Cooking OILS?!

Cooking OILS?

Recently I bought a Mandolin to slice food. I started to make Potato chips and I have use a deep fryer setting the temp. at 360 deg. I also have been using Canola Oil for cooking. I was wondering what really is the BEST oil to use to stay healthy? And on the last batch.... the chips did not seem to dry out very well. Does this mean the oil needs to be changed and if so, how can you tell and how often? Thank you....

I applaud your efforts to be safe and healthy. I don't think I need to go into the fact that eating fried foods isn't the healthiest choice.

First off, the optimum temperature for heating oil is about 350 degrees. While this may not affect your food too much, it will prolong the life of the oil. Then--canola oil and vegetable oil are fine for basic household recipes such as your favorite box cake or brownies, but aren't the best choice for deep frying. I would recommend peanut oil for deep frying in the home. It can be used again and again (heating then cooling and heating again doesn't effect it as much as it does other oils).

Oil will deteriorate over time, so it is important to change it out once in a while. To prolong its life you can keep it clean by keeping it free of food, and by keeping it out of the when not using it. Knowing when to change it is not so simple as looking at it. You can buy test strips that will indicate the right time.