Views on light olive oil for deep frying?

#1

Hi All - I deep fry but only occasionally, maybe once a month, and am trying to land on a good fat to use. I don’t really want to use a solid fat as it’s difficult with my fryer that has an immersed element and it gets expensive e.g. coconut oil or good quality beef tallow. Likewise avocado oil is really expensive here too so I can’t now go that route either. Light olive oil looks like a good contender though… liquid, cheap, high smoke point.

I know there are similar threads but I’m looking specifically for thoughts on light olive oil e.g like this one.

Has anyone got any views? Any reason I wouldn’t want to use this?

(LeeAnn Brooks) #2

I don’t believe olive oil is good for higher temps. It has a low smoke point.

(TJ Borden) #3

This is KETO, why not use lard? It’s cheap, has a relatively high smoke point, and it’s delicious. Like @Anniegirl9 said, olive oil had a pretty low smoke point, so probably not the best, especially if you’re frying indoors.

It looks like @LeCheffre is about to reply, and he’s smart, so go with whatever he says.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #4

Should be okay. Smoke point is not the relevant factor in oil degradation.

Olive oil is surprisingly robust. Australian researchers, paid by Big Olive:

Separately, the BBC looked at the issue and found the same result with no taint of Big Olive:

(TJ Borden) #5

Why so seldom? Have you not tried deep fried pork belly, or SPAM fries? Deep frying is FANTASTIC

#6

I found avocado oil at our local sams at a relative price to olive oil. That same bottle brand of avocado oil was 3x the price for a smaller bottle at a health food store. Look to your saver clubs if you or some one you know had a membership.

#7

SPAM fries? :slight_smile:

(Alec) #8

It’s only about 2 weeks ago that I woke up and realised that deep frying is now a good thing. These good/bad things are so ingrained in our heads that even though the logic of a position has been utterly demolished, some related assumed positions are retained eg deep fat frying is bad.

So, I got a deep fat fryer for the first time in 30 years, and filled it with lard.

Apart from spam (errr no, thanks) and pork belly (yes please!), any other great things to do in a deep fat fryer?
Cheers
Alec

#9

anything other than tallow is stupid, IMO.

(TJ Borden) #10

All I’ve used so far is tallow, but I fry so much pork belly, it ends up being mostly lard anyway. I picked up a tub of lard (hmm… I just got that joke), and I’ll probably just use it from now on, plus it’s CHEAP.

(TJ Borden) #11

Don’t discount spam fires so quickly. I have never been a fan of spam, but a keto friend of mine told me I needed to try them so I did. They come out looking like sweet potato fries and with the taste and consistency of regular, well seasoned French fires. Crispy outside, soft inside.

In addition to spam fries and pork belly, there’s:

  • Halloumi (with its natural saltiness, it comes out tasting like battered deep fried cheese sticks, but with no breading or seasoning required)
  • pork belly
  • chicken wings
  • pork belly
  • Brussels sprouts
  • pork belly
  • chips (using homemade or store bought tortillas)
  • pork belly
  • chicken skin (great for @carl’s Chicken Skin Corizo Rolls)
  • pork belly
  • meatballs (literally just small hand rolled meatballs if whatever ground animal you prefer)
  • pork belly
  • chicken hearts
  • pork belly

Plus, don’t forget about my personal favorite; deep fried pork belly.

(Shayne) #12

Turns out you can also deep fry broccoli and cauliflower. I haven’t tried it, but why not thin sliced zucchini or summer squash. If my garden ever produces some of the squashes, I might try that!

(LeeAnn Brooks) #13

I’ve seen Brussels spouts done this way that made my mouth water just looking at them.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #14

Only problem with deep frying is that my deep fryer is such a sticky mess and I can’t seem to get it clean. I hate pulling it out.

Seriously considering buying a new one.

#15

SPAM FRIES? HO LY SHIT! I’ll be back, going to get… something

(LeeAnn Brooks) #16

I honestly don’t see much difference between Spam and balogna, so why not.

I may have to try this.

(TJ Borden) #17

I have a fry daddy. It’s a concealed heating element with a lid. So once it cools (should be obvious, but based on the few negative reviews from idiots on Amazon upset that the plastic lid melted when put on a hot fryer), you put the lid on it and store it until the next time.

(TJ Borden) #18

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

(Shayne) #19

That’s what I have! I also can’t believe the stupidity of people trying to put a flimsy plastic lid on hot metal and expecting it not to melt.

#20

Olive oil smoke points are all over the place, I’d also think it would change the flavor of the food. Why is a solid fat harder? You have the kind with the coil/element exposed at the bottom? My old one was like that but really made no difference, it takes very little warmth to re-liquefy it. Tallow is my 1st choice, lard as a sometimes 2nd (frys good at the lower temps, I do fried cheese in the 325F range which lard is good to) and then coconut oil when I run out.