I am sure many have asked you this question before: Can you deep-fry in a nonstick pan? The answer is yes, but it is not advisable. For one thing, a non-stick pan is not designed to withstand the high heats required for deep-frying.
What is it about deep-frying that makes it so popular?
Deep-frying is quick and simple, appealing factors to it as a cooking process. In addition, the results can be delicious! Deep frying is where hot oil or fat is main source of heating food in a big skillet or pot. You can deep-fry chicken, French fries, soy gluten, onion rings, roasted vegetables, breaded items (such as chicken tenders or fish fillets), and potato wedges. The food gets fried quickly and evenly, as the hot oil or fat heats the food quickly allowing the inside to process.
What types of nonstick pans are there–and the pros and cons?
Nonstick pans can be very reliable for cooking, but do have some downsides. Nonstick pans are often known at a very high heat, to release toxic chemicals, which could be a potential danger. Nonstick pans can also be much more expensive than traditional cookware. Which one is best for you?
What kinds of non-stick pans are there, and what are the pros and cons of each? Non-stick pans are used for cooking very often. But there are also disadvantages. When a non-stick pan reaches a high temperature, there is the potential risk that it could release harmful chemicals. Non-stick pans are generally more expensive than regular kitchenware. So, you will have to find out which one suits you better.
How to fry in a nonstick pan– tips to help you fry your food easily
Once again, deep-frying can be a wonderful way to cook food, because of its quickness and ease, and can also be done in a nonstick pan. Here are some ways you can fry your food. First, make sure the oil is hot before you add your food. You can have a fry thermometer to know that the oil is hot. Second, patience is the key–If you’re not patient enough deep-frying is very difficult to do. Third, use a timer to notify you when your fries are done cooking. Finally, never fill a nonstick pan too full, you will have to turn down the heat because if you do not the fries will not cook evenly/cook appropriately and will not warm up, and they are more likely to stick! Once the fries are done cooking, remove the fries from the oil using a spoon or frying screen or even tongs!
Deep-frying tips for beginners — how to get started
Deep-frying is a great way to cook food and is among the easiest cooking techniques. When you’re just started out on your deep-frying adventure, you might not be very successful in your first few attempts. Follow these six tips to get the ball rolling.
A deep-fryer will need to hold at least 2 gallons of oil. This gives you the volume for the comfortable cooking, and food does not touch the sides of the pot.
Heat up the oil before you put any food in. Make sure the oil is hot enough before you start deep-frying.
Keeping that in mind, before you dip an item in the oil, make sure the temperature runs up to 350°F. This is very important because if the oil is not hot enough, the food will stick to the bottom and will be quite difficult to get off the fryer.
The Best Nonstick Pan for Deep Frying
This is not the great nonstick pan for frying an egg in the morning. This is a bigger and deeper nonstick pan for cooking anything, for frying. A larger cooking area offers more space to operate and allows the pan to heat up quicker, and maintain heat longer.
The pan needs to be of a depth of 5-6cm, so that you can fry a decent number of fried things.
That way, the fried food will submerge the oil and fry well. You can also have a deep sided nonstick pan so grease will not escape when you fry up your food.
If your pan is too shallow, you are likely to burn yourself. Nonstick pans that do not have depth are not negotiable.
Use the right Oil for your nonstick frying pan
Nonstick cookware requires oil that is meant to be used with nonstick cookware. Olive oil and canola are commonly used in nonstick cookware, and can be designated for different uses. Let’s look at the best oil for deep-frying.
Canola Oil
Canola oil is stable to high heat. Its smoke point is about 207 degrees C, making it ideal for frying process. It is low in saturated fats and high in heart-healthy omega fatty acids. It is a good choice for nonstick frying. Since canola oil is so stable, it is an ideal candidate for nonstick frying. You will want to stay away from using oils with low smoke points on your Teflon coated pans. Canola oil will heat evenly across the nonstick surface of your pan. Thus, it will provide the perfect heat level for your pan, without burning the coating. You will want to consider that the nonstick coating can eventually break down and release poisonous fumes into the air. At that point you can get the Teflon flu, and it can be a pretty serious condition. Be careful.
GrapeseedOil
Grapeseed oil can be a great oil. Its smoke point is 220 degrees F. You can use it all day with a nonstick skillet. This oil has zero saturated fats and a slight cholesterol level. It is a very refined oil that is almost flavorless, and is likely something you are familiar with. Grape seed oil is excellent for frying French fries or making churros. you want to fry the oil that will keep them warm for longer. This will maintain the wonderful crusty texture that we associate with deep frying. This oil does not get bitter no matter how long you use it in deep drying. It is rich in fat you will like it a lot better.
You can eat fried food every once in a while without feeling guilty.
Peanut Oil
Peanut oil represents a unique alternative for deep-frying in nonstick skillets, it is a stable oil, and its high smoke point is about 232C, making it a viable candidate for deep-frying.
Peanut oil is not found in most kitchens voluntarily, but realistically, it is one of the healthiest oils for deep-frying. Peanut oil is neutral in flavor, so it does not impact the favors of fried food at all. Since it contains healthy fats, lard may be replaced with some peanut oil fat.
Peanut oil is stable oil and does not react to the coating. In fact, it creates a seasoning layer on the non-stick surface to protect your pan.
Of course, you want to avoid peanut oil with a cold-pressed taste. The reason peanut oil has a cold-pressed flavor is due to its peanut proteins remaining in the oil from the frying.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is stable and offers a smoke point of both 190-207C.
Typically, olive oil can be used for sautéing or stir-frying or even lightly frying semi-cooked foods.
