On the public radio show The World last Friday, there was a story about a lawsuit over a recipe published in a Chilean newspaper. The recipe included erroneous instructions for making churros, a fried pastry popular in Spain and Latin America, among other places. (As an aside, I have a recollection of one of my early Spanish textbooks being called Churros y Chocolate--that's how ubiquitous these snacks are).
Among the errors was an instruction to heat the oil to 482 degrees Fahrenheit, which is past the flash point. Several readers who made the recipe had the oil explode out of the pan when the churros were added, suffering burns on their arms, faces and chests.
In this season of deep-fried Hannukah foods, it is good to remember that oil should never be hotter than 375 degrees and you should use oils with high smoke points. On the rare occasions that I deep-fry anything, I use peanut or canola oil and keep the temperature around 350, which I monitor with a heavy-duty kitchen thermometer. Also, you should use a very deep saucepan such as this one, which holds six quarts. I use a scant inch of oil and am paranoid about not overcrowding the pot.
This is a great reminder and also a great frying tutorial. It can be a bit intimidating, but I think this post will put new-fryers minds at ease!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic reminder! There won't be any exploding fried food at your house, just exploding happy belly's!
ReplyDeleteI had one oil fire a long time ago - now - I never deep fry anything!
ReplyDeleteYikes...that was not a good typo! Thanks for the great advice...I keep thinking I want a deep fat fryer, but do I really need an excuse to make more fattening foods? I think I'll stick with your method~
ReplyDeleteOh my...that is horrible about the error in the newspaper! Thanks for the tip, useful to those like myself who have never fried anything and it scares us...good to know how to do it safely!
ReplyDeleteWow! 482?! I no longer fry foods at home, but when I did - like you - it was in a scant inch of oil. That is a sad lesson to learn.
ReplyDeleteHow sad that the recipe can be out without even being proof read and see what was the consequences of doing so. You know before I post up my recipes on my blog, I make sure I check the ingredients and instructions over and over because I want to genuine in sharing my recipes and at the same time, the person who is following should be able to get the same outcome.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing what you know with me and yes, overcrowding is a big no because I learned that from my own mistakes some time back.
I just looked at my deep fryer. It only goes to 400 degrees. There is a definite reason for that. I rarely fry anything without something with a controlled temperature gauge. Oil burns are the worst. However, this will give you some insight into errors in cookbooks. Martha Stewart has had them as well as others. I even received one book with a card of corrections. This was an interesting read and very informative-thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat is crazy... a small typo, yet it could cause a huge fire! I am used to deep frying food (usually use a shallow deep frying with 1/4 inch oil), but we always need to be alert in the kitchen when deep frying.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! Sounds dangerous (yet taaasty - I love churros with honey!). Glad you're okay!!
ReplyDeleteI always take great caution when deep frying... how terrible for these folks that got hurt. :( Thanks for the lesson on not to go hotter than 375 degrees. I'll definitely keep that one in mind the next time I deep fry. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful and prosperous New Year!!~ Ramona
ReplyDeleteI don't fry anything very often and it always makes me nervous! Thanks for the great tips!
ReplyDeleteI take great caution while deep frying but I have heard several instances of people getting burnt with splash of hot oil.Thanks for sharing this informative post on deep frying.
ReplyDeleteChurros are also very popular here, and thanks for sharing the bit on the legal battles involving churros and the need to be really careful when deep-frying. Happy new year to you and your family!
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