smoking ghee

[Guest guest]

> Is it poisonous? Do foods cooked with it have bad effects on the organs?

>

> When I make puris, I make the ghee very hot so that the puris puff up, but

> now I've heard that ghee becomes poisonous when it smokes.

>

> Please enlighten me.

 

There is a smoking point for every oil. For oils which are used for frying,

this point is around 180 - 190 degree Celsius. Sorry, but I dont know how to

calculate this in Fahrenheit.

 

If you use a deep frying device you can look at the thermostat. At about 170

degrees things start to puff up nicely. If you go beyond that the oil (or

ghee) starts to deteriorate quickly. Short before the smoking point the oil

starts to decompose and the formation of free radicals and metabolites such

as benzyprens takes place.

 

This substances are highly toxic and definitely cancer producing. Further

this oil which can not anymore be properly digested by the liver will cause

a irrevocable liver disorder and consequently a reduction of digesting

ability in general.

 

Characteristics of oils and fats:

 

Ghee is a very good fat for frying if is not full of hormones and

antibiotics which are given to the animals nowadays. It has a high smoke

point (means it can be heated up quite hot) and is rather stabile against

oxidation.

 

This oxidation is measured and expressed in the Peroxide figure. The higher

this figure is, the more rancid the oil is. Three factors influence the

Peroxide value:

 

1.) The characteristic of the oil:

 

Some oils are very stabile, others become poisonous if heated up just once.

 

Peanut oil is good if you want to fry every day with the same oil, but only

if you use it a few hours per day. Please note that peanut oil is often

very strongly contaminated with Afflotoxins (strong cancer producing

byproducts of mold fungi such as Aspergiller Flavus)

 

Sunflower oil is good if you fry the whole day continuously with the same

oil. But then it should be replaced.

 

Coconut fat is good for frying if it is not hardened. Hardened fats and oils

are extremely dangerous for health and should be omitted completely. (Watch

out for shortenings and margarine!)

 

Ghee is very good for frying, but rarely used by the industry because it is

more expensive than plant oils.

 

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NONE OF THESE FRYING OILS SHOULD EVER START TO SMOKE. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE

OIL SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH FRESH OIL (OR GHEE) IMMEDIATELY.

*****************************

 

Better loose a few dollars than your health.

 

2.) The temperature:

 

The hotter an oil gets, the faster the oxidation and consequent

decomposition will proceed.

 

Oils containing poly-unsaturated fat acids should never be heated up. This

comprises most cold pressed, unrefined oils, and oils such as safflower, nut

oils, hamp oil, wheat germ oil, linseed oil ...

 

Olive oil contains mainly mono-unsaturated fat acids, and is good for pan

frying but not for deep frying.

 

If you are an experienced cook, you can keep the oil temperature of a Wok

constant. If your oil is often getting to hot, try to use a deep frying

device with thermostat.

 

3.) The time factor:

 

The longer you use an oil, the more it starts to oxidize. Between two frying

sessions, the oil should be stored cool and light protected, to slow down

oxidation. If food particles remain in the oil during frying they tend to

burn and cause a rapid deterioration of the oil.

 

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How long can an oil be used for frying?

 

There are simple test stripes available, allowing you to measure the

oxidation of the oil. Just contact a supplier for gastronomy or commercial

kitchens. Any big chemical supplier such as MERCK has such test-stripes

available.

 

Eating of too many fried preparations, and the using of old, cheap and

degenerated oils for cooking, are some of the main causes for the bad health

and the liver- and digestive problems many devotees are suffering from.

 

10 percent of the calories we eat should come from fats. In "civilized"

countries we get 40 percent of our energy from fats. Devotees sometimes even

more. But this is an other subject.

 

Hope this helps to make healthier puris,

 

Yhs Ugresa das

 

Ps.: Please feel free to add any cooks as recievers of this text.