provide balanced and clean2r savory and ~ried ~lavors in the u~ed oil than ei~her dxy or wet coatings provide, although, dry and wet coatings al80 provide ..

-- 21~7~

some desirable savory and fried ~lavors and may, there~ore, be used in the frying step. ~ :

Twelve pieces o~ fresh, boned, skinned, cut-up chicken weighing approximately 4 to 7 oz~ each were injected with a .
phosphate solution comprising, phospha~es, salt, spices and watsr. The chicken pieaes, con~isting of legs, thighs and split .~ :
brea~ts, were dried and dusted with a predu~t mixkure comprising : :~
hard and soft wheat ~lours, corn flour, dextro~e, baking powder, :~
8pice8 and a ~ood grade adhesive, such as egg whites, xanthan :
gum, and modi~ied or unmodi~ied ~tarches. A~ter predusting, the ~hicken pieaes were dipped in a prepared batter made ~rom khe predust ~ormulation and approximately 85% water, although the batter may al~o b~ prepared with water in the range o~ 65~ to 92%, depending on th~ texture o~ th~ batter desired~ The battered chicken pieces were then rolled in a bread crumb m~xture consi~ting o~ precooked, preferably, ~riple toaStQ~ extruded bread crumb~, ~pices and rresh vegetable oil which comprlsed approximately 10% by weight o~ the crumb, to yield a battered and breaded ~illat. The ~resh oil was incorporated into the bread crumb by mixlng and spraying the oil on~o the bread crumbs as is known in the art. ~he chicken piecQs wers tran~erred to a ~re~zer where they were maintained at or below 0F ~or approximately 14 day~. ~he ~rozen aoat~d chicken piece~ were then ~ 7 placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature o~ approximately 350 to 425F ~or approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The cook~d chicken produc~s were judged to have a crispy exterior and moist cooked interior, generally similar to .
~ried chicken. However, the taste of ~he cooked chicken was :~

considered ~omewhat oily, bland and 1QS8 sati~fying than fried chicken.

Forty-eight chicken pieces ~rom ~resh, boned, skinned, cut-up chicken wQighing approximately 4 to 7 oz. each were prepared essentially as in Example 5. After the chicken pieces were predustQd and battered, the pieces were then rolled in a bread cru~b mixture consisting o~ precooked, pre~erably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumb~, spice~ and predetermined amounts o~ ~lavored oil obtained ~rom the deap-~rying o~ chicken, to yield battered and breaded chicken piece~.

The ~lavored oil, derived ~rom th~ deep ~rying o~
chicken, had an acidlty o~ approximately .7 and a ~u~pended solid content o~ approximatQly 5% by weight o~ the oil. The ~lavored oil was incorporated in the bread crumb by mixing or spraying the ~lavored oils onto the crumbs in a range o~ approximately S to 20~.

~4 ,. ~

~- ` 21~?.7~5 In this Example, twelve chicken pieces received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 5%, twelve chicken pieces receiv~d bread crumb coatings having an oil :
content of approximately lo~, ~welve chicken pieces received bread crumb coatings having an oil content o~ approximately ~5%
and twelve chicken pieces received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 20%. The chicken pieces were trans~erred to a ~reezer w~ere they were maintained at or below 0F ~or approximately 14 day~ ~he ~rozen coated chicken piece~
were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature o~ approximately 350 to 425F for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The cooked chicken pieces were judged to have a crispy exterior and moist cooked interior. The aromas were similar to tho~e o~ ~ried chicken and were generally considered organolep~ically superior tc the chiakan piece~ o~ Example 5 and, ln general, virtually indistinguishable ~rom ~ried chick~n. In particular, in order o~ pre~erenae, th~ chicken pieces receiving ~lavored oil in the range ~rom 10% to 15% were judged to have pleasant PriQd ~lavor~ and were slightly buttery with dePinite plea~ant chicken ~lavor~. The ~hi~ken pieces having ~lavored oil contents o~ approximately 10% were considered to have les~
pronounced ~lavor~ than those having approximately 15~ ~lavored oil. The chicken pieces having a bread crumb with an oil content o~ approximately 5% al90 exhihited rried and savo~y ~lavor~, but, the ~lavor impack wa~ less than the chicken pieca~ which ln~orporated higher amount~ o~ the ~lavored oil. Tha chi~ken ~ ~ ~ Q ~ d ~ ~) ' ' .' pieces which had a bread crumb wi~h an oil content of approximately 20%, did have noticeably better fried and savory flavor~i than those in the 10% to 15% oil content range; however, those pieces also had an oily mouth feel and texture which was con~idered less preferable than those pieces having less oil.

