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Trans fat outclassed

Cooking schools switch to butter and olive oil, and rewrite recipes.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The movement to ban artery-clogging trans fat from food has a new venue: cooking schools.

The places that train the people who will someday be feeding the rest of us are cutting back or eliminating artificial trans fat from their classrooms, saying they have a responsibility to teach students how to cook healthy foods.

"It's a very welcome change," said John O'Connell, 19, a sophomore culinary arts student at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, one of the nation's largest cooking schools.

The school has started phasing out trans fat in its restaurants, hotels and dining services on four campuses around the country and plans to be trans-fat free by the fall semester.

"We have made sure that we do the right thing," said Karl J. Guggenmos, dean of culinary education.

Other cooking schools, such as Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, with 13 locations, are looking at reducing or eliminating trans fat, said Kirk T. Bachmann of Le Cordon Bleu, which is based in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., banned trans fat from nearly all its classes and restaurants in 2005.

Artificial trans fat is often found in oils used to deep-fry foods such as french fries and in baked goods. Bakers like to use shortenings with trans fat because cakes stay fresher longer, frosting is easier to use, and they cost less than butter.

Trans fat is created when hydrogen is added to liquid cooking oils to harden them. Along with saturated fat, trans fat raises levels of so-called bad cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease.

New York City banned cooking oils with trans fat from all restaurants last year, and several states and cities have debated similar measures. A number of fast-food restaurant chains are making the switch to trans-fat-free cooking oils.

At the Culinary Institute of America, trans fat is one of the "hot button" topics, said school spokesman Stephan Hengst.

"Once they get out in the industry, they've got to understand it," he said of students.

At Johnson & Wales, it took months of work to get trans fat out of the school's curriculum. Its textbook has hundreds of recipes, and about 50 included trans fat, said Wanda Cropper, who oversees the school's baking and pastry institute.

Eliminating it from some recipes was relatively easy - butter and olive oil are often good substitutes. But baking was different. Getting the right texture, color, smell and taste was tricky and took a lot of trial and error, Cropper said. "Baking is a science. You can't just substitute," she said.

Fast facts

Trans fat

What it is: Trans fat is created when hydrogen is added to liquid cooking oils to harden them.

What it is used for: Trans fat is often found in oils used to deep-fry foods and in baked goods.

Health concern: Along with saturated fat, trans fat raises levels of so-called bad cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease.

[Last modified January 27, 2008, 02:30:40]