Quad-Cities Online, IL
03-27-07
Made just rite: Restaurant’s new oil frying up healthier foods
By Brandy Welvaert, bwelvaert@qconline.com
Have you heard? Maid-Rite's American classics now are trans-fat-free.
For about four months, Maid-Rite has been using Asoyia trans-fat-free soybean
oil, made from specially bred Midwest soybeans, to cook all of its fried foods.
Compared to the cooking oil that Maid-Rite used to use, the new oil is better for
our health and better for the regional economy. The oil tastes the same as or
better and lasts longer than the old hydrogenated oil, too.
"No, there's no difference in taste," said Vicki DeFauw of Rock Island as she
recently munched a few onion rings at the Milan Maid-Rite. Ms. DeFauw has
eaten at Maid-Rite almost daily for about 15 years. She orders the onion rings as
an occasional treat.
These days, Maid-Rite diners can dig into french fries, onion rings, chicken strips,
mushrooms, chicken steaks, tenderloins, catfish and more, knowing that all those
foods are trans-fat-free.
The restaurants switched to Asoyia oil for a few reasons, said Joe Montenguise,
CEO of Maid-Rite's parent company, CSM Holdings in Des Moines, Iowa.
"One was just health reasons, with the zero-trans-fat thing," Mr. Montenguise
said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and many industry and consumer groups
have called for the identification, reduction and/or elimination of trans fats in
prepared foods because these foods have been linked with an increase in LDL
(bad) cholesterol and a reduction in HDL (good) cholesterol. New York City
banned trans fats in its restaurants in 2006.
It appears that Maid-Rite is ahead of the game, Mr. Montenguise said.
Another reason the company switched oils is quality, which affects those cooking
the food and those eating it. In the kitchen, the soybean oil lasts longer and
retains its light color longer than regular hydrogenated oils do.
"It lasts longer without having to filter it, and I prefer it. ... It makes the food look
more appealing to the eye because it's lighter," said Michael Schroeder of
Carbon Cliff, who cooks at the Milan Maid-Rite.
"We wanted the oil to cook the same and taste the same from day one to its last
day in the fryer," Mr. Montenguise said. "That's the problem with typical oil: It
tends to get darker and takes on the flavors of the foods that are cooked in it.
This oil does not seem to do that."
The restaurants tested several oils before settling on the more expensive Asoyia,
which stands for "a soybean in Iowa." The oil is made from special Midwest
soybeans.
Agronomists and food scientists at Iowa State University worked for 30
years to develop the 1-percent-linolenic-acid soybeans that make Asoyia Ultra
Low Lin Soybean Oil a natural oil that's stable enough for restaurant use. Most
frying oils rely on the process of hydrogenation for stability -- a process that
creates unhealthy trans fats.
Asoyia is a farmer-owned company based in Winfield, Iowa, that pays its growers
the highest possible premiums for low-linolenic soybeans. This business keeps
money in the region and creates a more direct than usual connection between
Midwest growers and restaurateurs -- something that's important to Maid-Rite,
Mr. Montenguise said. "We're a little Midwestern company, and we're helping
Midwestern farmers."
Health professionals agree that soybean oil is a better option than hydrogenated
cooking oil, which is more good news for Maid-Rite fans.
"When I discuss healthier fats, I often talk about olive oil and canola oil," said
clinical dietitian Jeni Tackett at Trinity Medical Center. "I would list soybean oil
after olive and canola as another option for a healthier fat."
Mr. Montenguise said that sometimes diners order fruit instead of french fries
with a meal, then change their minds when they find out that the fries are transfat-free.
"They'll order the fries because that's what they really wanted," he said.
Ms. Tackett said that whether a food is trans-fat-free or not, it's important to
consider its complete nutritional value and "zero in on calories, total fat, saturated
fat, trans fat, total carbohydrate and sodium."
The switch to trans-fat-free oils is part of a broader health initiative at Maid-Rite
restaurants, known for their 1950s decor, rock-and-roll music and classic
American drive-in foods like hash browns, loose-meat sandwiches, fries and
floats. The diners recently added chicken sandwiches and several vegetablefilled wraps to the menu. Some locations also have adopted non-smoking
policies.
The Maid-Rite on 4th Avenue in Moline is smoke-free until 3 p.m. on weekends,
and the diner on Division Street in Davenport is 100-percent smoke-free. Mr.
Montenguise said he thinks all Maid-Rites will go smoke-free at some point
"down the road."
"You know, people think that when something is healthy, it's not gonna taste as
good," he said. "But this (oil) is just the opposite."
Non-fried foods on the menu aren't affected by the switch to Asoyia, he added.
That's good news for Maid-Rite purists.
The classic Maid-Rite loose meat sandwich, which isn't fried, won't change
anytime soon.
INFOBOX:
The skinny on fats, Maid-Rite
-- About trans-fats: According to clinical dietitian Jeni Tackett at Trinity Medical
Center, "trans fats have negative effects on lipid levels, causing an increase in
LDL (bad cholesterol) and possibly decreasing HDL (good cholesterol) levels.
Recommended intakes are just 1 to 2 grams of trans fats per day. People should
look for foods with little or no trans fats as part of a healthy diet."
--About Asoyia: Asoyia cooking oil has 2 grams of saturated fat per serving and
zero trans fat. It's made from non-genetically-modified soybeans. To learn more
about Asoyia, visit www.asoyia.com.
--About Maid-Rite: One of American's first casual, quick-service restaurant
chains, Maid-Rite opened its first shop in 1926. To learn more about Maid-Rite's
history and see a compete menu, go to www.maid-rite.com.