Here’s How to Extend the Quality and Life of Your Fry Oil

Frying oil is liquid gold – it creates delicious, crispy food we all love and crave, but it can be one of the pricier investments for restauranteurs. Preserving and maintaining great fry oil is the “secret sauce” to serving consistently delicious fried food because oil has such a huge impact on flavor and texture. Here are the 6 “enemies” of frying oil as well as how to prevent them from deteriorating the quality of your cooking:

Oil Oxidation

When frying oil encounters the air, it forms hydroperoxides through the process of oxidation. This breaks down the quality of the cooking oil, which in effect compromises the flavor profile of the food. Unfortunately, air/oxygen can’t be avoided – but to help cut down on exposure, restaurants can cover their frying vats when they’re not being used.

Options for Filtering Fryer Oil >>

Water and Oil – They Don’t Mix

Just as the cliché says, oil and water don’t go together. Moisture is released from food during the frying process, and some fried foods are frozen before being fried, which adds even more water into the mix. Steam that escapes during frying can cause foaming that affects the flavor, texture, and quality of the food. This accelerated oil deterioration can be avoided by maintaining recommended thawing temperatures for all frozen foods, shaking off any excess ice, and keeping the fryer basket from being overcrowded.

Carbon Footprint

‍Carbon build-up from food particles is also one of the top killers of oil quality and longevity. Carbon build-up often shows up as black, caked-on grease inside the fryer. One way to prevent it and keep it under control is to filter out food particles that are left behind in the frying process. This is also important for protecting the flavors because if you continue using the same oil to fry various batches of food with the particles circulating around, the oil will transfer different flavors and aromas from the burned carbon.

7-Day Sample Pack of FreshFry Pods>>

Always clear out crumbs whenever they appear to prevent rancid flavors from carbon. While frequent frying will cause the oil to eventually break down, regular filtering will extend its shelf life, which in turn saves you more money. FreshFry Pods are a simple, easy way to filter fry oil of impurities that occur during the frying process.

*Bonus tip* Keep your oil fresh by using quality oils that have a higher smoke point.

Salty Spice

Salt is a delicious and essential ingredient that also contributes to oil breakdown. Salt acts as a catalyst and accelerates oxidation during the frying process, and it acts as an impurity that lowers the smoke point of oils. Excess salt in oil can be avoided by salting food after it’s been cooked away from the fryers.

Can’t Stand the Heat…

High temperatures are necessary for frying, but deep-frying oil breaks down faster at extremely high temperatures. To prevent this breakdown, keep your cooking oil at its ideal frying temperature by calibrating fryers and turning off any unused frying vats.

Suds are for Duds

The last one to keep in mind is soap. Be sure to rinse all the soap out of the fryer and off the basket before pouring in oil to prevent foaming, smoke, and burning. Ultimately, the way to preserve oil is proper filtration of all 6 enemies of oil.

FreshFry Pods work overnight by capturing and removing the impurities that degrade your oil and make it smoke, look dark, and taste bitter. They remove water, free fatty acids (FFA), polymers (the things that make the build-up around the fryer-it's actually plastic!), and trace metals (ex. iron that comes from chicken). FreshFry Pods extend the life of your good oil, so you can get back to what matters: creating incredible food!  

Ready to give FreshFry Pods a try? Grab a sample pack here or reach out to a team member to discuss your needs.