Peanut Oil and Deep Frying
Well, I'm attempting to master the art of deep-frying.
Ok, not really. But, I made a recipe this evening that called for deep frying in peanut oil. Now, I let the oil cool down, strained it and returned it to the bottle. I'd like to keep it for the next time I deep fry. Which is the best way to store it, so it won't go rancid quickly? Is storing in the fridge a good idea?
QueenB
Apr 12, 2007 05:37PM
Out of ignorant curiosity and as a largely non-deep fryer, what kind of deep frying asked for peanut oil?
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Fuchsia Dunlop's new Hunan Chinese cookbook.
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You're deep frying a cookbook? Any oil will do.
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Egads!
Let me be more specific. I was making the General Tso's Chicken recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop's new Hunan Chinese Cookbook. I deep fried the chicken, and only managed to slightly marinate the cookbook in soy. I've never claimed to be a neat cook.
I'm not much of a deep-fryer myself, which is why I'm asking the question, Sam-I-am. As a matter of fact, this is only the second thing I've ever deep fried, and I didn't want all that oil to go to waste.
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QueenB, I was just having a laugh (with you, I hope)! It is just that where I live, peanut oil is unavailable or very expensive. I would use peanut oil in the marinade and/or sauce, but not in the deep fryer. I'm more than fully with you in terms of saving the oil. Strain it and keep it in a cool place.
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I was laughing the whole time Sam. I'm a bit of a smart-you know what myself.
What kind of oil would you use if peanut is unavailable? You're in South America, am I correct?
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Corn oil is inexpensive here (Colombia) and a healthy option. Canola is more than twice the price, and is what I use as a normal cooking oil. I've used corn oil the few times I've made tempura; and have saved the strained oil with no problem.
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I've never cooked with corn oil (Florence Henderson would be so mad at me!).
Is it a neutral-flavored oil as well? What about the smoke point on it?
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Yes, neutral, high smoke point.
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Clearly, you don't have wessonality. As to flavor, I'm not a big Canola oil fan. It kinda reminds me of the oil I use when refinishing a piece of furniture. I cook cajun foods on occasion, and really prefer peanut oil (roux, etc...).
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I'm with you. I use peanut and toasted sesame when those flavors are needed. I use canola when I use just a few drops (much of my normal sauteeing and the like) and the canola flavor doesn't come into play. I would use corn oil for deep frying. I do a fair bit of French sauces: canola has never been a problem.
What is wessonality?
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See that's strange. Because I never found peanut oil to have a pronounced flavor. Now toasted sesame...that's a different story. Oh, I love that stuff.
Wessonality, I believe, comes from an old Wesson oil commercial with Florence Henderson. I believe she sung about having "wessonality".
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As long as you haven't cooked fish in it, and it's strained well, I keep mine under the sink.. nice and dark and cool.. and none of the kids will mistake it for apple juice... Keeps for about 3 months.
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It was chicken. I strained through layers of paper towel before putting back in the bottle. The oil came out very clean.
Thanks for your help!
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I do the same as purple goddess says. Make sure you label it so you don't use it for something quite different. It keeps well as long as it's free of cooking particles or other possible impurities.
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Anybody tried safflower oil? It has one of the highest smoke points, and from what I read, that will help it hold up better through two or three re-uses. I have no idea about the taste, though. And how do you filter the used oil? Is a wire mesh tea strainer good enough, or should I use coffee filters? (I read that somewhere, but it sounds like it would take a LONG time for that much oil!)
I just got a deep fryer and I'm ready to take the plunge this weekend (not literally...that would hurt).
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I used two layers of paper towel and it worked perfectly. I would imagine coffee filters would work well too. It really didn't take that long.
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