Frozen Deep Fry Oil?

[StarsfaninCO]

Hiya, got a quick question. I left a gallon (read 25 dollar) container of brand new, never opened, deep fry oil for my King Kooker turkey fryer outside in my outdoor kitchen cabinet. I'm sure it froze during the 5* temps we had a few weeks back but it's thawed now. Is this oil still usable? Any precautions I should take?

KE

[karstdiver]

Does cooking oil freeze? See http://van.physics.uiuc.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1600

[StarsfaninCO]

Um ok, but is it still usable?

[karstdiver]

I'm no expert but I'd say it is just cold oil with no molecular or chemical changes or sources of contamination.

Does the package say "Do not freeze" or "Store between xF and yF"?

Wondering if railroad tanker cars full of veg oil are heated or if they avoid cold weather?

[StarsfaninCO]

AHhh, I see your point now. Since its under snow again (still didn't bring it in), I'll have to check it this weekend. I'm inclined to agree with you that it should be fine.

[Dave C.]

Wondering if railroad tanker cars full of veg oil are heated or if they avoid cold weather?

The answers are; A) no; and B) no,
The same answers apply to veggie oil shipped by truck ( think quart bottles of Wesson, etc.)

Bring the oil inside & let it warm up to room temp slowly. By that I mean don't put it on the stove or on top of a furnace vent. It will warm up just fine & be as good as new.
Dave :)

[St. Louis Griller]

Did you guys see the Good Eats where Alton Brown constructed a "derrick" to safely fry a turkey?

http://www.altonbrown.com/pdfs/AB_turkey_derrick.pdf

Clever? Indeed. But imagine the looks you would get if you had one of those set up in your yard. My neighbors already think I'm a fool when I'm outside in the wee hours of the morning putting on a brisket!!!

[karstdiver]

I'm not sure why my basket with a handle isn't good enough unless its the inability to lower slow enough to keep the oil from dropping temp?

[Dave C.]

I think that doing the dip-in-&-pull-back-up method described in my fryers' instructions would do the same thing. The way they explained it was that the skin needed to be seared shut to prevent the inner moisture (water) from coming in contact with the hot oil. Just my $0.02 worth.
Dave :)

[karstdiver]

On Wednesday March 14, 2007 The Tampa Tribune "Consumers Ask" correspondent Mary A. Keith wrote:
"Q: Is it OK to store peanut oil in the refrigerator?
A: Certainly. If the oil gets cloudy or thick when it's cold, don't worry. The oil has crystalilized and will melt when it warms up again."

[StarsfaninCO]

Outstanding... Thanks Karst!!