Had a takeout from Five Guys. First time I've heard of Five Guys was when President Obama

[question everything]

visited them in D.C. shortly after his arrival. He got sandwiched to the whole entourage of reporters. Someone wanted jalapeno, another - onions, etc.

Shortly after a franchise was opened in town and more started dotting the landscape.

Can anyone imagine Whiny Donny doing something like that?

The closest is to double the membership at his Marialago.

[MyOwnPeace]

1. Tons of clips of PRESIDENT OBAMA

going into public places and interacting with AMERICANS!!!!
Really, tell me when you've seen IQ45 do the same..........
There was a post here the other day telling us that we'd love PRESIDENT OBAMA even more after watching the attached video. SO much of it was of him interacting with kids in the Oval Office. If that didn't melt your heart you just may well be a MAGAt!
And again, have you EVER seen IQ45 doing ANYTHING with kids (sorry, Princess Sparkleshoes doesn't count!)?
How sad - and we MUST make him GONE!

[question everything]

2. I like this one

[Ilsa]

7. I just love that picture. It's so sweet. nt

[at140]

3. I will be stopping at Five Guys for lunch on Wednesday. All restaurants in Florida are now open.

at reduced capacity of some type.

[GulfCoast66]

4. Their burgers are good. Real good. Fries suck.

You just can’t make good fresh, real frites without doing a twice fried method. Once for 8 minutes or so at 260 degrees fry to cook them and later a 360 degree fry to crisp them. The later the better. After soaking the cut fries for hours in water to remove sugars.

I’ve given up on restaurant fries. Make my own once a month. Of course having a gallon of Duck fat in my beer fridge helps...

[Blue_true]

5. What do you mean by "the later the better"?

Burger King used to make good fries. Haven't eaten lunch at one in years, so I don't know what it's like today.

What does frying fries in duck fat do?

[GulfCoast66]

6. Ok. You got me started!

The great frites you get in France or Belgium are nothing like what you get here.

First off. Fast food fries. They are processed food made by precooking the potato’s in industrial processes you can never duplicate at home. They can be real good, but are totally processed and really bad for you. Because unless you fill potatoes with processed oil you can’t freeze them. Think the frozen fries you see in grocery stores.

5 Guys cuts their fries in their stores and fry them naturally. Which is an improvement on the processed frozen shit you get from most fast food places.

But it is not what it takes to make a great fry. First you use a low sugar, high starch potato like a russet or Ukon gold which 5 Guys actually does. Then soak them in water for at least 2 hours to remove any sugars on their surface. Sugars are the enemy of crispy browning. Overnight is better. Not often done.

Then the cooking. The first fry. Cook them in hot oil at 260-270 degrees until the fry is cooked but not browned. It takes 8 minutes or so. And in small batches to not let the temperature of the oil drop too low. Then take them out and drain them well and let them rest. It can be hours and not matter. I use a cookie sheet covered with paper bag. If you can fit them in the fridge for an hour even better. Finally, right before you want them heat your oil to 370 and start frying in Bigger batches until they are brown and crisp. They won’t boil over because most of the water has already been removed.

Why duck fat? I don’t know. But it is just better. Every great Fry I have had in France was done in duck fat. It last forever if you don’t burn it and filter and put back in the fridge when you are done. Even skillet fried potatoes are better in duck fat. I guess like the difference between butter and corn oil

The best fry I ever had changed my Fry life. A market in a small town in Normandy and the guy had a mountain of precooked fries in his booth. As you ordered he would take a heaping amount and throw them into a vat of duck fat until super browned and crispy. Heaven!

So you asked! As you can tell I’m am somewhat fanatical about good frites. Which is why I make them only once a month!

Have a nice evening. If you are a skilled cook and love fries you should try it.

Oh. Don’t do this in the house. I have a 2 burner propane cooker in the garage.

Have a nice evening.

[Blue_true]

10. I am a pretty skilled cook. Just not with fries.

Thanks for the info. I will give it a try, except for the duck fat. I am a chemical engineer and skin products formulator, I will read up on duck fat frying, my guess is that I can figure out how to approximately simulate it with plant based oil mixtures.

[GulfCoast66]

12. Cool. Let me know.

Poultry fat just seems different than other mammal fats. Although I’m not afraid to use animals fats.

