The Six Enemies of Oil

Frying oil is one of the most expensive ingredients in your kitchen, and improper handling doesn’t just waste both oil and the food, but can also cause poor quality of foods and potential food safety issues. Food scientist and technologist are always researching on how and what makes cooking oil can deteriorate faster, and how to tackle them.

The Six Enemies of Oil that can be prevented and minimised are carbon, salt, water, air, soap, and heat. Excessive exposures to all these essential components of frying can lead to poor oil quality if no preventions are taken care of.

Heat

Inaccurate temperature settings and fryers that do not have idle mode can prolong unnecessary oil exposure to heat. Overheated oil can alter the oil’s viscosity and darkens its color, causing the oil to smoke that leads to faster burning of food and uneven cooking.

Solution: Having an idle mode in fryers is great in preventing overheating and conserving energy. Otherwise, lower the fryer temperature when not in use can also be effective in extending the oil’s life. Look into Henny Penny Pressure Fryers which are also great at cooking with lower and controlled temperatures.

Carbon

Sometimes, it is inevitable to prevent crumbs from falling off into the oil, especially when frying heavily breaded products. Food crumbs sink to the bottom of the fry vat will carbonise, causing a chemical reaction that breaks down the oil over time.

Solution: Making a routine to skim the vat frequently can greatly reduce the amount of carbons left in the vat instead of waiting for the filtration time at the end of the day.

Air

Air in the environment, especially if it’s humid, may contain moist, which can spoil cooking oil through oxidation, reducing its quality over time.

Solution: It is very recommended to use fryer vat lids to cover the oil when not in use and overnight, to preserving oil quality and preventing unwanted foreign objects from falling into the vat.

Moisture

Moisture accelerates oil degradation. Moisture can come from wet or vats that are not properly dry after cleaning, or even from frozen foods.

Solution: After cleaning, ensure the vats are thoroughly dry before pouring in the cooking oil. When frying frozen products, avoid placing frozen bags near the vats or cooking oil, and avoid pouring the products directly from the bag as there may be ice chunks that could drop directly into the oil. When frying frozen products, it is also best to ensure the products are as dry as possible.

Salt

Salt, salted-seasonings and marinades can degrade oil quality if added before frying. Although some recipes may require pre-seasoned ingredients, there are ways to minimise the oil degradation.

Solution: If possible, season foods after frying or use a separate table for seasoning to keep salt away from the oil. Avoid seasoning the foods directly on top of the vat to prevent excess salts in the oil.

Soap

Regular detergent can be harsh, abrasive, and cause potentially harmful chemical reaction for your fryer as well as the oil if there are residues left in the vats. Using regular detergent on fryers can cause darkening, off odors, and foaming in the oil.

Solution: Henny Penny Prime Filter Powder works as a magnet to attract chemical impurities during oil filtration. Thoroughly clean the vats, baskets, and the lids, when cleaning process is completed.

Proper daily maintenance can significantly reduce the impact of these oil “enemies.” Products like Henny Penny Prime Filter Powder help mitigate these effects and extend oil life.

Talk to us to learn more about how Henny Penny Prime Filter Powder and how it can benefit your operation.

Read other article(s) on Henny Penny:

• Henny Penny Prime Filter Powder Data Sheet
• A Deeper Dive into Prime Filter Powder
• Oil Savings Calculator

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