How To Tell When Olive Oil Is Hot – Multiple Methods
Are you wondering how to tell when olive oil is hot? Knowing when olive oil is hot can prevent you from burning yourself or others.
Here are a few ways to help you figure out if the oil is hot when you heat up the oil in a pan:
- The oil will flow “like water” and will cover the bottom of the pan fast.
- The oil’s surface will glisten and shimmer.
- If you drop a small piece of food (such as a small piece of garlic or onion) it will sizzle as soon as it is in the oil.
Below, we will go through many different ways to make sure that olive oil is hot. We will thoroughly explain the best ways to prevent burning yourself by coming into contact with hot olive oil.
Methods You Can Use To Tell When Olive Oil is Hot
It is often said in recipes that you must cook the ingredients “when the oil is hot.” This is often easier said than done, though.
The issue with putting raw ingredients in oil that is not hot enough is that the food will absorb the oil and will make the food overly greasy. However, if you heat the oil too much, the food will burn on the outside while the inside will not be cooked through.
These are a few tricks to make sure your oil is the right temperature so we can be happy chefs.
The “Flow” Method
The oil will flow “like water” and will cover the bottom of a pan fast. The warmer the oil is, the lighter it appears to be and the easier it slides around the pan.
The “Shimmer” Method
The oil’s surface will glisten and shimmer. Add some oil and swirl it around to cover the bottom. This thin layer of oil should get hot fast and shine a bit.
The “Sizzle” Method
The last method is to heat your pan up before you add the oil. When the pan is hot, drop a few drops of olive oil onto onion or garlic, and if it sizzles and evaporates fast, then it is hot enough.
Safety Note: If you are using a non-stick pan then avoid this trick because the non-stick coating could let off toxic fumes if there’s nothing in the pan.
Also, if you see some smoke coming from the edge of the pan, unless you are deep frying, then you must immediately take the pan away from the heat as the oil is at its smoke point and may catch fire.
Tips For Frying With Olive Oil
It doesn’t matter what type of cuisine, there’s always some dishes that have something that needs to be fried. It could be meat, seafood, or vegetables, but it all starts the same way. It starts with a pan filled with hot oil. It’s so easy to just pour oil into the pan, however, do you know when the oil reaches the correct temperature for frying?
This will be easy to determine if you have a kitchen thermometer. For frying, the temperature of the oil should be between 350 and 365 degrees Fahrenheit. If your oil is between these two temperatures, then you are ready to fry.
Finding the Oil Temperature
Are you wondering how you can tell when the oil is up to temperature? One option is to put a kernel of popcorn in the oil. If the corn pops, then the oil is between 325 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that the oil is in the right range for frying. Another option that’s easier and safer is to put the end of a wooden spoon into the oil.
If there are bubbles forming around the spoon and they are floating up to the surface, then the oil is at the right temperature for frying. If the oil bubbles a lot, then you know it’s too hot. Turn the temperature down and let it cool down and then put the spoon back in the oil and check it again.
The last option is to drop a drop of water into the oil. However, oil and water don’t mix so be careful if you try this option as it can splash onto you which will burn you. This option isn’t advised.
Why Oil Temperature Matters
When frying with oil that’s too hot, the food will be burnt on the outside whilst the inside isn’t cooked. A more common problem though is when the oil is too cold. When the oil’s temperature is too low, the food will absorb the oil. Have you ever eaten fried food that was very greasy? well, that food was probably fried at a temperature that was too low.
Choosing the Right Oil
There are many cooking oils to choose from, making it very hard to decide which one to buy while you’re in the grocery store.
Vegetable oil is the most popular oil because of its relatively high smoke point. Another common choice is canola oil. This oil is much healthier than vegetable oil because it has a low saturated fat content as well as a higher monounsaturated fat content. Canola oil has a medium frying temperature, up to around 450 F. This works for most household frying needs.
Corn and sunflower oils are also relatively healthy options, and both are good for frying at medium temperatures. Peanut oil has a high smoke point and is perfect for frying at very high temperatures.
The healthiest oils though is olive oil. This oil is used for salad dressing and for any frying at low temperatures. This oil isn’t used for deep frying as it has a low smoke point. The oil you use is very important.
You must always keep it at room temperature in a dark, dry place. If you do this, the oil will only expire in about a year. When you are done frying, don’t pour the used oil down the drain or disposal, pour it into a leak-proof container and throw away the container in the trash.
Final Words
Knowing if olive oil is hot or not can prevent you from burning yourself and yelling an expletive. There are many different ways to prevent such an incident.
You can look at the oil, and if it flows “like water” in a cold pan and covers the bottom of the pan fast, then it is hot.
Also, the oil’s surface will shimmer, and if you drop a small piece of food on the oil, it will sizzle as soon as it is in the oil.