E ~ ~PLE 7 Twelve chiaken pieces oP approximately 4 to 7 oz. each were prepared essentially as 8et ~orth in Exampl2 5. ~he battered chicken pieces were rolled in a bread cru~b mi~ture consi~ting of precooked, pre~erably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, spices and a ~avored oil obtained ~rom the deep-~rying of chicken, to yield ba~ter~d and breaded chicken pieces. ~he ~lavored oil derived rrOm the ~rying o~ chicken had an acidity o~
approxlmately 1.4 and a suspended 601id content o~ approximately 5% by weight o~ tha oil. The chicken pieoes were tran~erred to a ~reezer where they were maintained at or below 0F ~or approxima~ely 14 day~. The ~rozen coated chicken piece~ were then placed in a preheatad oven where they were cooked at a temperature o~ approximately 350 to 425F ~or approxima~iely 15 to 20 minuke~. The cooked chicksn piece8 were ~udged to have crispy exteriors and moist cooked interior~. The aromas were con~idered to be predominantly ~ried and aavory although, ~om~what rancid, overcooked no~e~ wera prQsent ~he tasta o~
ahickan piece~ prepared in thi~ ~a~ne~ were generally consid2red : "

' . . '' . '.
. ., ~ " `, ~
l ~

~2~2~

inferior to fried chicken and were also considered inferior to the chicken pieces produced in Examples 4 and 5 EXA~P~E ~

In thi~ Example, non-fried onion rings were prepared With bread crumbs containing 15% chicke~ f lavored oils. Raw onion bulbs were ~ed into a docksr/peeler apparatus where the top root and peel were removed. The peeled onion were then ~pray washed with a water 3pray. The onions were then sliced transversely to form slabs which exhibited concentric rings o~
onion scale~. The concentric rings were separated ~nd dusted with a predu~t mixture comprising hard and so~t wheat flours, corn ~lour, dextrose, baking powder, spices and a ~ood grade adho~iva, such ae eqg whites, xanthan gum, and modi~ied or unmodi~ied ~tarche~. A~ter prsdusting, the concentric rings were dipped in a prepared batter made fro~ the predust ~ormulation and approximately 85% water. The battered concentric ring~ were then coated with a bread crumb mixture consi~ting o~ tri.ple toasted, extruded bread crumb~, ~pices and ~lavored oil which compri~ed approximatsly 15% by weight oP the crumb to yield a battered and breaded onion ring. ~he Plavored oil, derived ~rom the d~ep ~rylng o~ chicken, had an acidity o~ approximately .7 and a suspended solid content o~ approximately 5% by weight o~ the oil.

~' ., 2~27~

The onion rings were transferred to a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approxima~ely 350 to 425F for 5 to lo minutes. The cooked onion rings had crispy exterior~ and aromas similar to fried onion rings. The appearance, taste and mouth feel or texture o~ the cooked onion rings was considered nearly identical to those of deep fried onion rings. Savory chicken ~lavurs were only slightly apparent.

The ~lavored oils o~ the present invention, when used on breaded, non-~ried ~oods provide organolepti~ally acceptahle alternative~ to ~ried foods, without sacrificing the savory and ~ried ~lavor~ that typically acco~any such foods. Signi~icantly, the breaded, non-~ried ~ood~ which utilize the flavored oil of the presen~ invention have ~ar les~ oil ~han ~ried ~ood~ and than other ~imilarly prepared non-~ried foods aa di~clo~ed above.

For example, as is shown in FIG. 1., the ~otal amount o~ ~ats present in ~ried ~ish ~illets is signi~.icantly greater than that o~ breaded, non-~ri~d ~ood~ prepared in accordance with the pre~ent inventionO In that ~igur~, a bar graph demon~trates the reduction o~ ~at level~ ~in grame o~ rat per ~erving) o~ non ~ri~d ~i~h rillets having varying amount~ o~ ~lavo~ oils compared with the ~at levels o~ ~ried ~i~h ~illets. Conversely~ :
FIGS. 2 and 3 demon~trate the percentage ~at rQduction per ZZslarving with varyin~ amoun~ o~ these ~lavored oilZ~l in brcad crumb~Z (expre lsed a~a~ % liZ~Uid inZ the ~ZrumJ~) usZed in coatingFl :~or ;~

. '.

