How to test cooking oil temperature to save money

Deep-frying is a fast and efficient way to cook food and quickly provide it to hungry customers. With the right equipment for frying and effective maintenance of it, businesses also enjoy a reliable process that can be incredibly simple: set a timer and you can count on the fryer to do the hard work.

A critical part of proper operations when it comes to cooking oil and deep-frying is the quality of the medium used to cook the food. Cooking oil that meets specific standards can be reused several times, lowering costs related to operation without impacting the flavour or nutritional content of the food served.

Why must cooking oil quality be monitored and tested?

Cooking oil changes and degrades as it’s used to prepare food. Academic journal Current Developments in Nutrition explained that the chemical compounds of the oil undergo oxidation, polymerisation and hydrolysis as it is utilised. The number of polar compounds, including alcohols and free fatty acids, rises over time. Measuring polar compounds is a straightforward and useful method for determining the quality of cooking oil.

Food Safety Magazine detailed how a variety of factors influence the degradation of cooking oil, from temperature and frying time to food coating, moisture and oil composition. No matter the specifics, however, cooking oil will eventually reach a point where it should no longer be used. Spent oil can cause health issues for customers as well as create a less pleasing meal or snack due to discolouration, increased oil retention of the food and negative changes in flavour.

How can you save money by testing cooking oil regularly?

By monitoring and testing cooking oil, restaurants, commercial kitchens, supermarkets and many similar businesses can ensure they change the oil before it reaches a state that can cause negative outcomes when used. At the same time, they can avoid preemptively replacing oil, thereby saving money. Cooking oil isn’t the most expensive resource by weight in the food service world, but the volume used to fry foods and the large quantities needed for safe and effective operation can make costs add up quickly.

The right approach to testing allows for the most efficient oil replacement schedule. By only discarding old oil when necessary, businesses can reduce their expenses in terms of purchasing oil and the valuable employee time needed to drain, dispose of and add new oil, as well as clean the equipment and ensure it remains in good working order.

What devices are used to test cooking oil?

Testing the total polar molecules (TPM) in cooking oil provides a clear indication of when it’s time to discard old oil and replace it with the new and clean alternative. Instruments such as the testo 270 cooking oil tester offer a simple and dependable method for assessing the quality of cooking oil. Staff can safely use the instrument to test the TPM content of oil while it’s heated and quickly clean it once finished.

The display uses a traffic light colour-coding approach to make understanding the current state of the oil in question as easy as possible. With very basic training, nearly any staff member can successfully use the testo 270 to determine the quality of a batch of cooking oil and change it if needed.

Testo is here to supply the instruments that enable your business to make informed, data-based decisions that drive efficiency, save money and adhere to government regulations and internal best practices. To learn more, get in touch with our team of experts.