Deep-frying specific foods (i.e., French fries, chicken nuggets, etc.) is a well-known method of cooking. However, can you still deep-fry with a non-stick pan? The short answer is yes; with some caveats, meaning that you must have the pan hot, put your oil into the pan, and then monitor the temperature for your frying time with a thermometer to make sure it remains under that high temperature to fry your food. It is best to use a metal utensil for deep-frying to avoid some harmful chemicals that are released from non-stick coating when heat is added.
Is it possible to re-coat your non-stick pans?
Non-stick pans are not made to last forever, which is for sure. The quality of non-stick pans diminishes over time or under poor use – it becomes difficult to attain that non-stick quality when cooking.
It has been determined, with utmost certainty that non-stick pans will not last forever. Over time, they will lose their performance and once that happens, it becomes impossible to get the same results or outcome as before. What would typically happen next? Would the pan need to be replaced with a new non-stick pan? Fortunately, there is another page to turn in order to make the non-stick pan “whiten” once more, as it can be recoated.
So yes, this is possible, and there are many ways to do this. For example, you can simply apply oil to the pan and bake it for up to one hour, in order to properly season your non-stick pan.
On a final note, aside from the non-stick pan, other pans can be well-suited for deep frying. It is important to note that a non-stick pan is not ideal for deep frying. However, that does not mean they are impossible to deep fry.
If you do not have a deep fryer, and still want to deep fry, you can use other pans just as well with time, as enamel pans and stainless steel pans.
These pans come in many different sizes and shapes with plenty of options.
Is all cooking oil suitable for this, in other words, burning oil?
If you also have other pans available, you can deep fry without using a deep fry machine. Cooking oil can only be used for deep frying in a specific a style of pan, which may be non-stick, depending on available cooking oil.
However, not all cooking oil can be used for deep frying on the stove. This is because cooking oils are not universally stable in food frying oil; oils have different stability which can affect cooking oils performance, smoking, additionally dealing with any other future problems that may arise is a good thing about it. This is why all cooking oils should not be used frying; but non-stick pans can only use a higher-tear oil.
In short, the two types of pans I have used do not work for deep frying.
In answer to the other frying question – some cooking oils are healthier than others. For example, Canola oil and Sunflower oil are high in fatty acids. They are not necessarily bad to fry with but I would recommend not using them as there are much healthier fats to fry with especially if you are using nonstick pans (neither of which is suitable for deep frying).
The oils that might be the healthiest for frying and deep frying include coconut oil and butter/ghee. You can also use other fried cooking oils to deep fry securely, if you prefer. Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil and macadamia oil cooking oils are healthy and secure.
Using a pan for deep frying use that is heavier, wider and deeper is ideal for frying. These heavier more weighty and deeper pans keep the heat up better and have and do not vacillate its heat levels as too thick of a pan can if pre-heating is done when frying begins. By picking a heavier nonstick pan, you are increasing its thermal conduction and its space efficiency in regards to surface area – both of which are serving deep fried vegetable oil better and reducing heat loss or temperature changes.
Stainless steel pans with an aluminum base cooking on an electric stove work great too for frying food but unless it is heavy and deep would not be good for deep frying – definitely not takeout or wok size.
On the subject of cast iron pans, cast iron frying pans are durable and the best choice if using a nonstick pan. Cast iron pans rapidly conduct heat and are obtainable; in addition to being heavy when frying food, they can even deeper fry, which creates less heat loss and maintains the temperature of oil and food frying deeper than thinner pans.
This is the fast, correct answer to any deep frying or frying to cast iron question!
Deep frying with nonstick pans
There is an abundance of nonstick pans available, comprising a range of materials, weights, coatings, sizes, and other considerations. Deep frying is best accomplished in a wider and generally deeper, classically heavier gauge pan.
Larger pans can quickly heat your oil and generally have a larger cooking surface area for your foods. These pans keep the temperature of the oil consistent throughout the cooking process of deep frying. The pans that are deeper create a barrier to prevent the grease from escaping or pouring out of the pan when cooking.
Our preferred pan for nonstick properties is cast iron; it is durable and highly stable and also has good conductivity of heat and it is heavy. This type of pan cooks food quickly and efficiently as well. You can choose stainless steel cookware with an aluminum or copper plated base, as they are inexpensive and non-reactive to food.
Nonstick pans not the Only Option:
While you may not want to cook deep frying in a nonstick pan, you do have options. Be sure to stay away from nonstick pans that are Teflon coated, for your next selection.
Some of your options include, but are not limited to, stainless steel cookware, cast-iron cooking and stoneware. You can also opt for ceramic cookware and silicone cookware.
FAQS:
Towards the end of this post, I would like to take some more questions you may have about deep frying in a nonstick pan. If you have any further questions, please leave it in the comments below!
What pans can I use for deep frying?
I am a firm believer in safety and only the suggestion for nonstick pans for deep frying would be for saucepans. Other pans smaller in size simply will not be deep enough.
If you wish to rid yourself of all nonstick coatings when deep frying you could go for a stainless steel pan. They generally make quite deep stainless steel pans and stainless steel heats evenly and quickly.
What should I do if the coating begins to peel?
The best would be just to dispose of any nonstick coatings. That is what is best, as the nonstick coatings can contain chemicals that would not be good leaching into your foods and thus, into your body.
Wrapping up
So, this article, I am sure, has answered the question, “Can you deep fry in a nonstick pan?” and provided an in-depth look at the topics associated with deep frying in a nonstick pan. I have also discussed which nonstick pan should be used for deep frying, oils to use for deep frying in a nonstick pan, and other options that can be used apart from nonstick pans. Now show your culinary skills in the kitchen and earn the admiration of your family and friends.
Can you deep fry in a nonstick pan?
