I have a deep fryer, but I honestly only use it once every two months. As such, filling it with oil for one or two uses gets a little bit expensive. Do any of you know of a good container for storing it in the fridge for months at a time, can I store it in a fridge for months at a time, and would filtering it through a coffee filter work to get all the crap I don’t want stored out of it?
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Just Some Fuckhead
You can’t make the emotional pain go away with deep fried goodness, John.
Yutsano
The jug the oil came in if you use the whole bottle is fine. Or any clean jug of that type with a tight fitting lid.
Should be okay. Oil usually goes rancid in heat.
Easiest and cheapest method. Works like a charm.
Having said all that, you should only reuse frying oil two or three times. After that it breaks down and gives off flavours to the food. And NEVER reuse oil after frying fish unless it’s to fry fish again. And that reuse only once. The fats from the fish get in the oil. And it goes rancid very rapidly.
Stuck in the Funhouse
Well, I was looking for a snack like meal that is light and enough to dampen hunger pains while dieting. After reading the long list of industrial waste added in Ramen, it was out. So I kept looking in the noodle department, and discovered something called Vermicelli, that I’m sure most folks on this blog are aware of, but not moi’ being arrested development in the food culture world. It had a minimum of preservatives and whatever else that sounded like slow poison added in, so I gave it a whirl, and fell in love with the stuff, and have been eating it for several days now, with various types of seasoning.
slag
After that last photo, I was thinking you must have fed the deep fryer to Tunch.
jeff
I bought a deep fryer last month, and I used the oil twice then dumped it and haven’t used the fryer since. Looking forward to good advice. I moved recently to a place where I catch tons of fish every week–hence the fryer.
A big disappointment for me was that it really does stink up the house, contrary to assurances I had been given. That, and the cost of dumping a gallon of expensive oil into the reservoir.
Yutsano
@jeff: Get a nice heavy Dutch oven. It uses about 6 cups of oil per fry, you can control the heat better, and they are much easier to clean. Not to mention you can use it for lots of other things.
/Alton
jharp
So what kind of oil is best?
I studied it long and hard and still not sure.
I use canola oil though I believe once you get it so hot it turns to bad oil.
I’ve head peanut oil is better but you’ve got to buy nearly a 55 gallon drum to get a decent price.
Anyone?
pseudonymous in nc
Cool, dark, airtight. You also have to be careful about the temperature: don’t have the oil preheating for too long — using a dedicated fryer will help here — and let it cool as soon as you’re done. Good Chowhound thread here.
Gin & Tonic
@Stuck in the Funhouse: Um, vermicelli is just very thin spaghetti, no more, no less.
jharp
@jeff:
Try steaming the fish.
No smell at all. And the fish is delicious that way.
By the way, what kind of fish?
beltane
I use one of those big, restaurant sized mayonnaise jars for this purpose, but we mostly just fry plantains so the oil can be used repeatedly for quite a while. We have a deep fryer but I still prefer using the large wok for deep frying.
Yutsano
@jharp: Peanut oil is great for frying. Expensive as hell but it handles heat nicely. Vegetable oil is good, usually it’s soybean oil, can handle frying temps well, and it’s cheap as dirt.
Rook
Any restaurant supply store will have filters that you can use for the oil, which has to be hot. Honestly, any stoneware jar should do the trick. Well, one with a good cover.
mai naem
This may sound stupid but I have never refrigerated oil. Butter and margarine, yeah. Oil, no. I don’t remember being in anybody else’s house where they refrigerate oil. As far as reusing, you can only reuse for a few days then you throw it away unless you can use it in your car.
jl
Used vegetable oil is easy: burn it in your car.
Cole should do that. He should think about all those Rosie’s out there who would run up to his delicious crispy fried chicken exhaust and jump inside for a ride home!
Can I really burn used vegetable oil in my car?
by Ed Grabianowski
How Stuff Works
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/vegetable-oil-fuel.htm
Steeplejack
@Yutsano:
What’s the recommended method for disposing of the oil when you’re done with it?
This thread is gold, because there are some deep-frying adventures I have long avoided because of just these oil-based issues.
ETA: Agree with you about using a Dutch oven. I have a nice small one (4½ quarts?), enameled cast iron, that I use a lot.
