No matter what food you plan to cook in the pan, you should avoid grease splatters while frying to keep your cooking area clean. Adhering, splashed oil can be a real challenge when cleaning the kitchen. Although the backsplash helps in most cases, stubborn grease stains often remain on kitchen countertops and kitchen appliances. Luckily, there are some methods and hacks you can use to prevent oil splattering. Just read on to find out more about it.
How to avoid fat splatters when frying and keep cooking areas clean
While frying is undoubtedly one of the easiest cooking techniques, the consequences of grease splatters can be a nightmare. TheCleaning the cooking areaHowever, it's not the only thing you should worry about. The frying oil often bursts and splashes onto arms or even eyes when the food is fried. This experience is not only painful, but also leads to ugly burn marks or eye problems. So how can you fry your food without making such a mess? The most effective way to prevent something is to know what causes it. This will allow you to eliminate any factors that could be causing the problem.
Causes of sizzling in the pan
The oil bursts when frying when the moisture in it quickly evaporates into gas in the heat. The quickly evaporating water pushes the surrounding fat from the frying pan to other places and causes fat splashes on the splash guard or in the surrounding area. Even a small amount of water in heated cooking oil can cause it to burst and splatter. In addition, the rapid evaporation of water resembles small explosions and occurs hundreds of times within a second, creating the familiar sizzle in the pan.
Because foods, including vegetables and meat, contain a tiny amount of water, if you put such items in a pan of hot oil, the oil may splatter. So realistically you can't completely prevent oil from bursting or splashing. This is especially true when it comes to foods that contain water, such as garlic and onions. This is why most chefs wear long sleeves in the kitchen. However, there are a handful of effective methods that can be used to avoid fat splatters when frying.
Don't add the oil to the pan first
Most people drizzle the oil into the pan while it is heating on the stove. After all, that's how it should be, but not if you want to avoid fat splashes when frying. An easy way to prevent this is to toss your meat or vegetables with the oil before cooking, rather than adding the cooking oil directly to the pan first. This way, any moisture that leaves the meat simply evaporates in the hot, mostly dry pan. So next time you cook with oil, you can easily reduce all those annoying and sometimes painful oil splatters. The same rule of thumb applies when cooking vegetables.
Dry moist foods before frying
If you throw meat or fish straight into the pan after washing, it's no wonder you'll experience splattering oil in abundance. As explained earlier, this is due to the interaction of water droplets with the hot oil. So when you dip a dripping piece of chicken into sizzling oil, real fireworks are guaranteed. An easy way to prevent this is to pat any type of wet meat or vegetable dry with a paper towel or clean cloth before adding it to the pan. If you are cooking something with a marinade or sauce, you should also drain off any excess moisture before frying. Make sure the oil is completely dry and no drops of water remain from washing. This minimizes the risk of splashes when heating the oil.
Which oil doesn't splash when frying?
It's complicated, but basically, extra virgin olive oil is an unrefined, high-quality oil that's rich in vitamins and minerals. In addition, it has a strong flavor and a color that can be described as golden green. But the most important thing about it is that it has a low smoke point. This is the point at which oil burns, meaning you shouldn't use it for frying or baking. Save this stuff for dishes that you won't heat, such as dips and dressing for salads.
However, the quality of the oil decreases as you go through other variations such as regular olive oil and other cooking oils. The lower the quality, the less strong the flavor and the higher the smoke point. If you get to light olive oil, you'll definitely find it much easier to use for frying or grilling. They can all be swapped out in a pinch, but remember that there's no need to use the more expensive oil in dishes where you can't appreciate the flavor anyway.
Use the trick with salt or flour
Flour and salt help absorb moisture from food. Additionally, you can sprinkle some into the hot oil when it starts to bubble. However, don't add too much of it. If necessary, you can bread your food or fry it with flour. Be sure to completely coat the food. Breading helps absorb juices that come out of the food during the frying process, which helps you avoid fat splatters during frying.
Do not fry frozen foods directly
You should never put frozen or partially frozen foods, including frozen vegetables, into hot oil without letting them sit for a while. Fries from the freezer, for example, contain a lot of water on the surface. For this reason, restaurants typically let them rest for about 10 to 20 minutes before adding them to the frying oil. If you defrost frozen or very cold foods outside for a while, the ice on their surface may melt and evaporate while their temperature increases. Because onions contain a lot of moisture, some cooking experts recommended sautéing them enough to cover the entire pan at once. This will help cover the entire surface of the pan with steam.
With the right size pan, avoid fat splashes when frying
Most people blame the onslaught of sizzling hot splatters on the oil or food you're frying. However, the size of the pan is a crucial factor. A deeper pan with higher sides will be able to contain the oil better, even if some splashes up. It's not just size and shape that can make the difference. You should also consider the type of cookware you use. A pan that distributes heat evenly, such as stainless steel or aluminum, is less likely to spill oil onto the stove.
If you don't have a pan with high enough sides, you can invest in a silicone splash guard. Essentially, this acts like a collar that wraps around the edge of your pan, providing more height and protection. Of course, if you're still struggling with splatters, you can set up a traditional splatter guard, fit your pan with a lid, or even use an old baking sheet as a makeshift barrier between the oil and the rest of your cooking area.
Heat the oil gradually
If you want to fry something on the stove, try warming your pan and oil gradually. This method gives the moisture trapped in the fat time to gently evaporate rather than forcefully popping. So always start with a low temperature. When cooking, pay close attention to the cooking temperature. If your frying pan gets too hot, your food will begin to shrink or contract and release moisture, causing the oil to burst.
When frying, you can use a special thermometer to maintain a suitable temperature throughout the process. Alternatively, you can remove your pan from the heat when you turn the food, as the juices will collect on the surface when you cook the food on the other side. When you remove the pan from the heat, the heat would temporarily decrease, which helps reduce oil splattering.
Use kitchen utensils suitable for frying
Aside from wearing gloves and long-sleeved clothing when cooking, you canMinimize the effects of grease splashes, by having the right kitchen tools on hand. In addition, there are some useful kitchen utensils that can help with splashes. Using long kitchen accessories such as tongs, chopsticks and other long tools will help you handle all foods from a safe distance where the popping oil cannot reach you.
The best thing about splash screens is that they can also function as a sieve. This can help you drain the oil from your pan. Choose a splashback with fine or double mesh and small holes that can also absorb odors. Those with a vented, dome-like design help control spatter in microwaves.
