Ingredientbeginnerdraft
Oil
Also searched as: rapeseed oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, frying oil
In short: Oil carries heat evenly to every spot on a surface and carries flavour.
Picture it
Like a bridge between pan and food: without oil, only the tip of every bump touches the heat.
What Oil does
Tap a dot to see its connections.
What happens
A surface is never completely smooth. Oil fills the gaps and brings the heat evenly everywhere, so the whole surface browns instead of just a few spots. How much heat an oil can take depends on whether it is refined or cold-pressed.
What the ingredient does
carries heat into every hollowMaillard reaction
frying medium at 160–190 °CDouble frying
forms emulsions with waterEmulsion
Rules of thumb
- For wedges, about 1 tbsp oil per 500 g is enough.
- Refined oil for high heat, cold-pressed for flavour at the end.
Related entries
Sources · 1
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Kartoffeln, Stärke, Frittieren