21~,7~
fish fillets and fish sticks, respectively, as compared with the percentage fak found in ~ried ~ish. ~s can be seen from all of the aforementioned figures, the total amount of fat present in a breaded non fried ~ish fillet, e~e~ at ~he highest level of flavored oil incorporation will be far less than ~imilarly prepared foods which have been fried. Thus, the breaded, non-~ried ~oods of the present invention are nutritionally preferii~ble to fried Poods and to those non ~ried foods which contain greater amountsi o~ ~ats and oils.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the ~lavored oil~ oP the present invention have utility not only in delivering ~ried and savory ~lavor~ to ~ish and chicken, but are also useful for impartlng such ~lavor charact2ristic~ to virtually any ~oodstu~P in which it is desirable to have ~ried flavor~ while avoiding the messiness and inconvenience of deep ~rying. In particular, these ~lavored oils have utility in th4 preparation o~ commercially prepared foodstu~, where after ths foodstu~s are battered, breaded and oooked, the foodstuff is subse~uently ~rozen ~or further processing and ultimatel~, h~a~ing and con~iumptlon by the consumar. Other ~ood~tu~s which could bene~it ~rom the~ie ~lavored 0118 include, bread crumbs u~ie~ul in ~rying or baking, breaded veyatable~ such as zucchini, yellow squa~h, eggplant and mu~hrooms, breaded toPu and cheesesi, as well a~
baked ~oods~u~s such as baked pota~oes, potato skin~, bread~ and dough~.
., I

-~` 21 1~ ~ l 2 5 STATEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL UTILITY

The present invention is useful for producing flavored vegetable oils which provide savory and fried flavors and which may be used on non-~ried foodstuffs for the purpo~e o~ imparting ~ried and ~avory fla~or~. The present invention is also u~e~ul ror producing braaded foodstu~fs which have the taste, ~exture and appearance o~ a ~ried ~ood, bu~ which have not been ~ried.

While the present invention has been particularly de~cribed with respect to certain ipeci~ic embodiments, it will be appreciated that adaptations and modi~ications will become apparenk ~rom the present di~closure and are intended to be within the scope o~ th~ ~ollowing claim~.

.;: "

~ 30 ~: ~

~ ~ ,b ~ " ~ U~

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A non-fried food product comprised of a bread crumb mixture formed from bread crumbs and a flavored vegetable based fryer oil, said fryer oil having previously been used to fry foodstuffs.

2. A non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprised of a foodstuff substrate coated with a batter and a bread crumb mixture formed from bread crumbs and a flavored vegetable based fryer oil, wherein the acidity of said fryer oil is between 0.6 and 1.2.

3. The food product of Claim 2 wherein the weight of said fryer oil is less than 25% of the weight of said crumbs.

4. The food product of Claim 2 wherein said fryer oil contains suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil.

5. The food product of Claim 2 wherein said fryer oil is selected prior to its use in frying from the group consisting of soybean, corn, sunflower, canola, cottonseed, safflower, babassu and peanut oils.

6. A non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprised of a foodstuff substrate coated with a batter and a bread crumb mixture formed from extruded, toasted bread crumbs and 5% to 20% flavored vegetable based fryer oil by weight of the crumb, wherein the acidity of the fryer oil is in the range of .6 to .8 and contains suspended solids in the amount of 4% to 6%.

7. A frozen food product which, upon heating, has the taste of a fried food but which has never been fried comprised of a bread crumb mixture formed from bread crumbs and a vegetable based fryer oil, said fryer oil having previously been used to fry foodstuffs.

8. The food product of Claim 7 wherein the acidity of said oil is between 0.6 and 1.2.

9. The food product of Claim 7 wherein the weight of said oil is less than 25% of the weight of said crumbs.

10. The food product of Claim 7 wherein said oil contains suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil.

11. The food product of Claim 7 wherein said oil was selected prior to its use in frying from the group consisting of soybeans, corn, sunflower, canola, cottonseed, safflower, babassu and peanut oil.

12. A process for making a non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprising the steps of:
a.) forming a flavored bread crumb mixture comprised of bread crumbs and a flavored vegetable based fryer oil;
b.) portioning a foodstuff substrate;
c.) predusting said foodstuff;
d.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter; and e.) applying said flavored bread crumb mixture to said battered foodstuff to form a battered and breaded foodstuff.

