Cottonseed Oil Is Part Of The Recipe At Café Du Monde - Cotton Farming (2024)

• By Stacey Gorman,
Director Of Communications, The Cotton Board •

Cottonseed Oil Is Part Of The Recipe At Café Du Monde - Cotton Farming (1)Sitting in a bustling café at dawn as the city of New Orleans wakes up from its all-night festivities can only mean you’re at Café du Monde.

This is one of the world’s most famous coffee shops and a New Orleans institution. Sipping a stout chicory coffee or creamy café au lait while watching the servers hustle plates filled with powdered sugar-dusted hot beignets has been one of the quintessential New Orleans experiences for more than 150 years.

The original Café Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The café is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It closes only on Christmas Day and when an occasional hurricane passes too close to New Orleans.

The process of making the perfect Café Du Monde beignet has been constant as well. The Café Du Monde beignet is a square piece of dough, always fried in cottonseed oil and lavishly covered with powdered sugar. A plate of three is served for less than $3.

“We buy hundreds of thousands of pounds of cottonseed oil to run the Café Du Monde,” says Burt Benrud, vice president Café Du Monde. “When you’re in the food business, the most important thing you have is the quality of your product — that’s what keeps your customers coming back.

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Beignets

“We don’t even entertain the thought when somebody comes knocking on our door asking us to use a different kind of oil to cook our beignets in — that’s how important cottonseed is to our business. Cottonseed oil is just part of the recipe.”

A new Cotton Board video, “Forever Cotton — The Café,” showcases the story of the world-famous Café Du Monde and highlights its loyalty to cottonseed oil.

Forever Cotton is The Cotton Board’s new multi-faceted communication campaign aimed at cotton producers. It demonstrates the many ways the Cotton Research and Promotion Program works on behalf of U.S. Upland cotton growers to bridge the gap between cotton on their farm and other aspects of the crop. These include cotton as a performance fabric, cottonseed oil as a trusted food source, and production practices for sustainability and stability on the farm.

The Cotton Research and Promotion Program is investing more then $1.5 million into cottonseed research and marketing in 2019, including research on the health benefits of cottonseed oil compared to other oils. Its goal is to make cottonseed oil preferred in kitchens across the country, like at the world-famous Café du Monde in New Orleans.

For more information, email Gorman at sgorman@cottonboard.org.


Tip For Cooking The Perfect Beignet

One of the most critical steps to making perfectly crisp and light beignets is to be sure the oil is very hot (at least 380 degrees) and that it remains hot throughout the cooking process. If it isn’t, the beignets absorb too much oil and the powdered sugar melts when served. In addition, the beignet is greasy, sticky, and a hot, sweet mess of soggy dough.

Café du Monde only fries their beignets in cottonseed oil, which has a high smoke point of 420 degrees. This allows the café to keep the oil extremely hot as it fries thousands of beignets each day.

Cottonseed Oil Is Part Of The Recipe At Café Du Monde - Cotton Farming (2024)

FAQs

Cottonseed Oil Is Part Of The Recipe At Café Du Monde - Cotton Farming? ›

Cottonseed oil is part of the original recipe,” says Café Du Monde's Burt Benrud, vice president. “If you want to maintain consistent flavor from one generation to the next, you have to adhere to your original recipe.” Cottonseed oil is used in products like salad dressing and margarine.

What kind of oil do they use at Cafe du Monde? ›

We use cottonseed oil at the Cafe Du Monde, and we recommend you use cottonseed oil. However you may use any vegetable oil you wish. Remember that the temperature of the oil will drop when you add the beignet dough to the oil.

What are Cafe du Monde beignets made of? ›

What are the ingredients in your beignet mix? Enriched wheat flour, enriched barley flour, milk, buttermilk, salt, sugar, leavening (baking powder, baking soda, and/or yeast), natural and artificial flavoring. Do you use eggs in your beignet mix? We do not use eggs in our mix.

Is cottonseed oil from cotton? ›

Cottonseed oil is extracted from the seeds of cotton plants of various species, mainly Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium herbaceum. They are grown primarily to produce for cotton fiber and animal feed. Processing includes the use of hydraulic pressing, screw pressing, and solvent extraction.

