French Fries

[es2443]

Tonight at dinner my friends were battling with me telling me that fries could not have gluten in them because they came from potatoes. They kept saying "you eat mashed potatoes all the time, this is the same thing". They were looking at me as if I had 5 heads and they now have me second guessing myself. So my question is, do fries have gluten in them?

[Lisa]

This answer has many levels, so here we go:

When you buy frozen fries at the grocery store, you have to watch for additives such as flavorings. Orida (sp) is pretty good and they have a long list of products that are gluten free. Check our their web site.

When you prepare them at home, potatoes fried in corn oil or others oils, will be gluten free.

Ordering them in restaurant, will be an issue. Often they use the same fryer to cook breaded chicken, onion battered rings and anything else deep fried. That is a major..DON'T GO THERE.

McD's states that there fries are gluten free, but there is major discord among members here, whether they are safe of not.

Potatos are just potatos, it is the manner of preparation that is a concern.

Fight back with that information.

[psawyer]

All French Fries start life as simple potatoes. At this point they are gluten-free. However, some manufactured ones have a coating applied after cutting, and this may contain gluten. Plain fries are still okay, but then... they are fried in oil. Pure oil is gluten-free as well, but if other foods which contain gluten are fried in the same oil then cross contamination can occur. A restaurant may fry breaded chicken or fish in the same oil. Onion rings are breaded as well.

So, plain fries prepared in a dedicated fryer are safe. If you get the frozen ones that you heat in your own oven, they are probably gluten-free too. Any added flavor or coating could be a source of gluten.

In any case, the actual fries themselves are gluten free; it is what they might have added or come in contact with during cooking that is a concern.

So the short, two-word answer is: "It depends."

[Lisa posted while I was typing; sorry for duplicate information]

[Lisa]

All French Fries start life as simple potatoes. At this point they are gluten-free. However, some manufactured ones have a coating applied after cutting, and this may contain gluten. Plain fries are still okay, but then... they are fried in oil. Pure oil is gluten-free as well, but if other foods which contain gluten are fried in the same oil then cross contamination can occur. A restaurant may fry breaded chicken or fish in the same oil. Onion rings are breaded as well.

So, plain fries prepared in a dedicated fryer are safe. If you get the frozen ones that you heat in your own oven, they are probably gluten-free too. Any added flavor or coating could be a source of gluten.

In any case, the actual fries themselves are gluten free; it is what they might have added or come in contact with during cooking that is a concern.

So the short, two-word answer is: "It depends."

[Lisa posted while I was typing; sorry for duplicate information]

[Nic]

McD's states that there fries are gluten free, but there is major discord among members here, whether they are safe of not.

Could be just a fluke but after reading McDonalds website explanation about how the the oil for the fries has wheat as a flavoring ingredient but once cooked there are no detectable amounts of gluten I allowed my son to eat them again (bad choice, I know). We get take out as a treat probably once a week. After a month of eating McDonalds again (approximately 4 servings of fries over 4 weeks) my son started with his symptoms again (major constipation). So I removed the fries from his diet just in case and after about a month he is back to normal. Might just be chance, he also started school during the constipation month so the change in schedule or the not wanting to poop in school could have also screwed him up. Either way, I am not taking a chance on the fries again (even though they are the best).

Nicole

[loraleena]

Have any of you seen Super Size ME? Whether those fries have gluten or not they are toxic poison non foods. Those fries kept under glass after 10 weeks had no trace of mold on them. They looked the same as when purchased. Regular fries went moldy in a few days. What in gods name do you have to add to a food to make it not get moldy for 10 week??!!

[3Celiacs]

My point in adding to this forum was to get the good word out to as many people as possible that Wendy's now has gluten free french fries! We had them for the first time last night and we all agreed they were the best gluten free fries we'd ever had. We are no longer limited to the long lines at In N Out or the mess of making our own. Totally stoked! Thank you Wendys!

That being said, I am so tired of uninformed people telling celiacs what they can eat. My 5th grader is bombarded by well intentioned adults telling him what is O.K., they simply don't know all the names gluten can hide behind. He's finally learning to stand up for himself and let them know this. What if Celiac Disease was as dangerous as a peanut allergy?

Those non-celiacs telling you that certain things are safe aren't going to feel any of your pain if you make that gluten mistake. When are we going to stop second guessing ourselves, about gluten or any other matter at hand? Do your research and stick by it! The best source of information I've come across is the book written by Elizabeth Hasselbeck, I think it's called Gluten-Free.

Good Luck everyone!

[Lisa]

This thread is over four years old. You can find current information at:

www.mcdonalds.com

www.wendys.com

www.burgerking.com

etc.

[Takala]

Good grief. Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book is notorious for being filled with misconceptions.

I would never take the word of one poster about any sort of fast food item being "gluten free" without a collaborating link from the company.

This is just what I pulled off of their website Dec 7, 2010. I did not see any claims their new natural cut fries were gluten free.

Open Original Shared Link

Medium French Fries

Medium Fries

Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following oils: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (to maintain natural color). Cooked in Vegetable Oil (soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor [vegetable], citric acid [preservative], dimethylpolysiloxane [anti-foaming agent]). Cooked in the same oil as menu items that contain Wheat, Egg, Milk, and Fish (where available). Seasoned with Sea Salt.

[mbrookes]

Five Guys have safe fries and they are GREAT! Since potatoes are the only thing they fry, there is no chance of CC in the oil. By the way they also , in my experience, are very good about making sure the burger patties are not CC by someone else's bun. They will happily use fresh gloves to fix your order. No, I don't get a kickback... I just appreciate them.

[RideAllWays]

Nando's fries are gluten-free as well.

[Juliebove]

This is a very old post. Of course fries in and of themselves could be gluten-free. Or they could not be. Often the fancy ones like curly or waffle cut have additional things added and that could include gluten. Or it could not. But the biggest issue would be what else is fried in that oil? If things like chicken nuggets, flour tortillas, or even onion rings, then there is a great chance of cross contamination.