Who doesn’t love good croquettes, super crispy fries or freshly made churros? In Spain, where the art of frying is almost a national sport, keeping oil clean after cooking is a challenge that any cook faces.
The most common or common thing is to strain it or, in the worst case, throw it away after using it. However, the American cookbook author, Adeena Sussman, has revealed on her Instagram account a very simple and surprising trick that can change the frying game in the kitchen: use a whole carrot when frying.
The carrot trick for frying
Although at first glance it seems strange, this method has its roots in North Africa, and also has a scientific explanation. According to Sussman, Adding a carrot to the oil helps keep it clean and also ensures that food is cooked evenly.
The secret of this method lies in how food particles, hot oil and carrot interact. When you fry something, small “crumbs” of the food break off and float in the oil. If they stay there too long, they end up burning, which not only ruins the flavor of the following batches, but also dirtyes the oil and requires changing it.
This is where the carrot comes in. According to Paul Adams, scientific research editor at Cook’s Illustrated, This vegetable acts as an “edible broom”. As it floats in the oil, it attracts those “crumbs” or particles that are released during frying, preventing them from burning and keeping the oil clean for longer.
This occurs thanks to a physical phenomenon known as the “Cheerios effect”, which refers to the property that certain floating foods have to attract each other. An example of this effect is cereals that collect in milk. In hot oil, food particles are naturally attracted to any floating object, like the carrot in this case.
How to perform the trick
The process is as simple as it is effective. First, you have to have a fresh carrot and you have to cut off the top part, the leaves, to prevent it from burning. There is no need to peel it, just make sure it is clean.
Afterwards, place the carrot directly in the pan or fryer with the hot oil while cooking the fried foods that have been added. The carrot will begin to take effect, and once it is finished cooking, you just have to remove it from the oil.
It is important to keep in mind that It should not be eaten, as it will have absorbed food remains and fat which are not good for your health at all. So, you simply have to throw it in the trash and enjoy a completely clean and reusable oil.
Other tricks to care for the oil
Although the carrot trick is effective for particles or “crumbs” that float to the surface, it can’t do anything with debris that sinks to the bottom, such as starches. For these cases, it is recommended to carry out another additional method: use a mixture of cornstarch and water to filter the oil after frying. This will eliminate even more impurities and increase the number of uses of that oil.
Another recommendation is do not overheat it beyond its smoke pointas this can degrade it faster and make it unusable after just one use, which is quite a waste of olive oil.
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