If you are a fry food lover and often use a deep fryer for frying food, you surely would want to use an oil with health benefits that also will maintain the taste of fry foods.
So typically, olive oil would come first in your thoughts and you might want to know should you use olive oil in a deep fryer to fry foods or not.
Therefore, let us uncover the rationales so that you can satisfy your tummy with all those delicious fry foods.
Should I Use Olive Oil A Deep Fryer?
Olive oil should be used in a deep fryer because it has a high smoke point of 390°-468°F. And mostly has monounsaturated and saturated fats that keep it stable while deep frying. So olive oil doesn’t oxidize if it’s exposed to a high temperature and makes a great option to be used in a deep fryer.
The high smoke point and stability upon being heated at a high temperature are the prominent facets of olive oil that make it suitable for frying foods in a deep fryer.
By the “North American Olive Oil Association”, it has been stated that the smoke point of olive oil ranges between 350°F-468°F. And it’s known that the temperature of deep fryers is between 350°-375°F.
Therefore, the high smoke point of olive oil makes it safe to be used in deep fryers.
Besides, olive oil mostly contains monounsaturated and saturated fats which makes it stable while it’s being heated in the deep fryer at a high temperature.
Therefore, olive oil doesn’t oxidize and can surely be used to fry foods without changing the heath factors and taste of foods.
Can I Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil In A Deep Fryer?
You surely can use extra virgin olive oil in a deep fryer. Because extra virgin olive oil is high in quality and has a smoke point of 405° F (207° C) which is beyond the needed temperature of a deep fryer.
Therefore, extra virgin olive oil stays stable while coming in contact with high heat and makes a great option to be used in frying foods using deep fryers.
Moreover, extra virgin olive oil has a much lower acidity level of 0.2% compared to olive oil, therefore it offers the fried food nutritious qualities. So it makes the best oil option for people who use deep fryers frequently.
Also, since extra virgin olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats, the oil will not oxidize after getting used. So even at a high temperature, you can fry foods without burning the food/oil.
What Type Of Olive Oil Is The Best For Deep Frying?
Extra virgin olive oil is the best one among refined olive oil, pomace olive oil, and extra virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is the unrefined olive oil that is the healthiest among all other kinds of olive oil. As it is free from chemicals and altered temperatures. Besides, it has a very low acidity level and an authentic flavor.
Therefore, even if you eat fried foods often, using EVOO offers you the nutrition of olive oil and keeps the food’s flavor and nutrition intact as well.
On the contrary, both the pomace olive oil and refined olive oil are refined olive oil though the process of making them is different. So heat and chemicals are added to them to make a better version of olive oil.
Therefore, they are unhealthier than EVOO. That makes them a less great option for deep frying.
Why Can’t You Use Olive Oil In A Deep Fryer?
Generally, one can use olive oil in a deep fryer but there is a common myth that made people believe that they cannot use olive oil in a deep fryer.
The myth is, “the smoking point of olive oil is too low for deep fryers”. Like others, you may think that olive oil has a low smoke point, so it will break down easily, will oxidize, and will create smoke. This is absolutely wrong and this myth may stop you from using olive oil.
Can You Use Olive Oil To Deep Fry French Fries, Chicken, Fish, Or Turkey?
Olive oil can be used to deep fry French fries, in fact, olive oil makes one of the best oil to deep fry French fries other than vegetable oils.
You can use olive oil or better extra virgin olive oil to deep fry fishes as well. EVOO makes a great choice for deep frying fishes at high heat.
Olive oil also can be used for deep frying chicken but it’s better if you use olive oil for pan-frying chicken. However, chicken tenders/breasts can be deep-fried with olive oil.
And as for turkey, olive oil is better for oven roasting a turkey rather than deep frying. But still, you can use refined or EVOO to deep fry turkey.
Is Deep Frying In Olive Oil Unhealthy?
Eating deep-fried food regardless of oil type is always unhealthy, especially if you eat oftentimes.
However, if you use olive oil to deep fry foods, it will release little to no unhealthy elements and will not make the food intentionally unhealthy.
Especially, if you use extra virgin olive oil for deep frying, the oil would not be considered unhealthy due to having a very low acidity level.
However, refined olive oil is a little unhealthier than EVOO as this oil doesn’t contain 100% natural elements/quality of olives that EVOO contains.
What Kind Of Oil Does Deep Fryer Use?