Stuck in the Funhouse
@Gin & Tonic:
No shit, really? Never would have guessed that.
pebble
There are some dangers associated with reusing cooking oil. This seems to be a pretty good summary of the information you might be interested in:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/CookingOil.htm
Yutsano
@Steeplejack: Definitely do not pour it down the sink. One method I’ve seen is to take a bunch of old newspaper, stick it in a trash bag, then pour the cooled oil in there, let it absorb, then just throw away as normal. My mom’s method is to pour it out into the yard. Not recommended for all situations however!
MikeJ
@Steeplejack:
In Seattle, drop it by General Biodesiel or Standard Biodiesel. They have drop off points and they’ll make energy out of your waste.
Martin
My grandfather used to buy a gallon of oil and would save one of the old gallon containers. The old container would get the used oil poured in through a funnel with the coffee filter in it, and he’d keep it in the freezer in the basement and take it out the morning he’d use it. The funnel was stored upside down over the top of the gallon container. Worked for him for half a century.
nwithers
@Steeplejack:
These days people will take your used cooking oil for free to turn into bio-diesel.
My favorite fried food? fried green tomatoes, only about another month till they are in season.
lacp
@jl: Diesel engine demonstrated at the 1900 Worlds Fair was fueled with peanut oil
lacp
I love deep-fried food, but it does use an awful lot of oil, and you don’t get a lot of re-use for that oil. Usually I’ll only deep-fry if I’m making food for a bunch of people.
Joey Maloney
There are also thin rice noodles that are labeled vermicelli…
Here’s a chart of oil smoke points. In general, as long as the smoke point is higher than whatever temperature you’re frying at, it’s all good. Then your choice is whether you want a flavorful oil like olive or walnut to lend its taste to the food, or a highly refined, neutral oil like canola or safflower.
And, per Alton Brown, the trick to prevent greasy food is to pick the right time/temperature. You want a temp high enough to vaporize the moisture in the food – the escaping steam creates a counterpressure that keeps the oil from soaking in. And you want to time it so that cooking is complete before all the moisture boils away.
As long as I’m just doing vegetables I’ll just keep the oil in the covered fryer and reuse it until it starts to look or smell “off”. If I do meat or fish, of course, I change the oil afterwards.
J.W. Hamner
I don’t think refrigeration is necessary unless your place is really hot. We use our deep fryer about the same amount and I don’t really go by time so much (though I do mark it on painter’s tape on the container) but how it smells and behaves. It can be pretty dark and still be fine.
If you are really worried you could use something like this.
Scott Alloway
@Martin: Gads, I must be your granddad’s age. I do the same thing. Filtered oil works fine for 7 or 8 fries. In the fridge and out a few hours before use. Hasn’t killed me yet (although the rest of my lifestyle might).
MikeJ
@Yutsano:
I think that’s too conservative(worse than Bush!)
Alton Brown says the oil isn’t as good the first time as it is the second[1].
[1] Fish may be an exception.
Dana
Really, you shouldn’t be deep frying anything. It’s hard on the liver, hard on the gall bladder and exceptionally hard on and *in* the arteries.
If you have a bad jones then at least space out your hits and intersperse them with long periods of big helpings of fresh fruit and veggies. And for heavens sake use good oil and change it often – way more often than you change the oil in your car. If thick, sludgy, dirty oil is bad for your car just imagine how good it is for you !!
Deep fried food is simply unhealthy on multiple levels.
And remember what Satchel Paige said: “Avoid fried foods, which angry up the blood.”
Yutsano
@MikeJ: We can agree to disagree, but I’m right. :P
Actually it depends on a lot of factors. Mostly the frying temperature and the type of oil. Definitely fish is the big exception to the recycle rule.
dopeyo
been making beignets in canola oil at 375 degrees. the canola has been staying pretty clean.
but maybe there’s a better oil to use for this? any suggestions?
Dan
I’ve been using the leftover peanut oil (5 gallons iirc) from a deep fried turkey for a few years now, just kept it in a cool cupboard.
Yutsano
@dopeyo: Traditional is peanut oil. However don’t argue with success!
The prophet Nostradumbass
I’m surprised it actually took 29 comments for someone to tut-tut about frying stuff.
jeff
@jharp:
I only fry my fish for when I’m having guests. I catch tons of pompano, redfish, speckled trout, spanish mackerel and some other species as well. All of these are fine broiled, but nothing beats fried fish once in a while. I’m using canola, but I know p-nut is better.
Steamed fish is not an option for my palate, but broiling and grilling are delicious and equally as healthy.
