How do you know when your oil is hot enough for frying? When making scones, Navajo tacos, or anything deep-fried, I was in the dark. I’d usually just flick some water and see if it sizzled or drop in a tiny piece of dough to see if the oil was hot enough. Not anymore! Last night, I went home to cook some yummy Filipino Lumpia, and my mom showed me this cool trick she came across recently for determining when the oil is ready. Popcorn kernels! Just put a kernel in the oil and turn on the heat. When the oil is hot enough, the kernel will pop and you’ll know it’s ready for frying. Duh! Why didn’t I think of this before? Apparently, popcorn pops at 300F degrees , which is the same temperature that is recommended for deep-frying. Anyway, I thought it was very clever and will be doing this every time now.
*Extra tip: Just don’t forget to take out the popped kernel before frying anything. I didn’t think to do that and it it got all over the food 🙂
Also, I’ve decided I like to put in 2-3 kernels instead of just 1, so that I can test the heat in different parts of the pan.