TASTE OF BENGAL

Most contemporary dishes are called “extra virgin olive oil” in a vain attempt to appear “healthy,” “nutritious,” and “chic”.

I choose my cooking oil, which I am preparing.

If I’m sautéing, searing, or stir-frying a walk, I use oils that have high smoking points.

What do you mean by smoke point?

The temperature at which the oil begins to break down is called “smoke point”. Always select an oil that has a higher smoke point than the temperature at which you are cooking.

For example, “extra virgin olive oil” is unsuitable for steppiness. Extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of 274 ° F, while the sauce usually has a temperature above 320 ° F. Extra virgin olive oil breaks down at those temperatures. The byproduct of this broken oil can be dirty and tasteless.

You will see that in most of my recipes I say “Extra Light Olive Oil”. This is not an accident: Extra Light Olive Oil has a smoke point of 468 ° F. This is enough for most of my high temperature cooking. For the wok stir-fry cook, I prefer the avocado oil with a smoke point of 520 ° F, which really guarantees that I will burn it.

On the one hand, though interesting, butter is not good for cooking temperatures above 302 ° F, its pronounced cousin, ghee, is good for cooking temperatures up to 482 ° F.

Dump or vortex?

One major mistake that most cooks make is to pour a heap of oil in a cold pan, then set the pan on fire.

While this may be convenient, it all invites burnt oil.

The frying pan and most of the wok, have a sloping edge. The compacted oil heats unevenly around the edges. The oil film immediately over the thin edge will overheat while a large amount of oil is still coming in at the temperature.

One method preferred by professionals is to place a dry pan or pan on direct heat and bring it to temperature.

They test the temperature of the pan by dripping a few drops of water into the heating pan. If water pearls and seashells, the pan is usually ready to receive oil.

Moving around in oil means making a uniform coating in the pan. This can also be accomplished by pouring in oil and using a spatula to spread the oil around.

When adding oil to a pan, drip the oil in a thin layer around the top edge of the pan, about half up. In this way, the thin sheet F oil gets a chance to heat up as it slides down the hot sides.

Another beneficial effect of adding oil to an already heated pan is that the metal holes will have opened up and some of the oil will flow into the metal and its natural tendency will be “non-stick”. A coating of carbonized oil is firmly entwined into its surface and over time is handed non-stick to the pan. Well-used cast iron frying pans also demonstrate this tendency to become naturally non-stick for this reason.

What about a non-stick pan?

The purpose of oiling a regular pan is to try to prevent the food from sticking. Non-stick pans do not have that issue.

You can grease a non-stick pan the same way you would a non-pan pan.

The only use of oil in a non-stick pan is to create a crisp medium that adds some color and a little flavor when cooking.

Can I use a cooking spray in a non-stick pan?

My immediate reply is a resounding “No!”

Stay away from and resist the urge to use cooking spray in a non-stick pan, no matter what the manufacturer or your friends say.

Cooking sprays are for use only with uncoated pans, and also for cool cool grates.

When you use a cooking spray in a hot non-stick pan, some of the ingredients in the cooking spray immediately break, adhere to the pan’s surface, and bond with the pan’s coating. This causes a very thin film of material that renders the pan “sticky”. The thin candy shell-like coating will not wash off, and heavy scrubbing with an abrasive can ruin the original coating.

Can I wash those oiled pans?

My immediate response is again, “No!”

Such a pan requires the use of something as simple as a piece of newspaper and some hot water. Rub the pan, then just use a piece of newspaper to wipe the pan clean and dry. For the Purist, I suggest rinsing the pan under running hot water and then thoroughly drying with a paper towel.

It is a good practice to wipe a thin layer of fresh oil on a fried and dried cast iron pan. Place a dry, oiled pan in a hot oven to dry completely. Bring the pan to about 200 ° F and leave it for about 15 minutes. Then allow the pan to come to room temperature and wipe off any residual oil and before removing it.

Treat a pan in the same way.

I especially use a brush made of bamboo for vocal scrubbing. I clean my wok by placing it under extremely hot tap water and immediately after cooking and use a bamboo brush to remove any stuck food.