ETA: I lived in NYC for 11 years, and now that I live somewhere easily fishable, I’m making up for lost time quickly. Flounder broiled tonight.
Yutsano
@The prophet Nostradumbass: Inevitable as the tides. Still gonna enjoy my tempura though.
suzanne
@Yutsano: Weird. I have no guiltiest pleasure than Freedom Fries, but I never fry at home. Too much work and mess, and I don’t want it to be too convenient, because then I’ll eat that crap too often. And I oddly can’t stand tempura. Fucks up perfectly delicious vegetables with batter crap.
Husker Du’s “Could You Be The One?” is on. What a perfect song.
John Weiss
@The prophet Nostradumbass: There’s nothing wrong with deep frying stuff, but it has to be done right. Oil not hot enough is a disaster.
Thing is, you’ll be OK with fried foods as long as you don’t eat them on a regular basis and they’re cooked correctly.
Satchel Paige said… Yeah. SP, famous dietitian.
Yutsano
@suzanne: I actually do not like fries. It makes no sense since just about any other fried food I devour. I will eat tater tots though. Yes there is no logic to that whatsoever.
Maude
Restaurants use lo melt for deep frying. It isn’t like regular oil. It has a higher smoke point and doesn’t get easily absorbed by the food.
The problem with it is because it doesn’t smoke, sometimes someone forgets to turn off the fryer and the restaurant burns down.
I used to use a small fryer to make donuts. It was for a job.
jl
@Just Some Fuckhead:
“You can’t make the emotional pain go away with deep fried goodness, John.”
Colbert shows you are wrong.
Thought for Food – School Potato Guidelines & Fast Food Stamps
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/400078/october-18-2011/thought-for-food—school-potato-guidelines—fast-food-stamps
samuel
I just partially fill a wok with oil. doesn’t need nearly as much oil as a deep fryer.
slag
@Yutsano: Mmmm…tater tots. This is the third time today that I’ve felt tempted by the tot. Why are you doing this to me, world?!*
*Shakes fist at tot
freelancer
@Yutsano:
In the last few years, I have always had a salad as a side instead of fries, but if I’m indulging and knowingly eating great food with shitty consequences, I’ll have fries. Usually this means In N Out Animal Style once every month or two. Last summer I had Poutin at a grill in Flagstaff. Never had it before. Awesome! I’m salivating just thinking about it.
Basically if I order fries, I like a bunch of also unhealthy but yummy shit on top. Everything in moderation.
andy
Buy the vegetable oil in the big plastic bottle, then simply get a funnel and some cheesecloth and store the (filtered) waste oils in the same bottle it came from.
Naturally, as soon as the oil has cooled, okay?
Depending on your fryer, a quarter, half, or full gallon is what it takes to fill the thing anyway.
Yutsano
@freelancer: I have no banned foods. The only things I don’t eat are things I don’t like. And my heart is working perfectly. So until I need to change I’m gonna keep on a going.
muddy
@Yutsano:
They extract it with hexane though, which reminds me of pink slime ammonia meat, so I don’t want to use it.
It’s not a frying oil, so OT, but I was having a salad with hazelnut oil, and I couldn’t figure out at first why I kept thinking of chocolate, which I’m not big on. Oh, derp.
muddy
@Yutsano: When people ask about my diet, I say it isn’t a diet, I just eat ingredients. Seems like I can eat anything I like as long as it’s not pre-processed. Well, I don’t care much for the starch or sweets, so that helps.
Yutsano
@muddy: I just eat. The key is I don’t eat a lot. I lost 35 pounds doing just that. Now I’m gaining because I can’t move around very much, but even at that it’ll come off once I go back to Seattle.
muddy
@Yutsano: @Yutsano: I eat a lot, but it’s local flesh and veg mainly, and organic short grain brown rice for the dog and I, no Frankengrains. I’ve lost 100#, and now wear antique clothing from my youth. What goes around comes around.
Roger Moore
@muddy:
So what. You know what the boiling point of hexane is? It’s only about 65 C. By the time you get your oil up to deep frying temperature, any tiny residue of hexane left in your oil will be long gone. It’s like whining about using methylene chloride to decaffeinate coffee; they do it before roasting, so any traces that might have been left from the processing are completely removed by the next step.
jharp
@jeff:
You might try steaming one of the redfish. Other than that I’d keep doing what you’re doing.
Sea bass is the one I most prefer steamed.