To end your confusion regarding what kind of oil is used in commercial deep fryers or which are the most suitable oils for deep fryers, this section has included explanations of 4 types of oil below.
Canola Oil:
Canola oil is one of the best-suited oil to be used in a deep fryer.
Canola oil comes with a high smoke point which is nearly 400°F. So it will remain stable while greeting heated and will not break down until the temperature reaches 400°F or more.
Besides, it is chemically refined so can resist oil degradation for being used quite a times. And lastly, it is affordable so used by many people, especially in the restaurant businesses.
Olive Oil:
Olive is used by health-conscious people who like to eat fried foods but in a healthy way. Deep fryers both use refined and extra virgin olive oil due to the health benefits it provides.
Besides, olive oil is a stable oil that doesn’t oxidize and has a higher smoke point of about 390°F-468°F.
Peanut Oil:
Peanut oil is the most used oil in deep fryers after canola oil as its smoke point is really high about 450°. So it easily passes the temperature of the deep fryer without burning the oil, creating smoke, and burning food.
Although peanut oil is costly and can cause potential peanut allergies, it’s quite used to deep fry foods because it’s seen that deep-frying eliminates the troublesome proteins from peanut oil.
Blended Oil:
Blended oil is the other most used oil that deep fryers use. Because blended oil such as a 50/50 mixture of canola oil and soybean oil or soybean oil and peanut oil reduces the cost while achieving a high smile point.
Therefore, economical people/restaurants use blended oil in deep fryers.
Can I Use Vegetable Oil In A Deep Fryer?
Vegetable oil is considered the best oil for use in a deep fryer due to its different varieties, high smoke point, and having no strong flavor, so you can use vegetable oil in your deep fryer.
It is made by a combination of various plant extracted oil so it’s cost-effective. So, vegetable oil makes the best option for you if you use a deep fryer often.
Besides, it doesn’t add any other flavor to fried foods, so the fried food contains its original flavor.
Most importantly, the smoke point of vegetable oil is about 440°-450°F, so the oil will not get oxidize and you can use the same oil a few times to fry food in a deep fryer.
Can I Use Canola Oil In A Deep Fryer?
Canola oil is an almost refined oil and neutral-flavored that is made for deep frying purposes, therefore, you can use canola oil in a deep fryer.
However, since the smoke point of any oil decides whether it’s suitable for use in a deep fryer or not, know that the smoke point of canola oil is about 400°F. And the temperature of the deep fryer rises up to 375° F, which means you will get 25°F variance.
Therefore, this variance allows canola oil as one of the most appropriate vegetable oil to be used in deep fryers while frying foods.
Can I Use Sunflower Oil In A Deep Fryer?
You can use sunflower oil in a deep fryer. Because sunflower oil is an incredible all-purpose oil that can be used for stir-frying, baking and roasting, and deep-frying.
Sunflower oil has a higher smoke point, and the smoke point is about 446°F (230° C). So it makes clear that sunflower oil can be used in the deep fryer as the smoke point of its is far beyond the temperature of deep fryers.
Besides, sunflower oil doesn’t deteriorate for at least 8 hours, so within 8 hours you can use the same oil in a deep fryer to fry foods.
Can I Use Coconut Oil In A Deep Fryer?
Coconut oil has nearly 90% of saturated fat and it’s said that if a cooking oil has more saturated fat it will withstand the high heat of a deep fryer better. So you definitely can use coconut oil in a deep fryer to fry your desired foods without burning the oil or food.
90-92% saturated fats or fatty acids in coconut oil make it more stable while deep frying. Therefore, even though coconut oil has a smoke point of 350°F, you can use it for deep frying for 8 hours or more and the quality of oil still will remain satisfactory.
Can I Use Corn Oil In A Deep Fryer?
Corn oil is also a safe vegetable oil option, so you can use corn oil as well for deep frying purposes using a deep fryer.
Corn oil has a very high smoke point which is around 450°F (232°C). And such a high smoke point has proven corn oil as one of the ideal oil that can be used in a deep fryer without oxidizing the oil or burning the food while keeping the crispiness.
Final Thoughts:
Olive oil is enriched with monounsaturated fats and about 14% of saturated fats that makes it stable while being heated up at a high temperature. Besides, the smoke point of olive is about 390-468°F which makes it a deep fryer suitable oil that should be used while deep frying in a deep fryer.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can You Put Water in a Deep Fryer?
Can You Use Lard in a Deep Fryer?
Can You Mix Different Oils in a Deep Fryer?