THE BEST OIL FOR DEEP FRYING
Fried food is very popular in the world. Deep frying is used for different kinds of products like chicken, fish, and vegetables. Doughnuts and churros are made this way as well. When we decide to use a deep fryer, we think, what oil or fat is the best choice for it?
Historically, to fry food, people used some fat, but now it’s recommended to use different oils. The advantage of oils is the absence of the smell compared to fat.
As we know, there is a great variety of oils. Therefore, it’s necessary to understand what is the “best” and the “worst” oils for deep frying in terms of taste and health.
Each grocery store presents a great variety of oils, but many of us don’t know which of them to choose for frying. The most important thing in the oil for deep frying is SMOKE POINT, the temperature of oil breaking down and smoking. This smoke can give the food unpleasant taste and smell, moreover, this smoke will be all over the room or house. For this reason, it’s vital to choose oils with high smoke points. In terms of this, the most suitable are: Safflower oil (265°С), Sunflower oil (245°С), Soybean oil (245°С), Corn oil (235°С), Peanut oil (230°С), Vegetable oil (220°С), Cottonseed oil (215°С), Canola oil (205°С). We could say, that these oils are the best choice for deep frying because they have smoke points higher than 190°С (375°F), so your food will have pleasant taste and flavor.
Other types of oils, especially squeezed oils (olive and avocado oils, etc.), have a lower smoke point, which excludes their usage in deep frying. But they are a great choice for salad dressing or for a quick sauté. In this case, make sure you don’t overheat it. Butter is also not suitable for frying because of the low smoke point. But as we know it's a great product for baking.
Next time you decide to make fried food, make sure you use the right oil with a high SMOKE POINT.
