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11. When frying is complete, first turn off gas supply at the cylinder valve, then close regulator valves.
Do this before removing the basket from hot oil.
12. Wearing protective gloves, carefully remove basket from oil. Keep basket above the pot to drain.
13. After hot oil has sufficiently drained, carefully remove food from basket. Allow liquid to cool to 115˚F
(45˚C) or below before moving cooking vessel.
WARNING
Fryer thermometer should not be inserted into food or touching food when measuring temperature
of cooking oil. End of the thermometer stem should be at least 1 inch below oil level.
COOKING NOTE:
When frying the very first basket of food product, the food may reach proper doneness
before
the cooking
oil returns to the optimum frying range between 325˚F to 350˚F. This is normal.
For subsequent basket loads of food, the oil should return to the 325˚F to 350˚F cooking range while
the food product fries to proper doneness.
As cooking process continues, a steady frying temperature can be maintained with burner flame adjusted
to a lower setting.
CAUTION
Wait for oil to cool to or below 115˚F (45˚C) before pouring into its plastic container.
Hot oil can melt the plastic and cause severe burns or bodily harm.
COOKING OIL: Important Facts to Know
Since early times when human civilization first developed pots and pans, people have used various forms
of cooking oil for frying. Originally animal fat (grease/lard) was used for frying which now is mostly
replaced by olive, vegetable and peanut oil.
It is almost universal knowledge that over-heated cooking oil will catch fire and burn. Cooking oil has
a flashpoint temperature ranging from 550˚F to 700˚F, depending on type of oil used, altitude, wind,
and ambient temperature. However, most people do not realize that cooking oil typically
does not burn
when below its flashpoint temperature.
Cooking oil contained inside the confines of a stockpot, skillet or pan (vessel) is quite stable when below
its flashpoint temperature. For example, heated cooking oil at optimum frying range of 325˚F to 350˚F
does not catch fire even if a flame is accidentally placed in contact with the oil. This stable characteristic
enables cooking oil to be used on kitchen stoves inside hundreds of millions of homes worldwide. Imagine
someone smoking while frying at 350˚F and the cigarette falls into the hot oil. The fire inside the cigarette
will be extinguished by hot 350˚F cooking oil very similar had it fallen into water.
On the other side, cooking oil must be respected and used responsibly. As cooking oil is heated up
approaching flashpoint temperature, it becomes unstable and begins to breakdown. As cooking oil
breaks down, vapors are created that when mixed with oxygen, will burn. When heated to very high
temperatures, cooking oil vapors will
self-ignite
.
