Posts Tagged ‘cleaning frying oil’

There is a long standing debate among Electric Deep Fryer owners about when to change used frying oil.  Some say that fryer oil should be changed after every use.  Others say that old deep frying oil lasts for several months of use before it needs to be changed.   So who’s right? and why does old fryer oil get foamy?

The answer to this answer depends on how you use your Electric Deep Fryer and how clean you keep your fryer oil.  If certain directions are followed, then your fryer oil should not spoil.  Just follow several simple rules to keep your deep frying oil fresh as long as possible and you will save money, help the environment, and save on clean up and washing.

The number one thing you can do to keep your deep fryer oil from spoiling is to never heat your oil over the maximum recommended temperature.  This is usually 375 degrees Fahrenheit for most types of frying oil.  Of course, your oil won’t stay fresh forever as vegetable oils do turn rancid as it oxidizes, but depending on how often you use your fryer, keeping the temperature from reaching the frying oil’s smoking point will keep it fresh the longest.  The longest lasting fryer oils are soybean, canola, and corn oil since they have a higher smoking point.

Never use oils such as olive oil, almond oil, or even grape seed oil in your Electric Deep Fryer.  These oils have a very low smoking point and turn rancid and oxidize before your oil can reach a high enough temperature to even fry your food.  Once your oil turns rancid and oxidizes, eating this bad oil will cause cancer and other nasty diseases such as lipid build up inside your arteries.  However, for the very best oil to deep fry your food with, use coconut oil.

Coconut oil is extremely stable and has an incredibly high smoking point.  It also doesn’t oxidize rapidly when exposed to heat and light unlike other vegetable oils.  For example, leaving canola oil exposed to high heat, light, and air will turn the oil rancid in just days while coconut oil will still be good for months!  If you want to deep fry with coconut oil, be sure to get pure virgin coconut oil.  Do not buy hydrogenated coconut or palm oil!  Hydrogenated oils cause heart disease and are extremely bad for your body.  Healthy pure virgin coconut oil can be expensive if you buy it at your grocery store though.  The best prices I’ve found have been on two pack tubs of coconut oil online at Amazon.

Next, the number of times you heat up your oil will have an affect on how long you can use your deep fryer oil before it goes bad.  You can usually tell if your deep frying oil has broken down just by looking at it.  First, the number one sign that your oil is bad is if it is a dark amber color.  If your oil has darkened from light yellow to a dark golden colour then it’s time to throw it out.  The second sign of rancid oxidized vegetable oil is if it has turned thick and syrup like.  Thickened oil is oil that has oxidized and should be changed.  The third sign that your Electric Deep Fryer needs to have it’s oil changed is if the frying oil foams when you heat it up or deep fry food in it.  And finally, if your fryer oil has a funny smell, throw it out!

Although it may be tempting to reuse the oil in your electric deep fryers, the risk to your health and your family’s health is not worth the few cents you’ll save by using bad rancid vegetable oil.  If you really want to save money but love making deep fried foods at home, you should look into an Electric Deep Fryer that uses very small amounts of oil.

There are now home deep fryers that cut down on the cups of oil used by employing a rotating basket technology.  For example, the George Foreman GSF026B Deep Fryer with Smart Spin Technology spins food as it fries so the food absorbs less oil as it is cooking.  The amount of oil reduced by frying with a spinning basket fryer can be as much as 55%!  Electric deep fryers like George Foreman’s lean mean deep fryer are great if you love indulging in deep fried comfort foods but are worried about your weight and heart health.

Not only does a spinning basket cut down on the cups of oil used and absorbed by your food, but by constantly moving your food around as it fries, you’ll get better results.  Your food will be fried much more evenly and quickly, with a lighter and crispier outside and moister and tender insides.  Plus, the best benefit to this is that you won’t have to heat your oil to too high of a temperature so your deep frying oil will be less likely to go rancid.

So if you’re wondering why does old deep fryer oil get foamy, stop asking and just throw out that nasty grease!  Then come back and think about your health and your family’s health and safety and consider switching to coconut oil instead or even getting a better Electric Deep Fryer.

Click here to read reviews of the George Foreman Lean Mean Fryer