13. The process of Claim 12 further including the step of:
f.) cooking the battered ad breaded foodstuff.

14. The process of Claim 12 further including the step of:
f.) freezing the battered and breaded foodstuff.

15. The process of Claim 13 further including the step of:
g.) freezing the cooked, battered and breaded foodstuff.

16. The process of Claim 15 wherein said foodstuff is chicken.

17. The process of Claim 14 wherein said foodstuff is fish.

18. The process of Claim 12 wherein the acidity of said fryer oil is between 0.6 and 1.2.

19. The process of Claim 12 wherein the weight of said fryer oil is less than 25% of the weight of said crumbs.

20. The process of Claim 12 wherein said fryer oil contains suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil.

21. A process for making a non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprising the steps of:

a.) forming a flavored bread crumb mixture comprised of extruded, toasted bread crumbs and 5% to 20% flavored vegetable based fryer oil by weight of the crumb, wherein the oil has a acidity of .6 to .8 and has suspended solids in the amount of 2%
to 6% by weight of the oil;
b.) portioning a foodstuff substrate;
c.) predusting said foodstuff;
d.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter; and e.) applying said flavored bread crumb mixture to said battered foodstuff to form a battered and breaded foodstuff.

22. The process of Claim 21 wherein the foodstuff is selected from the group consisting of chicken and fish, and further including the steps of:
f.) cooking the battered and breaded foodstuff in an oven at a temperature of 35°, to 425°F for 12 to 20 minutes; and g.) freezing the cooked foodstuff.

23. A process for making a non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprising the steps of:
a.) portioning a foodstuff substrate;
b.) predusting said foodstuff;
c.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter;
d.) applying extruded, toasted bread crumbs to said battered foodstuff; and e.) spraying a flavored vegetable based fryer oil onto the outer surface of said breaded foodstuff.

24. A process for making a frozen food product which, upon heating, has the taste of a fried food but which has never been fried comprising the steps of:
a.) predusting a first foodstuff;
b.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter; and c.) applying a bread crumb mixture to said battered foodstuff;

wherein said bread crumb mixture is formed from bread crumbs and a vegetable based fryer oil, said fryer oil having previously been used to fry a second foodstuff.

25. The process of Claim 24 wherein said first foodstuff is frozen alter applying said bread crumb mixture.

26. The process of Claim 25 wherein said first foodstuff is a fish fillet.

27. The process of Claim 25 wherein said first foodstuff is chicken.

28. The process of Claim 25 wherein the acidity of said oil is between 0.6 and 1.2.

29. The process of Claim 25 wherein the weight of said oil is less than 25% of the weight of said crumbs.

30. The process of Claim 25 wherein said oil contains suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil.

31. The process of Claim 25 further including the step (d) of spraying said fryer oil onto the outer surface of said breaded foodstuff.

32. A process for making a frozen food product which, upon heating, has the taste of a fried food but which has never been fried comprising the steps of:
a.) predusting a first foodstuff;
b.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter;
c.) applying bread crumbs to said battered foodstuff; and d.) spraying a vegetable based fryer oil onto the outer surface of said breaded foodstuff, said fryer oil having previously been used to fry a second foodstuff.

33. The process of Claim 25 or Claim 32 wherein said second foodstuff is selected from the group consisting of fish, poultry and beef.

34. A process for making a flavored oil having savory and fried flavors comprising the steps of:

a.) frying batter coated foodstuff in unused, fresh vegetable oil having an acidity less than 1.2;

b.) monitoring the acidity of said oil until said acidity is between 0.6 and 1.2; and c.) removing approximately 30% to 50% of said oil derived from step (b).

35. The process of Claim 34 further including the steps of:

d) replenishing said removed oil with an equal amount of unused, fresh vegetable oil; and e) repeating steps (a)-(d).

36. The process of Claim 34 wherein step (a) further includes the step of filtering said oil during said frying process and wherein said removed oil has suspended solids in the amount of 2%
to 6% by weight of said oil.

37. The process of Claim 34 further including the step of maintaining the oil removed in step (c) at a temperature between 70° - 125°F.

38. The process of Claim 34 wherein the oil used in step (a) is preheated to a temperature between 350° - 450°F before frying.

39. A flavored oil having savory and fried flavors comprising a vegetable based fryer oil which has been used to fry foodstuffs, said oil having an acidity between 0.6 and 1.2 and a suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of said oil.

40. A flavored oil comprising a vegetable based fryer oil selected from the group consisting of soybean, corn, sunflower, canola, cottonseed, safflower, babassu and peanut oil, which has been used to fry batter coated foodstuffs, said oil having an acidity between 0.6 ad 0.8 and suspended solids in the amount of 2% to 8% by weight of said oil.