COOKING OIL RESOURCES & INFORMATION
KNOW YOUR OIL
Find the information and support you need to purchase the right cooking oil products for your operation – from key terms and features and benefits by product tier to our Premium Oil Labor Savings Calculator, fry life chart and oil care tips for maintenance.
Oil is much more than a cooking medium – think of it as an additional ingredient to the items being served to customers. The level of concern shown for serving high-quality food items should extend to having a high-quality oil used in food preparation. Our US Foods® Exclusive Brand premium oils provide 2–2.5x longer fry-life compared to commodity oil items. See how longer fry-life extends the time between fryer changes and can save you time, money and overall oil consumption.
INFORMATION AND SUPPORT
PREMIUM OIL SAVINGS CALCULATOR
Calculate estimated cooking oil cost savings with the Oil Savings Calculator.
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OIL PRODUCTS EXCLUSIVELY FROM US FOODS®
Find the vegetable and cooking oil products you need for your operation. Browse canola oil, olive oil, pan sprays, shortening oil and more.
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FARMER'S REPORT
Stay up-to-date on weekly market trends that affect your business with the US Foods Farmer’s Report.
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OPTIMAX® PREMIUM HIGH STABILITY CANOLA Oil
Optimax® is one of the first oils in the marketplace with 0 g trans fat per serving* and continues to be a best-seller due to its superior frying performance. Our products deliver outstanding performance with long fry life and minimal flavor transfer.
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oil comparison CHART
KEY COOKING OIL TERMS
It’s essential to choose the cooking oil that’s best suited for each need. Get to know these key terms – because the traits make the oil, which can make each dish superb.
NON-GMO
Packaging with the Non-GMO Project Verified seal conveys that the product has been produced using non-GMO practices, as certified by a third party.
EXPELLER-PRESSED
The expeller-pressing method (also called oil pressing) extracts oil using only heat and pressure. This mechanical refinement process helps to increase fry life and stability, and it is much gentler than the chemical process which uses hexane.
IDENTITY PRESERVED
Identity preservation is a process or system of maintaining the segregation and documenting the identity of a product, which maintains the integrity and purity of the oil.
HIGH-OLEIC
Our high-oleic oils have 1 g of saturated fat per serving.* High-oleic oil has increased oxidative stability and delivers a preferred sensory profile. It has a longer shelf life and a distinctly longer fry life than most edible oils.
SMOKE POINT
The smoke point of an oil or fat is the temperature at which, under defined conditions, a bluish smoke becomes clearly visible from the oil.
*See nutrition information for total fat contentFRY LIFE**
The length of time during which an oil works effectively in a fryer.
Fry Life of oil may vary based on operational factors, such as the product that is being fried, the frying temperature, filling the basket to proper levels, thermostat calibration, regular filtering and skimming of oil, covering fryers when not in use, keeping oil levels at the fill line, etc.
OIL CARE AND MAINTENANCE TIPS
- Set oil temp for fryers at 350°F
- Check actual thermostat reading
- Do not season over fryer
- Do not fill baskets over top of oil
- Only fill baskets half full of food
- Keep oil at fill line
- Remove any visible food particles
- Do not agitate baskets while immersed in the oil
WHEN TO CHANGE COOKING OIL
- If the color of the oil is too dark
- If the oil is smoking excessively
- This is often related to high cook temperature
- Operator may not be skimming or filtering as needed
- Keep oil at proper fill line
- If the oil is foaming excessively
- Check the temperature – should be 350°F
- If the food from the fryer is too dark (burnt-looking)
- Check the oil color and temperature and look for excessive crumbs
- Changes in menu items can also affect the fry life of the oil
- If the food from the fryer or the oil has an ‘off’ flavor
- Discard or change to premium oil to improve taste
