A chemist reveals whether food can be fried using salt and its result: “Unlike oil…”

One of the greatnesses of the gastronomy is that in addition to the infinite number of foods to use, there are a multitude of culinary techniques. Thus, to the typical traditional preparations, made with stoves or ovens, more complex or even cutting-edge alternatives are added, such as sous vide cooking, esterifications and dehydration, fermentations or cooking at very low temperatures.

Fortunately for cooking lovers, there are more and more spaces to learn about these techniques, from highly successful television programs, such as the popular ‘Masterchef’, to social media channels for informative purposes and in which tips and recipes feed the interests of followers.

From there it is also common for doubts and the occasional hoax to arise. Now, Vladimir, the ‘tiktoker’ known as Breaking Vlad (@breakingvlad) wanted to publish a video to explain if they can be reached fry food using salt instead of oil, as other accounts defend. He, a chemist by training, usually answers questions with scientific arguments and has done so in this case. The publication is generating great interest, since on its first day on the network it already exceeds 590,000 views.

“A similar process”

Vladimir makes his publication because he has been asked for his opinion on a video that has gone viral of a person cooking popcorn with salt and he wants to explain the reality behind it. «Oil fries, unlike water that cooks, because it allows heating above 100º», he highlights at the beginning, remembering that the optimal point for good frying is 180º.

“Salt works the same as oil, allowing it to even heat to higher temperatures” since, as it defends, “it could reach more than 200 degrees without any problem.” For all these reasons, Vlad confirms that “any food that is placed in very hot salt will suffer. a similar process to the one who would suffer in the oil”, that is, he will fry.

However, the chemist warns that “salt, unlike oil“Since it is not a liquid, it does not soak into the food so easily and the resulting texture may be different.” Also, remember that, as a general rule, “the oil used in frying also transfers some food flavor».

“Therefore, salt is valid for frying due to the temperature, but the result will be different” and “it can cause slightly strange results», the expert ends his warning. In just a few hours, his video has garnered hundreds of comments, many of them with doubts. Among the most repeated is whether the food is not too salty afterwards, to which several Internet users have answered no, since, as Vlad himself comments, salt does not adhere easily.