The Safest Way To Prevent Frying Oil From Splattering Onto Your Stove

When you're in your kitchen deep-frying donuts, tallow fries, pierogies, or any other crunchy, golden-brown treats, it's important to keep safety in mind. Taking a few simple steps when deep frying at home can help protect you from burns and make cleanup easier. Only filling your pot ⅔ full with oil is a great place to start. This leaves plenty of room for you to add the items you're going to fry without worrying about overfilling. It can also help contain the inevitable splatters that occur when your food hits the hot oil.

The size of the pot you use also matters. Make sure you leave at least 4 inches of space between the top of the oil and the top of the pot — this will help to keep splatters contained, making it less likely that your kitchen turns into a greasy mess. If you're frequently deep-frying at home, investing in a proper deep fryer is often safer and easier than using a large pot on the stove.

Deep-frying food at home is a fantastic way to get restaurant-quality flavor. That being said, deep frying is far more dangerous than other methods of cooking due to the highly flammable nature of oil. Because of this, you'll need to keep some safety tips in mind before you get to frying. Never leave your frying pot unattended, even for a second. Mishaps can happen quickly — and they can be disastrous. It's also important to keep often overlooked fire hazards in your kitchen away from the fryer. If a fire does break out while you're deep frying, don't ever try to extinguish the flames with water. Instead, use a fire extinguisher or toss a metal lid onto the fire.

You'll also want to avoid the common deep fryer mistake of using oil that isn't hot enough. The oil's temperature is the one thing you should never leave to chance when deep frying. Use a thermometer to make sure your oil is between 320 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit (seafood should be cooked on the lower end, while you'll want to cook poultry at the higher end). Finally, make sure you have a spacious area for your freshly fried foods to dry and cool down. A rack set up on top of a baking sheet can keep your mozzarella sticks, clam strips, or chicken tenders crispy before they're dunked in sauce and devoured.