FATS 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 overf at. 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 that 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 
