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Idaho® Potato Chip History

Mar 5, 2010
Q: Here’s a little history to go along with some suggestions for adding homemade chips to your restaurant operations.
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Casserole Recipes for the Cost-Conscious

Mar 1, 2010
Q: Our family is really on a budget with this economy. Do you have any casserole suggestions?
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Q&A: Test for High Solids Content in Potatoes

Feb 12, 2010
Q: Is there any kind of a test that I can do in my operation to be able to tell if the raw potatoes I receive will fry up properly?
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Q&A: Can I Save Money by Switching from a Frozen to a Fresh Cut French Fry?

Feb 10, 2010
Q: The price I am charged for my frozen fries has gone up a couple of times during the last year and fresh potatoes are a bargain right now.  So I am thinking about converting over to fresh Idaho French fries to save money and give my customers something they will really like. How much will I save?
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Q&A: Most Expensive Potato

Feb 8, 2010
Q: What is the most expensive potato you have seen sold in the US in the food business?
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Mashed Potatoes for a Large Crowd

Feb 5, 2010
Q: What is the best way to prepare mashed potatoes for 200 people for a sit down dinner?
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Q&A: How to Make Perfect French Fries

Feb 3, 2010
Q: Greetings, I operate a small but very high volume Hot Dog restaurant in Chicago, IL called Devil Dawgs.  We serve the finest all beef, natural casing Hot Dogs in the country and my desire is to serve the finest French Fries in the world.  We make our fries from Idaho, number 1, russet potatoes, #70 count.  We bring the potatoes in, wash every potato, leave them unpeeled, cut into 3/8" fries, soak them for a minimum of 60 minutes in cold water (allowing the starch to settle), then rinse them and blanche them in "Miniat Brand All Fry" (an ultra pasteurized and highly finished Beef Tallow product) for 9 minutes at 275 degrees Fahrenheit.  We then allow them to cool to room temperature after which we tub them and refrigerate them for 24 - 30 hours before finish frying them for 2 minutes and 45 seconds at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, again in "Miniat All Fry" after which we salt and serve.  We cook every order "to order" and never hold our fries in a warmer. Our customers tell us often that these fries are the best they have ever eaten...but I believe they can be better.  Any suggestions?
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Q&A: Fresh Cut Fry Yields

Feb 1, 2010
Q: How many fresh Idaho® potatoes do I need to prepare fresh cut fries?
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Q&A: Why are my potatoes green?

Jan 27, 2010
Q: I just finished peeling away a lot of "green" on potatoes that I thought were going to be nice when I bought them.  My mother has always said that the green is "poison", is that true?
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Q&A: Who Invented Hash Browns?

Jan 25, 2010
Q: Who invented hash browns? I have a theory…When my wife and I have steak and cook too many baked potatoes, she refrigerates them overnight, grates them the next morning, and makes very, very good hash browns.   Nothing added–just the old baked potatoes fried in a cast iron pan.  I heard my late father speak of staying in hotels (he was born in 1902) and the fabulous breakfasts they would have.  I’ve wondered for years if during rough times, the big hotels possibly saved the leftover baked potatoes from the night before and made hash browns out of them like she and I do now.  I really don’t recall if someone suggested this to me, if I sublimely recall the old folks mentioning it, or if I dreamed it up.  I doubt that I will run into anyone who worked in an old hotel in my neighborhood, but will ask any old timers I might run into, and if you know any older hoteliers, please ask them.
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