And honestly, there is no fish smell.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
@Dana:
I recall that quote as “fried meats” which at least leaves you french fries and potato chips. Not that they’re a whole lot better. :-)
jharp
@jeff:
Oh, and in my part of the country, the great lakes, nothing beats deep fried walleye or perch.
Except maybe smoked whitefish.
Bubblegum Tate
I’m guessing it’s not worth doing the whole oil-saving thing with shallow-frying, yes?
Yutsano
@jharp: I live in the Northwest. It’s salmon season. One is at the house and will be barbecued soon. And I can get it pretty much year round at the store and it usually sets me back about $5 for a good-sized filet. Not to mention all the other good stuff readily available.
muddy
@Roger Moore: No, I did not know the boiling point of hexane. I don’t care. Just hearing it makes me not want it. I don’t eat stuff that requires a lot of processing. My health improvements and weight loss bear me out, whether in this particular circumstance or not. You can have my share. I use extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil for cooking.
muddy
@jharp: I like the smelts in the winter from ice fishing, So easy to clean, cut off the head and rinse the belly. And the tails are like potato chips.
FlipYrWhig
@suzanne: Big ups for Hüsker!
RadioOne
I don’t know about oil. because I use rendered bacon lard for my deep fryer. And bacon lard lasts forever, if refrigerated. I’ve used coffee filters for years, and can say that it does help preserve bacon lard for reuse in a deep fryer. Paper towels also work in this regard.
BethanyAnne
@Stuck in the Funhouse: It’s true, but there are asian variants that are white, that are made from rice or mung bean. You might be using asian vermicelli. So, there’s that.
IrishGirl
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Like hell you can’t! LOL
suzanne
@freelancer: Greek fries are my favorite. Lemon dressing, cracked pepper, and loads of feta cheese. FABULOUS.
Oddly, my husband has been going on and on about wanting poutin recently. Next time we go up to Flag, I’ll take him there.
third of two
Say, here’s a thought: throw out your fryer, fatboy. You’ll live longer.
Also not sarcastic (but less rude): eat raw veggies and move around. MAS.
BethanyAnne
@BethanyAnne: Oh, and one more thing, just in case you are still following this thread, Funhouse. You might check out Hungry Girl, and her bits on shirotaki noodles. It’s odd stuff, but a good snack that won’t break a diet. Same with sweet potato noodles.
freelancer
@suzanne:
When I hear Husker, I can’t dissociate from my Nebraska Cornhuskers. I have this hanging in my bedroom. Football season needs to start.
suzanne
@FlipYrWhig: Seriously. They’re just so stinkin’ good. They’re a bit before my time, so I had to seek them out, but they’ve resonated with me more than most others. That line, “Does wanting a feeling matter anymore?” just slays me. What an eloquent, simple way to express that.
Citizen_X
@freelancer: What, Canadian infiltrators have smuggled their junk food all the way down to Arizona? FINISH THE DANGED FENCE!
desertflower
Try straining the oil in cheesecloth before you save it…gets all the food bits out and cleans it up for another use.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason:
Grampa Simpson: [finishes a drink] Ah, can’t get a good sarsaparilla like this back in Springfield. It angries up the blood.
Bartender: Heh, you like it, huh?
Grampa Simpson: Up yours!
msskwesq
There is also that T-Fal ActiFry deep fryer that you supposedly use a tablespoon of oil to deep fry. I don’t have one, its like $250.00 but it looks interesting…
asiangrrlMN
@suzanne: Local boys done good!
After reading this thread, I want poutine.
joel hanes
@jharp:
deep fried walleye or perch
with plenty of salt and pepper in the breading
food of the gods,
Griswold be their name
in cast iron amen
I’m partial to good-sized bluegills and crappies, too.
harlana
FUCK!
