Broaster Company is an American

foodservice The foodservice (US English) or catering (British English) industry includes the businesses, institutions, and companies which prepare meals outside the home. It includes restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many ...

equipment manufacturer headquartered in

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sent ...

. It was founded by L.A.M. Phelan in 1954. The company is known for producing pressure fryers, licensing "Genuine Broaster Chicken", and operating a branded food program, "''Broaster Express''".

History

The

Broasting Broaster Company is an American foodservice equipment manufacturer headquartered in Beloit, Wisconsin. It was founded by L.A.M. Phelan in 1954. The company is known for producing pressure fryers, licensing "Genuine Broaster Chicken", and ope ...

technique was introduced in 1954 when American businessman and inventor, L.A.M. Phelan, combined parts of a deep fryer and pressure cooker as a way to cook chicken more quickly. With his invention, Phelan trademarked the words "broaster" and "broasted food". Phelan manufactured the first Broaster Pressure Fryers under Flavor Fast Foods, Inc. and in 1956 formed the Broaster Company, expanding its line of offerings to include food product ingredients and accessories. In 1970, the Alco Standard Corporation of

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Tow ...

purchased the Broaster Company. In 1991, Alco sold the Broaster Company to a group of private investors. In 2009, Jay Cipra was named CEO of Broaster Company LLC, after serving as president of its parent company Broaster Company, Inc. Broaster Company celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2014.

Operations

Broaster Company is the owner of a proprietary process that creates what the company calls "Genuine Broaster Chicken". The process uses the company's

marinades Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origin of the word alludes to the use of brine (''aqua marina'' or sea water) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flav ...

and coating to prepare chicken which is then fried in a Broaster Pressure Fryer by an employee with training from the Broaster Company. The Broaster Company licenses more than 5,000 restaurants, bars, and carryout locations in the United States with additional locations in 54 countries. Among them is High Life Lounge in Des Moines, highlighting the chicken broasting process on a Season 3 (2010) episode of ''Man v. Food''.

Broasting

Broasting is a method of cooking

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

and other foods using a

pressure fryer In cooking, pressure frying is a variation on pressure cooking where meat and cooking oil are brought to high temperatures while pressure is held high enough to cook the food more quickly. This leaves the meat very hot and juicy. A receptacle us ...

technique invented by L. A. M. Phelan and marketed by the Broaster Company. The method essentially combines

pressure cooking Pressure cooking is the process of cooking food under high pressure steam and water or a water-based cooking liquid, in a sealed vessel known as a ''pressure cooker''. High pressure limits boiling, and creates higher cooking temperatures which c ...

with

deep frying Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Norm ...

to pressure fry chicken that has been

marinated Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origin of the word alludes to the use of brine (''aqua marina'' or sea water) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor b ...

and

breaded Bread crumbs or breadcrumbs (regional variants including breading and crispies) consist of crumbled bread of various dryness, sometimes with seasonings added, used for breading or crumbing foods, topping casseroles, stuffing poultry, thickeni ...

. Internationally, broasted chicken remains highly popular in

Middle Eastern The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...

and

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...

countries such as

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, as well as in

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

countries such as

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Many restaurants and fast-food chains in these countries also have the word "broast" in their names.

References

Bibliography

External links

Broaster Company website.
* {{Cooking techniques Cooking appliances Manufacturing companies based in Wisconsin Cuisine of Wisconsin American companies established in 1954 Food and drink companies established in 1954 Manufacturing companies established in 1954 1954 establishments in Wisconsin