When studying food science at University in 84 or 85 I learned that margarine and shortening were industrial oils made to stabilize plant fats like they were animal fats. It been 35 years but I think by adding an extra hydrogen atom to the chain. Correct me if I have forgotten the details. I swore then I would never eat any of them if I knew about it. I just could not see how consuming a fat we had not evolved for was safe. My wife thought me crazy for years but History has proved me correct. The old margarine and shortening were heart attack maker with the triglycerides. Butter and lard are the safer option. Of course, 80% of my fat intake at home is olive oil. But when I need a solid fat I go to animal fats. My ancestors 100,000 years ago evolved to eat them.

If you don’t want to use animal fat I would suggest grape seed oil. It can take high heat without breaking down.

But I hope you read up on duck fat and let me know. The French I know tell me it is not like lard or tallow.

I’m serious. If you find out any chemical anomalies about duck fat mail me.


Have a great evening.

[Blue_true]

13. Grapeseed oil has a decent smoke point, but my initial guess is duck fat works because it is

a heavily saturated fat. I can start with a frying oil like corn oil or sunflower oil, then adjust the ration of unsaturated fats to saturated fats. There are plant oils like virgin coconut oil, virgin cocoa fat and virgin mango fat that I can use to raise the level of saturated fat in the fry grease. The problem is those saturated fats are not heart healthy, but you seem to have a good appreciation of that angle.

[GulfCoast66]

15. Right! Which as I mentioned I do it once a month!!

I’m personally concerned about the huge amount of plant based fat we eat. I mean, how much corn, vegetable or any other oil did we evolve to eat? Our ancestors were conscious of only one type of fat and they craved it. Animal fat.

But you are correct. I’m very conscious of fat intake. I try to limit it. And it seems olive oil is about the best when needed.

But, hell, we all have to splurge occasionally. And when I splurge I do it up!

I’ve really enjoyed the conversation.

Enjoy you week.

Oh, how’s your garden coming along

[Blue_true]

16. I think that I mentioned that my tomato plants and borage plants had died.

The hot weather was wearing them out, I misread as needing fertilizer and put too much on and burned them out. I was really good at growing tomatoes over two years while on a job assignment for a major Corp in a cooler part of the country. I had not tried to grow tomatoes in Florida since my teens, you may have been right that I actually grew them earlier in the year than the Summer that I assumed. I will try again next year, starting the plants inside in early February and transplanting them outside in late Feb, based upon what the last two winters have been like, that plan should work. When do commercial growers start tomato plants outside?

On food, I don't fear heavy fat. Like you, I am pretty judicious about how much of it I consume over a given time. I love my occasional super premium ice cream and a juicy beef burger. I am a catsup type person when eating fries, in my world that is the only thing that catsup should be put on - I don't do the mayo thing on fries that you mentioned.

Extra virgin olive oil is great. I use that plenty in my kitchen. The amount that I actually consume is low though. I steam vegetables in olive oil, but drain the oil off before eating the veggies. The only time that I consume much of the oil is when I sauté minced garlic to add to spaghetti sauce.

[GulfCoast66]

17. Put your tomatoes out in early October.

You will have fruit by thanksgiving. I often keep them all winter long although may have to cover them a few times for frost.

Have a peaceful Memorial Day holiday.

[Blue_true]

18. So start the seed in September? I will give that a try.

You have a good, safe holiday also.

[frazzled]

9. Can't eat the fries at Five Guys

Because they use peanut oil, and I’m allergic to peanuts.

But I’m lucky. We live about three blocks from an authentic Belgian fry shack: Frietkoten, owned by a real Dutch guy. You have to wait while they fry your order fresh, and although they have many sauces to choose from, I personally go only for straight mayonnaise. They’re so sinful, we only drop in once or twice a year. Gotta watch the waistline.

I also like fries doused with malt vinegar, a habit I picked up as a kid in Canada.

[Initech]

8. I was joking that 10 years from now, people will still be asking Obama for his NCAA bracket.

Nobody will ask Trump for his bracket, because I can't imagine seeing Trump watching basketball.

[Green Line]

11. I can't stand Five Guys

Well done burgers, reheated fries, just a small step up from McDonald’s in my opinion.

[Blue_true]

14. They used to be really good.

I tried one about two years ago and it looked like they had slipped. Their old burgers had the dry-aged crunch to them, and I could pick up the dry aged flavor. If you ever get a chance to eat a burger that is made from properly dry-aged beef, don't pass it up. The Five Guys burger that I had two years ago didn't have that dry-aged crunch or flavor, it seemed steamed out.