4 Things To Avoid To Keep Your Deep Fryer Oil Healthy

In the ChefTalk cooking forums, a question about fryer oil vs salt came up:

In the McD’s Chicken Selects thread welldonechef said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by welldonechef Note that seasoning the flour is also a sure way to ruin your oil. Part of the reason you see the loss of intensity in seasoning is that your salt breaks down in the oil, lowering its smoking point.

I’m hoping for a reference or citation for this claim. Or a citation to refute it.

Fryer by zenobia_joy of Flickr fame

Frying is always been the black sheep of the culinary family. Misunderstood, abused – and never given the respect it deserves. Part of the problem is the problem that people have with their food after it comes out of the fryer. Perhaps it tastes terrible, has a weird smell. Perhaps the fryer oil smokes quite soon after you change it.

Here are four things that you need to watch for when it comes to your fryer oil:

Water causes hydroxylation, which literally attacks the molecular chains in your oil. This can cause your food to have an off taste. Rinse your fryer in vinegar after washing it, because otherwise soap particles left behind speed up the water molecule’s efforts to hydroxylate the oil.

Salt has impurities in it that mimic the effects of copper salt ions. See, fryers are made of stainless because they found that any contact with copper would adversely shorten your oil’s life span by oxydizing the oil and lowering the smoke point. The longer your oil stands at the smoke point, the faster your oil breaks down.

Oxygen exacerbates the problems you may already have. If your oil is hydrolized, then the oxygen molecules literally attack the structure of the oil, causing more oxydization. The cycle continues until you reach the next logical step…

Polymerization is that gunk that builds up on your fryer that NEEDS to be cleaned off. It is produced when the liquid molecules of the oil band together and form a sloid. Your oil leaves a sticky, gummy substance on your fryer that is impossible to clean off. If the oil is allowed to come into contact with it, it will start to break things down rapidly through oxidization. Further, the oil will get thicker and you will not be able to drain it off. As you can imagine, that will increase the oil absorbtion.

How does one avoid these effects?

• Clean your fryer everyday
• Strain your fryer
• Turn it down when not in use
• Rinse your soap agents out before refilling
• Replace oil that has passed its point of prime

Tagged as: clean, fryer, hydrolization, oil, oxidation, polymerization, salt