Deep fryers are a ubiquitous part of the food industry landscape, used to cook everything from French fries to egg rolls to fried chicken. To ensure even, high-quality results, smart restaurant owners invest in only the best fryers, yet a more commonplace aspect of deep frying often gets overlooked by many foodservice professionals: the oil.
The type of cooking oil you stock in your fryers will greatly affect the taste and quality of the resulting food items. If you would like to learn more about the different types of cooking oil available today and the relative merits of each one, let’s take a closer look at the three main types of oil used in commercial deep fryers.
Canola Oil
Canola oil is derived from the rapeseed plant. This light-colored oil has a neutral flavor and is prized for its ability to let the flavor of the food itself shine through. Most canola oils produced for deep frying have been refined to increase their ability to resist degradation. This ability is measured in terms of the oil’s smoke point.
The smoke point refers to the temperature at which a particular oil starts to break down and burn. Generally speaking, the higher the smoking point of an oil, the more stable it is. Once an oil has reached its smoking point, its flavor will grow drastically worse. Most canola oils have a smoking point of around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Most deep fryers operate at a temperature between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit, making canola oil a highly stable choice. Furthermore, canola oil tends to be one of the most affordable oils on the market, making it a popular choice for restaurants that require large volumes of oil and frequent oil filtration.
Peanut Oil
Peanut oil tends to be slightly more costly than canola oil, yet it has a smoking point of 450 degrees Fahrenheit — in other words, about 50 degrees higher than the smoking point of canola oil. This gives peanut oil an extra degree of stability, especially when used in fryers that regularly operate at temperatures closer to 400 degrees.
Unfortunately, peanut oil has a couple of unfair stigmas attached to it. First, many foodservice professionals mistakenly assume that peanut oil will cause foods to taste like peanuts. This simply isn’t true. Peanut oil actually has a light neutral flavor, not that different from canola oil, although some people say that it has a faint sweetish quality.
Second, many restaurants avoid peanut oil for fear of triggering peanutallergies in customers. So long as operators invest in highly refined peanut oil, however, peanut allergies should not be an issue (though we always advise consulting your fry oil provider). Peanut allergies are triggered by a certain type of protein in peanuts. Cold-pressed, expelled, or extruded peanut oils will still contain this protein, yet the refinement process used to create deep-frying peanut oil will remove this troublesome protein.
Blended Oil
Many deep-frying oils consist of strategic blends of different oil types. This allows manufacturers to maximize the benefits associated with particular types of oil. For instance, a 50/50 blend of peanut and soybean oil can achieve a similar smoke point to that of pure peanut oil. Meanwhile, the soybean oil helps to lower the cost of the oil, making it a more economical choice.
Another popular type of blended oil consists of canola and soybean oils. This blend can achieve smoke points as high as450 degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, a blend of soy and canola contributes to a lesser rate of flavor transfer between the food and the oil. Furthermore, this type of blend contains no trans fats, making it a more health-conscious choice.
No matter what oil you use, try to make it last.
The price of frying oil is volatile if not consistently rising in today’s foodservice landscape, and it can even change based on world events and geopolitics. Ultimately, this means less frequent oil changes will result in the potential for higher profits. But how can operators manage their frying oil so it has a longer shelf life? Pitco can help. For more information about the best types of oil for deep frying and to see how they can best be used in your commercial fryers, schedule some time with a frying expert today.
FAQs
Blended Oil
What oils are best for commercial deep frying? ›
Vegetable oil and canola oil are two popular types of oil used for commercial deep frying because of their high smoke points. Which oil is the better option? Canola oil is often favored because of its neutral flavor, low saturated fat content, and balanced fatty acid profile.
What is the most popular deep fryer oil? ›
The refined oils that are most often used for deep frying include safflower and soybean oil, the latter of which is often labeled as vegetable oil. Decker says the most stable picks are high in a fat called oleic acid, and recommends using peanut or canola oil.
What oil do commercial kitchens use? ›
Common varieties like soybean and canola oils can be budget-friendly, making them a reliable option for many commercial kitchens. Refined oils are generally more affordable, although they may lack the nuanced flavors found in their unrefined counterparts.
Which oil is best for deep frying chicken? ›
Canola Oil
Benefits: With a high smoke point and neutral flavor, canola oil is excellent for frying chicken. As an added bonus, it has high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which makes it healthier than other options.
What are commercial grade oils? ›
Commercial-grade essential oils have some essential oil as their primary ingredient, but their main purpose is still to create only an aroma or flavor. To lower costs, manufacturers dilute, blend, or add synthetic compounds to the essential oil to create more volume, blend scents, or boost aroma or flavoring.
What is the most popular cooking oil in the world? ›
Palm Oil – 75.98 Million Metric Tons
Palm oil is the most used cooking oil, known for its red color and being partly solid at room temperature.
What kind of deep fryer oil does Mcdonald's use? ›
Once in our kitchens, we cook them in our canola-blend oil so you can have them crispy and hot—just the way you like them. Want to hear more about our fry ingredients? Get the down low on how we flavor our fries.
What is the most popular cooking oil? ›
Palm oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and rapeseed (canola) oil are among the most consumed edible oils in the world. The global edible oil industry has experienced significant growth since the demand for dietary fats and oils has seen a parallel increase.
What oil do Chinese restaurants use for deep frying? ›
Originally Answered: what cooking oils do Chinese restaurants use? Chinese wok cooking calls for oil that can withstand extremely high temperatures without burning or smoking. Usually, this would be peanut oil but lard is also common.
KFC products are fried in oil which may contain the following: Canola Oil and Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming Agent Added OR Low Linolenic Soybean Oil, TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming ...
Can you leave oil in a deep fryer overnight? ›
Yeah, it's fine. I worked in a restaurant where we'd obviously turn it off at the end of every night, but our rule-of-thumb was that if at the end of the night, you could still see through to the bottom, it was good enough for one more service. Just make sure you're cleaning the fryer at least every 3–4 changes.
What's the healthiest oil to fry with? ›
We generally try to reach for monounsaturated fats when pan-frying. These healthy fats are liquid at room temperature (as compared to saturated fat like lard, butter and coconut oil that are solid at room temp). Our favorite healthy fats for pan-frying are avocado oil, canola oil and olive oil.
What is the most healthy oil for frying? ›
The healthiest oil to cook with is olive oil. It's versatile, being used in everything from frying to finishing. It's also rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and polyphenols, all of which have shown protective effects against cancer and liver, heart, and neurodegenerative diseases (27, 28).
What type of oil does Popeyes use? ›
The company is committed to sourcing palm oil that is RSPO certified and credits its entire menu globally. Popeyes uses a combination of beef tallow and partially hydrogenated beef tallow in their fryer oil. This produces a lower trans fat content than what you might find at Church's.
What vegetable oil to use in commercial fryer? ›
Canola oil is another popular choice for commercial deep fryers. It has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor, making it versatile for various foods. Canola oil also has a lower level of saturated fats than other oils, making it a healthier option.
What is the best oil for deep frying fish and chips? ›
Best Oil to Fry Fish. Thanks to its neutral flavor, affordable price, and high smoke point, canola oil is the most popular oil for frying fish. Peanut, cottonseed, and coconut oil are also great fish frying oils.