Is cottonseed oil good or bad for you? ›

Cottonseed oil may offer health benefits like reducing inflammation and better cholesterol levels if eaten moderately. However, it has worries tied to its high saturated fat content, GMOs, and pesticide leftovers. Opting for healthier options like olive or avocado oil might be better.

Why does Cafe Du Monde fry the beignets in cotton seed oil? ›

“Cottonseed oil is part of the original recipe,” says Benrud. “If you want to maintain consistent flavor from one generation to the next, you have to adhere to your original recipe.” Café Du Monde knows it can count on cottonseed oil for another 150 years.

Is Cafe Du Monde still cash only? ›

Yes, cash is necessary for Café du Monde, the famous tourist spot known for its dough and sugar-dusted beignets.

Who owns Cafe du Monde? ›

The Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand is owned by the Fernandez family. Hubert Fernandez bought the Coffee Stand in May 1942 from Fred Koeniger. At that time Mr. Fernandez owned the Fernandez Wine Cellar located in the ground floor of the Pontalba Apartment building across from the Cafe Du Monde.

How many beignets does Cafe du Monde make per day? ›

I believe Cafe Du Monde sells around 30,000 beignets a day, give or take. I bet this is the right order of magnitude.

What is so special about Cafe du Monde? ›

It is a New Orleans landmark and tourist destination, known for its café au lait and beignets. Its coffee with chicory is widely available in the continental United States.

Is Crisco cottonseed oil? ›

Introduced in June 1911 by Procter & Gamble, it was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil, originally cottonseed oil. Additional products marketed under the Crisco brand include a cooking spray, various olive oils, and other cooking oils, including canola, corn, peanut, sunflower, and blended oils.

Is cottonseed oil healthier than olive oil? ›

With high-profile uses in foods that are better for the mood than the waistline, it may surprise some that in recent years, limited research has suggested cottonseed oil may impact human cholesterol levels more favorably than olive oil — which public opinion has long viewed as the premium choice for healthy cooking.

Is cottonseed oil good for your skin? ›

The Skin Benefits Of Cottonseed Oil

Linoleic acid, one of the fatty acids in cottonseed oil, is especially great for treating dry skin because it helps strengthen the skin's barrier, and it helps calm red, irritated, dry skin.

Why is rotisserie chicken banned in some countries? ›

If you didn't already know, since 1997, the European Union and the United Kingdom banned the importation of U.S. chickens. The issue? The standard practice in the U.S. poultry industry is to wash the carcasses in chlorinated water to kill bacteria.

What is the toxin in cotton seed oil? ›

Gossypol is a toxic compound found in the cotton plant. It is concentrated in the cottonseed but can also be found in other parts of the cotton plant such as hulls, leaves, and stems. Gossypol exists in two forms: free and bound.

What does cottonseed oil do to bugs? ›

As a pesticide, it is mainly used as an adjuvant or carrier with insecticides. The mode of action for cottonseed oil is consid- ered non-toxic to insects and mites, acting mainly through suffocation. Pesticidal Uses: Primarily used as a carrier or solvent.

What cooking oil do restaurants use? ›

Safflower oil / sunflower oil: Very high smoke point and highly versatile oil used in many restaurant kitchens for a variety of applications. Neutral flavor. Corn oil: Has a slight corn-flavored sweetness and high smoke point. Often, a favorite for fried dough and other similar products.

Why does Cafe Du Monde have chicory? ›

It is added to the coffee to soften the bitter edge of the dark roasted coffee. It adds an almost chocolate flavor to the Cafe Au Lait served at Cafe Du Monde. The Cafe Du Monde Coffee and Chicory is traditionally served Au Lait, mixed half and half with hot milk.

How much powdered sugar does Cafe Du Monde use per day? ›

Do you know how many pounds of powdered sugar the famous Café du Monde in New Orleans goes through? To keep their famous beignets completely loaded with powdered sugar, they use approximately 5,000 lbs every week! If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

How many beignets does Cafe Du Monde make per day? ›

I believe Cafe Du Monde sells around 30,000 beignets a day, give or take. I bet this is the right order of magnitude.

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