Potato Patty Coating

Dont know what they use but Buttermilk will work. And if handled correctly so will heavy cream with a touch of flour beat in it.

Also keep in mind that thee breaded itms are done mechanicaly.

Go right to the source and ask:

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/contact_us.html

http://www.kfc.com/contact/

I would imagine something like hydrolized vegetable protein is in there to get the heavy amino acid response in the flavor.  My thoughts on replicating fast food stuff: don't bother.  You're up against a team of scientists who formulate these things.  You can come close but in the end the effort is not worth it....much easier to just go buy one.  I make my own veggie patties but I just went out on my own way to make them with the goal of making a healthy, quick and inexpensive alternative to satisfy that area of my meal planning for the family.  I add Worsteshire and some Shoyu (Soy) to get the effect of "meatiness"....albeit Worsteshire is not Vegetarian. You could try putting a little Marmite or Vegemite in there...just a small amount if you are making the patties from scratch that is...I might pick some up for mine as well. 

As for the coating, I looks from the picture to be some form of bound breading (as you mention) sans egg but who knows what they use in that sector of the industry for those particular products!

Hmm so bread, potato, peas, carrots and Indian spices.   If I could taste one and see it I could probably break it down pretty well...but I am guessing it sounds like in that order they are going to proportion them.  Trick to those patties is to make them have a good texture without being too dense...still working on my recipe in that regard but it's getting pretty close.  Ooh I did find the core ingredients for a McVeggie:

"Veggie Patty: Water, soy protein product, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, vital wheat gluten, modified cellulose, spices, salt, evaporated cane juice powder, hydrolyzed corn and soy protein, natural flavor (vegetable source), yeast extract, caramel color, vitamin B1 (thiamine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacinamide), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), pantothenic acid (calcium pantothenate), reduced iron, zinc (zinc oxide)."

I see no mention of the vegetables listed on the first site so I am assuming this isn't the "Indian" version, but guess they still use some form of soy protein product...the Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) "chunks" are ok for this type of thing but too expensive, at least what is available locally for me, to concede to using them in a dish that is supposed to be inexpensive.  Mine are basically Chick Peas, Bread Crumb, Tahini (also have used peanut butter...small amounts), seasonings, a little Shoyu and Worsteshire. 

Its a Modified Corn Starch slurry that gets sprayed on and then flash frozen. 

"Modified cellulose" = doctored up sawdust.

mjb.

Quote:

Originally Posted by teamfat 

"Modified cellulose" = doctored up sawdust.

 

mjb.

Actually depending upon the source of the cellulose it may not even be plant based.  Modified cellulose isnt generally used for coating, and that high in the ingredient dec its probably part of the binding system.

You are right, but I do notice more and more its use in ice cream or frozen dessert called ice cream if you will.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefedb 

You are right, but I do notice more and more its use in ice cream or frozen dessert called ice cream if you will.

That is because before the freezing process and during the churning process the cellulose helps with suspension of particulate.  Without the gums or cellulose the ingredients may separate or fall leaving an uneven mix one the freezing happens. It also helps with the viscosity, thus the reduced use of egg yolks in the ice cream and reduced cost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefhow 

Its a Modified Corn Starch slurry that gets sprayed on and then flash frozen. 

So the binding agent, but do you know what the coating is? Processed food interests me, mostly from a cultural aspect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoebisch 

So the binding agent, but do you know what the coating is? Processed food interests me, mostly from a cultural aspect.

The starch slurry is the coating.  It is a slurry of starch and water that is sprayed on and helps crisp the outside when fried.  Starches are used for MANY things other than thickening and binding. 

Some info I found:

http://www.autismweb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6953&view=previous

Hash Browns: Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor (beef source), salt, corn flour, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate added to maintain natural color, and spice. Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/nut...gredients.html

Petals.

ps . A note they sent me:

Thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald's for ingredient and allergen information.

For your convenience, the ingredients of the hash browns, which are made with Russet potatoes, are as follows:

Allergens: WHEAT AND MILK
Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), salt, corn flour, dehydrated potato, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), extractives of black pepper. Prepared in vegetable oil: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness. Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.
CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK.

*(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

To obtain the most up-to-date ingredient and allergen information for McDonald's standard menu items, visit the website at www.mcdonalds.com. Available allergen information will always be listed on the menu item's ingredient statement.

McDonald's has worked with the Food Allergy and Anaphlaxis Network (FAAN) to help consolidate all allergen information within our ingredient statements. The FAAN encourages customers with food allergies to regularly read ingredient statements because ingredients may have changed. Again, McDonald's recommends you visit the website, www.mcdonalds.com, for the most current information about our products. We also recommend that you speak with your health care provider if the information you are seeking cannot be found on our website or printed materials.

McDonald's has provided nutrition information on our menu items for more than 35 years. One of our goals is to provide accurate and accessible nutrition information to our customers by providing a clear, consistent approach to communicating nutrition information. Today, customers can obtain nutrition information on our standard core products through five sources:

www.mcdonalds.com
McDonald's trayliners
McDonald's Nutrition Facts Brochures
Toll-Free Number -- 1-800-244-8227
McDonald's Packaging

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald's and we look forward to serving you again soon.

Thomas
McDonald's Customer Response Center

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefhow 

The starch slurry is the coating.  It is a slurry of starch and water that is sprayed on and helps crisp the outside when fried.  Starches are used for MANY things other than thickening and binding. 

I guess I am having a hard time visualizing that "crumb" that I see on the patty and equating that to a slurry was my point.  I assume they have a machine that works much like one of those paint devices used for the "popcorn" ceilings then? (total speculation)  Every time I make a slurry it's always very consistent and smooth, which is what's throwing me I suppose.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoebisch 

I guess I am having a hard time visualizing that "crumb" that I see on the patty and equating that to a slurry was my point.  I assume they have a machine that works much like one of those paint devices used for the "popcorn" ceilings then? (total speculation)  Every time I make a slurry it's always very consistent and smooth, which is what's throwing me I suppose.

There is no crumb in the coating, its all in the potato mix itself.  The slurry is a VERY thin layer that is sprayed on and instantly frozen, when it cooks up it gives the hash brown a crispy golden brown coat.  There is no texture or crumb on a McD's hashbrown that I have ever seen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefhow 

There is no crumb in the coating, its all in the potato mix itself.  The slurry is a VERY thin layer that is sprayed on and instantly frozen, when it cooks up it gives the hash brown a crispy golden brown coat.  There is no texture or crumb on a McD's hashbrown that I have ever seen.

Have a look at the link menu referenced in my thread above...go to the core menu and you can see the patty that is referenced.  This will give you an idea of what I mention.

That is nothing more than seasoned bread crumbs, I was under the impression you were asking about the breakfast hash brown as other people were referencing.