Safe Cooking Oil Heating: Tips and Techniques

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the safe heating of cooking oil, addressing concerns about flammability, techniques for heating, and the implications of using water on hot oil. Participants explore various methods, safety tips, and personal experiences related to cooking with oil, particularly in the context of frying foods like latkes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that cooking oil can be heated under atmospheric conditions, while others express concerns about its flammability and the need for an inert atmosphere.
  • There is a discussion about the smoking temperature of cooking oils, with some noting that oils begin to decompose before boiling, leading to smoke but not necessarily ignition.
  • Participants raise questions about the implications of water interacting with hot oil, with some warning against using water to extinguish oil fires due to the risk of splattering.
  • Several participants share personal anecdotes about cooking with oil, including experiences with oil fires and the use of safety measures like goggles.
  • One participant proposes that frying might be safer under dry nitrogen, while another questions the practicality of this approach.
  • There are multiple references to cooking latkes, with participants sharing their experiences and recipes, highlighting the cultural significance of the dish.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the safety and techniques for heating oil, with no clear consensus on the best practices or the necessity of using an inert atmosphere. The discussion includes both agreement on certain safety tips and disagreement on the implications of using water with hot oil.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the importance of understanding the smoking temperature of oils and the risks associated with water and oil interactions, but these points remain unresolved and depend on individual interpretations and experiences.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in cooking techniques, particularly those involving frying, as well as those concerned about kitchen safety and oil handling.

rachmaninoff
How do you heat cooking oil - it's flammable so it'd have to be under an inert atmosphere right? How do you set this up?
 
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Cooking oil? Be more specific.
 
huh? I think most cooking oils start to decompose before it boils (at what's called the smoking temperature). That means, it's sort of burning and you'll start to see smoke. I believe it won't catch on fire though unless you actually light it, since the hottest oil is at the bottom of the pan, where the rest of the oil keeps the oxygen away.
 
So you can do it under atmospheric conditions. Gotcha.
 
What do bubbles mean? Is that boiling?
 
HELP! A single drop of oil is sliding down the exterior of the frying pan, towards the heat source! Will it explode? Am I in danger? Does insurance cover this sort of thing?
 
Oh, relax. It'll just burn off. If you're that concerned about it, wipe it off before it gets to the flame (or element, if an electric stove). Even if the whole bloody pan catches on fire, just put a lid on it and it'll go out. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, POUR WATER ON IT!
 
rachmaninoff said:
HELP! A single drop of oil is sliding down the exterior of the frying pan, towards the heat source! Will it explode? Am I in danger? Does insurance cover this sort of thing?
First time cooking with oil? :biggrin:

Stay away from deep fryers. :bugeye:
 
Hmm, it burned out.

What does water do? It's not nearly hot enough to evolve hydrogen gas.
 
  • #10
"What does water do? It's not nearly hot enough to evolve hydrogen gas."


it will have some kind of big and quickly exploding bubbles, which will spray oil and water into you giving you blisters. keep the flame low i guess.
 
  • #11
I don't think I want to be within a block of this one...

Zz.
 
  • #12
thinks rach has been drinking the cooking sherry

:rolleyes: :wink:
 
  • #14
My latkes have succeeded! Even more astonishing, I have walked away unharmed! Three cheers for chemical-resistant goggles.

edit: thanks for the links, Astro. They just might save my life next time.
 
  • #15
Latkes! Cool.

Evo was supposed to have made latkes the other night. :-p I wonder how they turned out.
 
  • #16
Here's a clip of how to deal with a chip-pan fire and what happens if you try and pour water on it.

http://www.devfire.gov.uk/index.cfm?lev=3&page=79
 
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  • #17
rachmaninoff said:
Hmm, it burned out.

What does water do? It's not nearly hot enough to evolve hydrogen gas.
!:bugeye:!
How do you not know about not using water to put out an oil/chemical fire!
 
  • #18
Oh we were talking about fires? That clarifies things. I thought the subect was not adding water to boiling oil. Which is also a bad idea, incidentally.
 
  • #19
Duh...
 
  • #20
This whole city is in trouble when i start cooking...
 
  • #21
You guys all got me craving latkes, so I had to make them for dinner tonight too. :approve: It's much easier to shred the potato and onion with a food processor (something I only acquired last year and have never attempted latkes with; I hardly ever make them). I read a few recipes online and took a rough average of the ingredients. Yum! Just like I remember them tasting when I was a kid (the first time I ever had them was in second grade when we made them in school). I didn't have any applesauce though. :frown: I could've sworn I bought some, but if I did, I don't know where I decided to put it. I did have sour cream though, so that was okay.
 
  • #22
sorry I used the applesauce cause my car was a quart low and it was the slipperyest stuff you had.
I've caused an oil fire before and I got to say it was pretty intense. I forgot about the oil I was heating up to cook some french fries. Smoke really gets your attention I'm glad it was invented.
 
  • #23
I still think frying would be better off under dry nitrogen. Safer for one.
 
  • #24
you want adventure, try this next. bacon while naked.
 
  • #25
I expected latkes was soon to follow, when you went on about hot oil. I made some too for a group of 30. Boy did they gobble them down. Made sure there was plenty of apple-sauce and sour cream. No cutting corners, we had two hand graters in action, used close to 10lbs of spuds. I didn't break out the lab goggles but did wear safety glasses :cool:

Though the humble potato is a newcomer to Europe http://collections.ic.gc.ca/potato/history/migration.asp from So America in 1500s, the people of Eastern Europe took the humble potato pancake and raised it to a state of scrumptious perfection.. I once saw a documentary with Michael Palin, where he was traveling through some remote part of Russia. They came in from the frigid snowy tundra to a warm steamy kitchen. We watched, as their guide prepared breakfast of potato pancakes, the familiar old fashioned way, sizzling in lots of oil.. Yummm! :-p So this Chanukah tradition actually stems from Eastern European culture. Can some of our PF friends in that part of the world offer their perspective?
 
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  • #26
I don't think I've ever had a latke
 
  • #27
tribdog said:
you want adventure, try this next. bacon while naked.
BTDT :biggrin:
 
  • #28
amazing how unerringly accurate those grease splatters are isn't it
 
  • #29
same goes for spooning into the open half of a grapefruit :bugeye:
 
  • #30
Ouabache said:
same goes for spooning into the open half of a grapefruit :bugeye:

Wear your chemical goggles for that one! :eek:
 

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