Fryer Over Boil

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

The Crisco Kid

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jan 19, 2013
Messages
4
Location
Pa
Hello everyone, just had a question... Why is it that when deep frying the oil gets to temp., you put in the basket and all goes well. But, the second batch will sometimes (most times and any succeeding batches thereafter) over boil? As in, the oil gets so violent that it boils the oil right out of the fryer. Now I have read a couple posts on here (from 2006) and have been using a fryer for years now, I understand the entire concept of over boiling, as in, why it occurs. The question is, why not the first batch? The main reason I would like to know is that I just purchased a 2500 Watt commercial fryer for home use. (Lot of people eating chicken wings, mozzarella sticks etc.) The old one Burnt up and was half the size, but did the same thing. I have used bigger ones and seen the same reaction. (May not boil over, but certainly acts much more violent.) Oil level is at min. Mainly does it with the chicken wings all the while using the same amounts of oil, chicken, and temperature. (Have to ease it in real gentle and slow.) Any answers would be appreciated and yes I cook with Crisco. It's not the oil as it has happened with different types of oil as well.
 
Last edited:
I suspect that the oil isn't as hot with the first batch as with the 2nd. The reaction you see is caused by water turning to steam while the meat is submerged. The steam expands rapidly and cause the oil to pop, or boil, as it rises and emerges from the hot oil. Remember, water boils at 212' F. or so. Frying oil is between 360 and 370. When juices begin to emerge from the frying food (be it meat, or veggies, or even bread, it is superheated by the hot oil. The hotter the oil, the more quickly it super-heats and expands. The reaction creates more energy and is more violent. If the oil were at the same temperature for the first batch as for subsequent batches, the reactions would be identical, all other parameters being equal.

In my mind, there can be no other explanation. But that's just in my mind. I have been known to make the occasional mistake.:huh:

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Exactly! You're not letting the oil get hot enough for the first batch.

Also, make it a practice to start with food that has a dry surface and lower the food into the oil slowly.
 
Thanks for the answers, but I know why over boiling occurs. Also I know the oil is the same temp. As the thermostat shuts off stating that it is indeed 375. Have also checked with thermometer. Also in my searches I have found other people with the same question and yet there is never an answer as to why the first doesn't. I have simply bypassed the whole problem by throwing one in at a time over the course of about 2 minutes, and just causing small disruptions with the oil, thus preventing the over oil. But it would be nice, if you could just set it in and not have to worry about that, or stand there for 2 minutes slowly babying the basket in. Maybe I should ask a chemistry forum? Why would the thermostat shut off if it wasn't at that temperature?

On another note any one that has some tricks, or a way they go about loading food in a fryer, they would be appreciated.
 
Last edited:
The chemistry angle. When you first heat up the oil you weaken the molecular bonds, you fry your first batch and remove it, leaving particulate matter in the oil. This combines with the oil and further weakening the molecular bonds. If you analyze the oil before frying and after you will get different readings. The second fry, these already weakened bonds will not hold, thus causing a boil over. You have changed the oil at the molecular level by frying.
 
I fry at work with a professional fryer. Even though the thermostat will show that the fryer is "ready" it isn't always at the desired temperature.

I stir the oil and the flame comes back on, when the flame goes out, I stir and the flame goes on again. The first batch of chicken loses some of its breading because the fryer isn't quite hot enough. By the second batch, everything is frying normally. So no, the oil isn't as hot in the first batch unless you keep stirring the oil until the thermostat stops turning the heat back on.
 
You don't have to know the chemistry to handle the situation. You need to know how to deal with it. If you want to understand the chemistry for your own personal improvement, that's another story.

When the oil first heats up, all you know for sure is that the temp of the oil around the thermostat is hot. You cannot guarantee that convection currents have evenly distributed that heat so all the oil is the same temp. That's why it's important to do what bakechef said.
 
Thanks guys I appreciate it. Awesome forum you have here and very helpful,nice people. I guess I will just stick with what I'm doing.

Makes me want an overly deep one so that if it did boil up it would never boil over no matter what you put in. Seems as though they would make them that way not just for over boiling but for splattering and so you could have an automatic lid as to not allow the splattering or the over boil. Just makes me want to engineer a better fryer. Maybe I just need to dish out more money... The fryer I have is 6 liter fryer. If it were just twice as deep and filled to the same level as the 6 liter, seems this problem would never occur...
 
It is at the min. Line. I have read that less than that can cause it to ignite due to the oil level being too low over the heating element. Also then I wouldn't be able to cook very much at once... Which defeats the purpose of the large fryer.
 
OK I thought you might be at the max. level and might benefit for a lower level. I agree, don't go below the min.
 
Back
Top Bottom