Dealing with the Fear of Frying

Posted by Kirhat | Wednesday, March 03, 2010 | | 8 comments »

Fear of Frying

The fear of flying may be common to many, but the fear of frying isn't uncommon among moms.

This doesn't mean that one should just surrender. Like most moms who personally prepare meals for their family, there are a lot of things that could go wrong when frying especially when not done right.

Riz Silva de Leon, 45, enjoys cooking dinner for her family.

"Frying is quite easy when mastered, but there's always the risk. More often than not, food is sometimes undercooked or worse burned," says De Leon.

Choose the right cooking oil. When it comes to frying, it's best to use cooking oil that has a high temperature tolerance. Oil's heat tolerance is relative to when it starts to smoke. Here, oil has reached its maximum usable temperature and affects the frying process. When oil starts to smoke, its flavor and nutrition quality decreases. The oil with high smoke points is less likely to lose its quality easily.

Keep in mind that frying is dry cooking. When frying, food should be dry enough to prevent extreme oil sputter. Pad meat with paper towels or tissue to absorb any excess moisture before placing in oil. This process solves most burns that moms fear with frying. Another way to deal with oil sputters is to keep the pan’s lid within arm's reach to easily cover it when sputters become uncontrollable.

Choose a pan deep enough for the food you are frying. Make sure that your pan's depth is similar to the average thickness of the meat or food you’re frying. For example, a skillet’s rim should be high enough to prevent the spitting oil to reach the flames underneath the pan. This is a major reason why oil catches fire and causes most domestic fire incidents.

Knowing your oil's readiness for frying. A good way to know if your oil is ready for frying is to simply place your palm just a few inches above the pan. Once you feel heat emanating from the oil, then it's ready for cooking. Palm oil has a high smoke point, which means it won’t smoke for a longer period of time when heated compared with coconut oil.

Do not overcrowd your pan. Frying should be done in batches. Too many ingredients thrown may change the temperature of both the pan and the oil. Have a good ventilation system in the kitchen. Burnt cooking oil usually cause smoky kitchens. Do not let smoke clog up your kitchen as too much can actually cause suffocation.

8 comments

  1. Mike Golch // March 4, 2010 9:20 AM  

    I really don't have a problem with flying it's the takeoffs and landings that I have a problem with.Oncein the air and back on the ground I'm OK.

  2. -Iip- // March 4, 2010 12:27 PM  

    nice tips of cooking,
    sometimes I dream about cooking expert's life. Is it really joyfull?

  3. Kirhat // March 4, 2010 2:14 PM  

    @-lip-
    I also had a dream like that before, but I can't get past the stage where cooking is a necessity. Some of my friends, though, took cooking way past that and made it an art.

  4. The Twitterer // March 4, 2010 4:54 PM  

    i am a homebody, it's just that i don't like the kitchen part. when i got married, i had no choice but face the hardest task i know at home: cooking.

    thanks for these cooking tips.

  5. 餐廳 // March 5, 2010 6:04 AM  

    來給你加油打氣!!!保重!!! ........................................

  6. Badet // March 7, 2010 1:20 AM  

    This is very helpful, I'm one of the victims of those frying disasters.

  7. Chin chin // March 7, 2010 12:01 PM  

    Thanks for sharing these guidelines. I'm one of those who have fear of frying especially frying fish, been the victim of several burns. Now, I can do it nicely and can pass on the tips to my children.

  8. Manila Girl // March 8, 2010 10:02 AM  

    Haha. I'm not a mom but I do have an extreme fear of frying! I can bake anything - but I can't fry.

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