PATS AND THEIR ECONOMICAL USE IN THE HOME. 19 



from the fact that foods like croquettes when fried in fat have a 

 different taste from those baked in the oven. Since all foods in 

 frying absorb some fat, their nutritive (energy) value is increased. 

 Up to a certain point this may be an advantage, but it is desirable 

 to regulate the amount absorbed in order that the foods may be of 

 good flavor and texture and not overfat. An excess of fat soaked 

 up by the food is not only waste, but lowers the quality and may give 

 rise to digestive disturbances in the case of some persons. 



The temperature of the fat during deep frying has considerable 

 influence upon the quantity of fat which the food absorbs, and some 

 preliminary studies have been made in the laboratory of the Office 

 of Home Economics to determine satisfactory temperatures. A 

 doughnut batter was prepared from flour, egg, milk, sugar, and 

 baking powder, and portions of uniform size and shape were fried 

 for definite periods of time in beef fat, lard, cottonseed oil, coconut 

 fat, and peanut oil at a number of different temperatures. It was 

 found that there was a definite temperature for each fat at which 

 the batter soaked the smallest quantity of fat and was most satisfac- 

 torily cooked as regards texture. This temperature was about 

 360° F. for beef fat, 350° F. for lard, and 390° F. for cottonseed, 

 coconut, and peanut oils. Subsequent chemical analyses of the 

 doughnuts showed thpt if this temperature were lowered 20° F. for 

 the animal fats and 40° F. for the vegetable fats the quantity of fat 

 absorbed by the doughnuts was increased approximately 25 per cent. 

 Although these temperatures may vary somewhat with different 

 lots of fat, owing to slight variations in composition, it may be stated 

 in the light of these experiments that for successful deep frying 

 vegetable fats should be heated from 30° to 40° F. higher than animal 

 fats. Mixtures of beef or mutton fats with some of the oils and 

 softer fats were also tested. With mixtures of equal amounts of hard 

 and soft fats the optimum temperature was midway between that 

 of the two separate fats. There is less danger of a fat being too 

 hot than being too cold for frying foods, since a tendency for the food 

 to burn is more easily noted by the cook than a tendency for it to soak 

 fat. Also, if the fat is too cool more of it is absorbed by the foods. 

 However, fats used for deep frying should never be heated high 

 enough to scorch, as the burned flavor and odor are very hard to re- 

 move, and foods fried in scorched fats are of poor quality. A ther- 

 mometer which will register as high as 420° F. is very useful for 

 measuring temperatures in deep frying, but it is rather expensive, and 

 a fairly close idea of the temperature may be obtained by noting the 

 time taken to brown a 1-inch cube of bread completely immersed in 

 the hot fat. Experiments in the laboratory of the Office of Home 

 Economics indicate that vegetable fats are at the most satisfactory 



