Oils that contain higher amounts of monounsaturated fats, such as canola and peanut oil, tend to be among the healthier options since they help lower your low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol. While at the same time increasing your good cholesterol. Understanding the composition, smoke point and flavors of these oils can help you determine which is the best to use with different foods or situations. Here a comparison of canola vs. peanut oil:

Canola Oil

Canola oil is one of the oils highest in monounsaturated fat, with 62%, along with 7% saturated fat and 31% polyunsaturated fat. After olive and sunflower oil, canola is the next highest in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. It can be used as a salad dressing and for baking and frying. This neutral-tasting oil is obtained from rapeseed, a mustard relative. Because rapeseed is commonly sprayed with pesticides, be sure to look for organic, expeller-pressed brands of canola oil. You’ll find it already added to foods such as oven-baked chips and frozen fish fillets. But with a high smoke point of around 205 °F (96 °C) canola is a good all-purpose cooking oil. It does become unstable after heating, so never reuse.

Peanut Oil

Peanut oil is higher in saturated fat, with 18%, making it slightly less healthy than canola oil, but it still contains 48% monounsaturated fat and 34% polyunsaturated fat. An all-purpose oil that’s high in monounsaturated fats, peanut oil is also about 30% polyunsaturated fats and 20% saturated. Because it has a high smoke point, it’s prized for frying. Most commercial brands are chemically processed, though expeller-pressed brands are available at specialty stores and online. Peanut oil has a longer shelf life than other oils. Best for Asian cooking, especially stir-fries.

Go to the frying oil filtration page and find out how SuperSorb Carbon Pads can extend frying oil life

When prepared and cooked properly, fried chicken can be one of the world’s most delicious foods. Whether it’s Korean fried chicken, which has a light and crunchy batter, Nashville hot chicken tossed in a spicy, oil-based sauce, or the classic Southern fried chicken that many of us are used to.

Fried chicken and other battered deep-fried foods require a temperature of 350 – 375 °F (176 °C – 190 °C) to maintain a crispy outside without absorbing the oil and becoming greasy. For these foods, you’ll want to select a frying oil with a high smoke point to maintain consistent quality and flavor. Vegetable oil is always a good choice because of its neutral flavor and affordability, particularly if you are a large volume foodservice operation and need to continuously prepare a large amount. When chicken is fried, fat is rendered from the chicken into the frying oil, so over time what was once a liquid oil at room temperature, will become a hard fat due to the rendering process.

It’s also important to establish educational components in your frying operation. Operators must learn the proper frying and cleaning techniques in order to produce the most consistent food quality.

These guidelines should include:

• Proper maintenance of the fryer
• Proper cleaning of the fryer
• Proper fryer operation
• Management of frying temperatures
• Avoiding contact with metals such as copper and bronze
• Proper food handling
• Filtering or treating oil

Properly managing oil may also help keep the fryers cleaner. Some operators have reported that one benefit of treating oil has been a reduction of polymer formation, which allows restaurants to not only reduce chemical usage, but allows a “greener” cleaning chemical.

With FILTROX’s SuperSorb® Filter technology, making fried chicken is cleaner and easier than ever. The uniquely patented design of SuperSorb® works to filter oil to a nano, invisible 0.5 micron, trapping pollutants and contaminants that would normally stay in the oil leading to faster breakdown.

Ramp up your frying operation and produce better tasting, more consistent deep-fried chicken with the help of SuperSorb® CarbonPads. Contact FILTROX today to learn more!