4 tips to find out if the oil is hot for frying

Everyone knows that avoiding fried foods is one of the most important recommendations for those looking for a healthy diet – and also for those who want to avoid diseases such as obesity and heart problems.

However, we know that no one is made of iron and that, if it’s good once in a while, eating fried food won’t hurt that much. But it is once in a while, okay?

If that’s your case, it’s quite possible that you want to make your food as dry and crispy as possible, right? After all, nothing is more discouraging than a shriveled potato chip that has been cooked in oil and completely soaked – in addition to being very harmful to your health.

Therefore, preparing a frying at home, it is necessary to know if the oil is already at the correct temperature. If you don’t have an appropriate thermometer for this, check out our tricks and hit the nail on the head with your next frying:

1. Bread trick number 1

This tip comes straight from grandma: when you put the oil to heat, you already add a piece of bread or toast to the frying pan. When the oil around it starts to bubble, it is hot enough to fry your food.

2. Bread trick number 2

Do you need to know the oil temperature more accurately? Okay, there’s a second bread trick that can help you: just put a piece of bread in the oiled pan and watch what happens to it.

If the bread sinks and doesn’t rise, the temperature will still be around 150°C, which is too low for frying and will make the food soft and soggy.

If the bread sinks and rises very slowly, it means that the temperature is between 160ºC and 165ºC, recommended for frying foods such as vegetables, which are more delicate.

If the piece of bread rises quickly to the surface, know that the oil temperature is between 175ºC and 180ºC, ideal for doing most frying and obtaining crispy and dry foods.

Now, be careful: if the bread burns, the oil temperature is too high. You should turn off the heat and be very careful with the skillet while you wait for the oil to cool down a bit. Never let it get too hot, as it burns above 200 degrees Celsius.

3. Match trick

This trick is also classic. In this case, when you put the frying pan with oil on the fire, you already add a matchstick inside it. When it lights up, it means that the oil is already at the correct temperature for frying food.

Of course, be careful not to burn yourself and try not to be scared when the match stick lights up.

4. Wooden spoon trick

You don’t use matches and you don’t have bread to throw in the frying pan? OK no problems. Just place the handle of the wooden spoon (provided it is wooden too) inside the pan. When the oil around it starts to bubble, you can start frying.

It’s never too much to warn: pans should never be left on the fire unattended, even more so if you have children or animals at home. A frying pan with hot oil can cause domestic accidents with very serious consequences, so be very careful.