The question of which oil to fry pancakes on is far from idle. After all, there are so many recipes for this delicious dish. There are Russian pancakes for which yeast is added to the dough. According to the Ukrainian recipe, sour milk, kefir or whey are used. In this case, thin, delicate, lace-like pancakes are obtained. In the dough, you can pour (at the final stage of the batch) vegetable oil. Then such pancakes can be fried in general in a dry frying pan. In a word, each recipe for this dish also involves the use of a certain type of oil for heat treatment. But what you need to know so that the first pancake is not lumpy? And also the second and third? The secrets of proper pancake cooking you will read in this essay.
Pan
There are three factors that play a decisive role in ensuring that products do not stick and stick. The first is the dough. Do not make it sweet. Sugar contributes to the sticking and sticking of the product to the pan. If the pancake still breaks, you need to add an egg and a little flour to the dough. You should also know the measure in pouring the base into the pan. The dough should not be too much, even if we bake thick pancakes. The second factor is the pan. Better that it be cast iron. This porous material is gradually impregnated with the oil on which the pancakes were baked, and over time a natural non-stick coating forms on it. Cast iron can not be spoiled with scratches, like a Teflon pan. This metal withstands extreme temperatures. And it doesn’t matter on what to fry pancakes, what oil to pour into the pan, the main thing is that this dishes should not be used for anything else. There are modern alternatives to timeless classics. These are pans with ceramic, granite or marble coating. They cost more than Teflon, but their quality is higher. But aluminum and light metal frying pans are absolutely not suitable for baking pancakes.
Types of fat
In cooking, for cooking various dishes, cream, olive, corn, sunflower, rapeseed, palm oil, margarine, spread, lard and lard are used. As you can see, the choice is quite large. In which oil to fry the pancakes so that they turn out golden and, as if by a wave of a magic wand, they are separated from the bottom of the pan and slipped into a plate? To answer this question, we need to understand the temperature of smoke. This is a very important point, and not only in the culinary aspect, but also in the field of health protection. After all, if the oil goes beyond the smoke point, irreversible changes occur in its chemical composition and carcinogens are released. In this regard, cooks never fry in linseed oil, because it has a low boiling point. And good pancakes are obtained only when we cook the pan well.
Butter and its types
In this product, obtained from cow's milk, approximately 70-80 percent fat. The rest is impurities. How does butter behave in a pan? First of all, water is released from it, hence both hissing and splashing. Next begin to burn out impurities - milk protein. It gives dishes a pleasant nutty flavor. Butter “gives” the products that are fried in it, an appetizing crisp. But his smoke point is quite low. In butter, you can only stew foods or simmer them over low heat. Spread and margarine are even worse in the pan. They have a lot of water and other undesirable impurities. But on what oil it will be good to fry pancakes, so it is on melted cream. "What's the difference?" - you ask. After all, butter, melted to a liquid state and again solidified, does not lose its properties. In fact, its smoke point rises from 100 to 250 degrees. Therefore, ghee (the so-called refined ghee in India, Pakistan and other countries of South Asia) is often used for frying foods.
Vegetable fats
Let's first understand how they get them. Olives, grains of sunflower or corn are put under the press and crushed. The result is first-pressed oil. It is the best. However, the smoke temperature is low. And the aroma carries the smell of raw materials. Extra Virgin olive oil is a greenish tint and has a bitter taste. But this does not affect the product, which is fried in such fat. The main thing is that Extra Virgin has a low smoke temperature. The cake remaining from the first squeeze is subjected to further processing in order to squeeze as much oil out of them as possible. Sometimes heat and chemicals are used for this purpose. Such a product is called Pomace Oil. And if one wonders what oil to fry pancakes on, then this is what can be recommended, secondary extraction. It is unrefined and refined. The latter is better for frying. He has a high smoke point, it does not foam in the pan and does not spray.
Vegetable oils: what are they
We have already explained the classification of these fats according to their degree of processing. Olive oil, even intended for frying, is quite expensive with us. Consider other types of vegetable fats. The cheapest is sunflower oil. The boiling point is 120 degrees. During purification, the smoke point becomes higher - 140 ° C. For comparison: the olive Pomace Oil begins to boil after 160 degrees. But the frying pan on which we must bake the product must be calcined an order of magnitude more. Now it’s easy to guess which oil to fry pancakes on. One that has a high smoke temperature. It is corn, soy and canola. However, nutritionists may object. The last two foods have a lot of cholesterol unnecessary for the body. In terms of utility, olive oil leads. But it is also the most expensive.
Fat and Lard
These animal products also have high smoke temperatures. Therefore, lard and lard should also be taken into account, if you are a beginner in cooking, and you are interested in how to fry pancakes in a pan. Chef's advice is that these fats give the product a golden color and leave a soft texture. In addition, they are easy to use, especially fat. You just need to chop a piece on the fork and hold it on the bottom of the pan every time before pouring the dough. However, there are drawbacks here. Fat should be absolutely fresh and not salty. A product with a choke will immediately convey its unpleasant aroma to pancakes. The same requirement applies to lard. It is best to put it in a plate, which is put on the edge of the plate - not on fire, but near it.
A mixture of oils
Any fat suitable for frying pancakes has its advantages and disadvantages. Butter, for example, makes products soft and tasty. But it has bad cholesterol. In vegetable oil, especially refined, it is not. But the pancakes baked on it are too fat. Let's try to combine these two fats. Many housewives answer the question of how to fry pancakes, which oil is better: on a mixture of vegetable and cream. And the latter should be melted. The main thing is not to overdo it with the amount of fat. It should be minimal. The pan should shine a little with grease, and that’s it. Therefore, cooks go to all sorts of tricks, so as not to pour too much fat. A half of raw potato is strung on a fork, dipped with a slice of it in oil and held in a frying pan. Or use modern silicone brushes.
Fry without oil
Now it has become fashionable to cook food without any fats. Non-stick Teflon pans are in great demand, as well as with granite, ceramic or marble coating. Having such kitchen utensils, you do not need to wonder what oil to fry pancakes on. Reviews are still advised to grease the pan before pouring the first portion of the dough on it. Then it is already possible to do without fat. But if you have a good-quality cast-iron frying pan at your disposal, then you can also fry pancakes on it without oil. But in this case, you need to make the appropriate dough. There are recipes when a certain amount of vegetable oil is introduced into the pancake base at the final stage. And do not forget to properly heat the pan before you start pouring the dough.
Fats that should not be used
So which oil is better to fry pancakes? We have already listed fats that will help make your products golden, soft, tender and tasty. These are refined corn or sunflower oil, olive Pomace Oil and ghee ghee. And which fats are not suitable for making pancakes? These are margarine and spread, grape, linseed, sesame, coconut and peanut butter. Toast on olive Extra Virgin is also not possible due to its low smoke point. Rapeseed and soybean will give pancakes an unpleasant smell. Fat bacon is suitable for frying only when it is fresh.