Wimbledon threads, cooking threads and a depressing as hell pets thread
no place to bitch in the morning
but that’s cuz you all stay up till 3 in the morning (about the time the cat wakes me up to lick my hand and then flop her head on it numerous times) and 2 hours later, i’m up so who gives a fuck, right?
what about MY needs?!
harlana
anyway, fuck it, i’m going back to the Walker investigation site and read some complaints
did Scott Walker know that two of his top aides were trolling together for young, possibly underage males to manipulate and exploit for sex and if so, when did he know it? at the very least, perhaps around the time a criminal complaint was filed? doesn’t seem to care.
well, on to more mundane stuff like embezzlement and fundraising on taxpayer dime
harlana
cooking and sports, not my specialty
bitching, THAT i can do
harlana
oh and the thing i really don’t like about twitter is you have to keep blocking porn people or porn bots, whatever the hell they are, about every day
also, i think there are other kinds of bots in the twitterverse. i was being followed by what i believe to be about 3 of them. if you look at their tweets, it’s just random quotes (sometimes incomplete) out of various books. it’s weird. anybody else experience this?
abo gato
@Stuck in the funhouse, vermicelli is great, but if you go to the Hispanic section of your grocery store get the Fideo…..same stuff, but CHEAP! Around here it sells for like 4 packs for a dollar. Fideo is just thin spaghetti cut into half inch or so pieces. Cooks fast and you can do tons of things with it from soups to casseroles.
Mattski
Here’s what I do/did.
I went to Walmart. Purchased 2 containers of the walmart brand cheap ass unfit for human consumption coffee. (I have a big fryer, you may be able to get away with one). Dumped out the coffee in the walmart trashcan and took containers home.
When i finish frying i dump the (Cooled!!!) oil into the containers. Pour somewhat slowly leaving the solids at the bottom of the fryer. You’ll wind up tossing the last little bit of oil. Then I store the oil in my standup freezer to keep it from going rancid.
I can alot of fry’s out of one batch of oil this way.
The only catch is that the next time you want fry, it’s best to take the oil out the night before.
I don’t do the coffee filter bit. Seems to add an extra messy step to a process that already messy enough.
Super Tip of the Day! For the best Fried Chicken Recipe use Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home recipe. Prepare the make a chicken brine three days ahead of when you want to actually eat dinner.
brantl
@John Weiss: He lived a long time, had probably the greatest longevity as a powerhouse athlete, what’s not to like?
polyorchnid octopunch
My friend Andrew is a foodie from LA. He’s got a cooking website up, called clove garden. Here’s the entry point into his oil and fats section. You’ll want to pay particular attention to his cooking with oils section as well as his smoke point chart. When it comes to deep frying, I’m pretty old school; I prefer beef tallow; it’s very stable, can be reused much more than any vegetable oil, and can be kept for a long long time in solid form in a freezer. That said, I don’t do it very much.
schrodinger's cat
I think somebody mentioned it up thread, use a small wok or a kadai (Indian cast iron wok) for deep frying, you can fry with far less oil, than a deep fat fryer.
I gave away my kadai when I moved so I am not tempted. You should not reuse the oil more than once. Best oil for frying is peanut oil, safflower oil and canola are the next best.
Beth
@Stuck in the Funhouse: You can also easily make your own ramen-type bowl of deliciousness, in Asian or any other style, by making a bowl of broth (I use fresh Miso paste, with garlic, ginger, chile and sesame oil added; or do what I did in TN, just doctor some broth with soy sauce and the above). Put in veggies, meats or hard-cooked or egg-drop egg along with the noodles, and yum! Makes a huge satisfying bowl that you can tailor to everyone’s taste or your own, and to your current dietary needs. Worth investing in BIG bowls for this, as our family goes for it. We also like to pop in Trader Joe’s Thai shrimp dumplings to the boiling mix, if they are near you, or any other Asian dumpling. We are in CA, so we have easy access, obviously.Enjoy!
Stuck in the Funhouse
@Beth:
Thanks, that sounds more what I was looking for, and tasty, also too.
Andree-Anne Desmedt
Don’t know about storing it, but you can definitely filter the “crap” out with a coffee filter.
I would keep changing the oil, though, lest it gets rancid (Yuk).
Felanius Kootea
@msskwesq: I have one – it’s great for fries and for frying green plantains (soft yellow plantains get smooshed into an edible but unsightly mess). It also works for meat though I usually bake my chicken after marinating for a day or two. Using just one tablespoon of oil saves me a lot and makes me feel less guilty. Sometimes I’ll cheat and use two tablespoons of oil, but never more than that.
J R in WV
@muddy:
Coconut Oil is one of the worst, health-wise – IIRC…
asiangrrlMN
@harlana: I actually had to solicit for pr0n bots. Took me two days of trolling them to get one. Maybe ‘coz I have a mildly risque avi myself and talk about sex, they think *I’m* a pr0n bot!
Tlazolteotl
@Roger Moore:
I have just one word for you: azeotrope