What Type Of Oil Does Culver's Use To Cook Its Food?

Whether you're craving a butter burger or a sweet frozen custard, the Wisconsin-born fast food chain Culver's can provide. While some of its menu options come hot off the grill or get scooped from a tub, most of the chain's menu — from its crispy cod fillets and chicken tenders to its classic cheese curds and crinkle cut fries — is made with the help of a fryer.

While we love these entrées as is, we have to know: What type of oil does Culver's use to cook its food? Turns out, Culver's uses canola oil to ensure its food gets hot and crisp. To keep the oil fresh, the preservatives citric acid and TBHQ are added. Finally, the chain also adds an anti-foaming agent (dimethylpolysiloxane). While this is the current oil Culver's uses in its fryers, ingredients sometimes change; to receive the most up-to-date information on the chain's ingredients, check the Culver's website before you go.

Culver's is one chain that uses canola oil (which is different from vegetable oil) in its kitchens, but it isn't the only fast food chain that does. McDonald's, for example, uses a canola oil blend (an infusion of non-hydrogenated rapeseed and sunflower oils) to cook everything from its famous fries to Chicken McNuggets. Burger King also relies on a blend of oils, including canola, corn, soy, and cottonseed. Finally, Wendy's uses a vegetable oil-based blend, which may contain other oils such as canola and corn.

Each brand might use a slightly different oil for its fryers, but Culver's is one of the few that uses pure canola oil instead of a blend. This gives them points for clarity, since you're not 100% sure what you're getting in blends. Plus, compared to options such as vegetable oil, canola oil contains more unsaturated, heart-healthy fats (Bobby Flay even chooses it over olive oil). This doesn't mean your butter burger and fries are healthy; it just means Culver's has a slight advantage over the competition. Still, keep in mind fast food chains use neutral oil since it doesn't change the flavor of the dish. Using any of these oils in a fryer usually comes to comparably crispy results. Choosing canola oil might come with a slight health advantage, but what matters most is that you know what you're getting at Culver's.