7 Enemies of Oil

There are enemies of cooking oil that degrade it quickly by diminishing its purity and shortening its life. Recognizing the reasons cooking oil breaks down is the most important step in ensuring proper maintenance and enhancing food quality. The results are happier customers and the ability to maximize profits by enabling your oils to last longer. Now let’s take a look at the seven enemies of cooking oil that might be costing you that return customer.

Carbon build-up often shows up as black, caked-on grease inside the fryer. 

Reusing the same cooking oil without removing the food particles can cause the oil to go rancid as it burns the carbon.   

Frying at too low a temperature will result in unevenly fried food with higher moisture content. Too much heat can burn, overcook, break down the cooking oil faster and shorten its useful life. 

Light accelerates chemical reactions, including the degradation of oil. Direct sunlight causes the fat molecules in cooking oil to break down which causes the oil to go rancid.

Moisture is released from food during the frying process. The steam that escapes during frying from excess water can cause foaming which negatively impacts the flavor, texture, and quality of food.

 Air contains oxygen and reacts with cooking oil causing oxidation. This reaction decreases oil quality and creates foul odors that affect the flavor of food and its nutritional value. 

Salt accelerates oxidation and acts as an impurity that lowers the smoke point of oils, making them unable to withstand high-temperature cooking.

Soap rapidly breaks down frying oil compromising its overall life making it unfit for consumption. It causes the oil to darken faster, cause off flavors, foaming, smoking and foul odors.‍