New research has found some potatoes make healthier fries than others because they absorb less fat.
Takeaway shops are now being encouraged to follow new healthy cooking guidelines, but it doesn't stop there.
Using a different potato could reduce fat even more. "We'd heard there was lower fat absorption with this variety...so we thought it would be useful to get the research done here to verify if that was actually the truth,"seed importer Tony Hendrikse says.
Crop and Food Research cooked up 11 different varieties and examined each chip to see how much fat is soaked up. The high fat chip is uneven and porous and fat can penetrate through it to the centre of the fry. The newer varieties absorb 15% less fat. "You can see an external layer that's smooth and even and intact...and this is where the fat concentrates and acts as a barrier to stop more fat going into the chip,"says Carl Massarotto From Crop and Food.
But it's not a quick fix and more research is needed. If the new potatoes catch on, it will take several years to grow enough of them.
