Have you ever wondered whether the French fries that you love to eat in restaurants are being cooked in an oil that’s safe to consume? While most restaurants think that reusing cooking oil is a great way to save money, there are some things to remember about reusing cooking oil. Let’s explore what people are saying about reusing cooking oil.
Many times, oil becomes toxic if it is used on more than one occasion to refry foods. It is especially dangerous to reuse oil when you spot the appearance of bubbles during the first batch of frying. This usually happens when we cook foods that are high in sugar, as the oil begins to lose its nutritional properties.
There are some oils that are more harmful than others. Generally, people advise against using olive oil for deep-frying which requires temperatures as high as 175 to 200 degrees celsius. If you have already used olive oil to fry the foods at high temperatures once, then the oil must have reached the “smoke point” which is the point considered toxic as the cooking oil develops carcinogenic compounds.
If your oil starts to look cloudy and very dark in colour, it’s time to throw it out. But isn’t that such a waste of money?
Of course. That is why there are very convenient and high-quality options in the market that are better than olive oil for deep-frying. They allow you to save money, as long as you know how to use them properly and safely.
For example, you do not have to worry about throwing out canola oil and sunflower oil as they can be safely reused. If you do, that raises the question of environmental hazards. No matter how many times you use it, at some point cooking oil will go bad. Then it is safe to throw it away. Stick to reusing oils that are meant for the purpose of being repeatedly used. These cooking oils are safe to use for two to three days after the first batch of deep-frying.
Photo: Kadir Celep
You must strain the oil between the cheesecloth between each use. This method will allow you to filter out the impurities from the oil, such as breadcrumbs and loose batter. Keep the oil in a sealed container and store it away from heat. A lot of times, people usually keep the used oil in the fridge once it has cooled down.
In order to reuse an oil, you can put it in dishes that have similar flavours as the foods that had been cooked. For example, if you had deep-fried chicken earlier then you may use the oil in chicken curries.
We hope that this information is useful!
