Are you wondering “can you deep fry with coconut oil?” They say coconut oil is healthy to prepare your food in, and the quality of the oil does not decline at all. Coconut oil is also highly heat-resistant because a very high percentage of the oil content of coconut oil is saturated. Deep frying is, in general, not very healthy due to the fact that you completely submerge your food into the oil.
This makes your food saturated with oil, which in itself is a very unhealthy substance for the human body. Thankfully, you can deep fry without heavy oil saturation. The right oil will get your food crisp without soaking up grease. With the increasing popularity of coconut oil, it leads us to a commonly asked question: can you deep fry with coconut oil? Read on to find out.
Oil for Cooking
There are many different types of oil for deep frying food for commercial use, as well as for home use. In the commercial environment, the most common choice will often be the most cost-effective one. It is not always the healthiest choice, though. While Canola Oil is popular for frying, it can leave a distinct taste on the food.
In the quest for finding a much more favorable and healthier oil for this popular way of cooking, much research has been done. Some alternatives as a replacement for the more commonly used cooking oils, especially those used for industrial uses, have been searched.
What to look for in an ideal cooking oil
There are some obvious differences in the oils you use for deep frying your food. Plus, there are many different features that need to be looked at. For the ideal cooking oil to use for deep frying food, you should look at the following features.
- Some of the available cooking oils can withstand higher temperatures than others, and this is a good feature for ideal cooking oil.
- Chefs love oils with a high smoke point. They allow for crisp cooking without the risk of burned oil.
- The cooking oil you would want to use for frying your food should not react with oxygen. It should also be very stable when heated.
- The saturation of the fats in the oil is a factor in the stability of the oil. Higher saturation of fats in the oil means the oil will be more saturated when heated.
- The best oils, then, are those that have saturated fats and monounsaturated fats for much higher stability when heated.
- The taste of the oil that is used for frying your food will have a significant influence on the ideal oil of choice. If the taste of the oil is neutral, it is the more preferable choice for deep frying your food.
Coconut oil is one of these alternatives looked into as a replacement for the more unhealthy oils available for deep-frying. This oil meets most of the criteria mentioned before and seems like an ideal oil to use for frying your food.
- Coconut oil can withstand high temperatures compared to other oils. This makes it a good choice for frying your food.
- This oil has a high smoke point and will be ideal for use as an oil to fry your food without too much smoke coming from it.
- Coconut oil has high saturated fat content and is very resistant to heat. The fatty acids are highly saturated at 90 degrees.
- These saturated fatty acids are not unhealthy for humans. They create harmless energy and are generally healthy in reasonable amounts.
- Some variants do tend to have a coconut taste to them, but others do not have any taste. Thus, they are neutral in flavor, making them ideal for frying your food.
Can coconut oil be used to deep fry your food?
You can use coconut oil to deep fry your food, with some conditions. You will have to keep the temperature beneath a certain point for it to work perfectly as a deep frying oil. Your target temperature is 325 degrees.
You must keep your oil at that temperature. If you do, it will deliver a nice, crispy, golden-brown crust to your food when finished. Coconut oil normally contains around 2% polyunsaturated fat. This normally makes it a very healthy oil to deep fry your food.
Coconut oil is neutral in taste. That helps significantly in keeping the flavors of your food authentic.
Coconut oil is excellent for deep frying your food and provides that crispy, golden crust that distinguishes the deep-fried food from others. It is also quite a healthy way of preparing your food compared to other oils used for deep-frying and pan-frying.
Final Thoughts
It is more fun when you can prepare your own food at home and for your family, especially deep-fried food. On top of that, if you prepare it yourself instead of buying deep-fried foods, you can have some manner of control of what goes in your oil.
You are never sure what to expect from the fries you buy from a fast food outlet. Likewise, who knows what types of oil they are using. The safer option is to do it yourself. This way, you can select the oil you use to prepare the food for your family in your favorite deep fryer.
