Enemies of Oil
Frying oil is one of the most expensive ingredients in your kitchen. When not properly handled or used, it will not only be wasteful on the oil, but also to the food items cooked. Five common enemies of oil that contributes to faster deterioration of frying oil are heat, air, moisture, salt, and soap. As contradicting as it sounds, the main actors can also become the factor to bad oil.
Heat
When oil is exposed to heat for too long, physical changes to the oil will happen such as it changes the viscosity of the oil and darkening the color. This eventually burns the products faster without properly cooking it inside out.
Solution: When fryer is not actively being used, turn the temperature down. Lowering the temperature by 18 degrees Fahrenheit can effectively double the life of your oil.
Air
Exposure to air diminishes the oil quality over time. Like most other consumables, oil gets oxidized when exposed to air causing chemical reaction between the oxygen and the oil. This reduces the oil quality over time.
Solution: Fryer vat lids are specially made to curb this problem. Covering your oil when it is not in used or during night time is crucial in preserving oil quality.
Moisture
Moisture contact deteriorates oil the most. Not to say we should avoid moisture at all cost because technically all foods will contain some moisture, especially protein. When frying, moisture will be extracted from the product and into the oil. This process can’t be avoided but can be controlled by filtering fatty acid from the used oi. Read here on the Importance of Oil Filtration.
Solution: Remove ice crystals from frozen products and make sure the product is the driest you can get before frying.
Salt
Best practice of preserving quality frying oil is to always season your food items after frying and not before. However quality control, some breading products are premixed with salt and other spices, making it a bit challenging to separate these two.
Solution: If you have options to season and salt your food items separately, it is best to have a separate table further away from the fryer to avoid getting salts in your oil.
Soap
Fryers usually have its own special cleaning method, not to be confused with normal kitchen utensil detergent. When soap reacts with oil, it produces darker smoke, darker oil, off odors, and foaming.
Solution: Always use the recommended cleaning solutions by the fryer manufacturer and always keep lid covers in place during fryer clean up.
Enemies of oil can be resolved or greatly reduced by proper daily maintenance of oil. Product like Henny Penny Prime Filter Powder works wonder in diminishing the effects of these ‘enemies’.
Read more on Henny Penny Prime Filter Powder here.
