animal fats around 375ºF/190ºC. Fats that
contain other substances, such as emulsifiers,
preservatives, and in the case of butter,
proteins and carbohydrates, will smoke at
lower temperatures than pure fats. Fat
breakdown during deep frying can be slowed
by using a tall, narrow pan and so reducing the
area of contact between fat and atmosphere.
The smoke point of a deep-frying fat is
lowered every time it’s used, since some
breakdown is inevitable even at moderate
temperatures, and trouble-making particles of
food are always left behind.
Emulsifiers: Phospholipids, Lecithin, Monoglycerides
Some very useful chemical relatives of the
true fats, the triglycerides, are the
diglycerides and monoglycerides. These
molecules act as emulsifiers to make fine,
cream-like mixtures of fat and water — such
sauces as mayonnaise and hollandaise — even