Curry Recipes Online
Beginners Guide => Hints, Tips, Methods and so on.. => Cooking Methods => Topic started by: goncalo on March 12, 2013, 07:49 PM
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So I have some spiced oil ready to be filtered, but the only method I know of, consists essentially of using filter cloths takes AGES. I'm sure next week I will still be filtering the about half-litre I have of spiced oil and was looking for any ideas/tips on how to speed this up? I have an idea... multiple recipients/cloths.
Also, for the bits that have already passed through the filter, I can still see presence of something in the oil that doesn't belong there, of whitish color (or maybe it does)
Any thoughts?
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I don't actually filter my oil at all, Goncalo (just leave it in a jar, allow any sediment to settle, and then decant carefully when needed), but if I were to do so I would use only a fine metal sieve; most definitely not a cloth or paper filter which are (IMHO) far too fine a mesh for something like cooking oil.
** Phil.
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I use coffee filter papers, ASDA, when I make Chilli Oil or Masala Oil.
It obviously does take time, but I don't stand there and watch/wait for it :D
cheers Chewy
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I use one of these (http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/catalog/sectionpagecontainer.jsp?aisleid=&skuId=1000000465740&startValue=&departmentid=) and one of these (http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/products/products.jsp?skuId=77368357&departmentid=1214921923802&aisleid=1214921925235&startValue)
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Use a single layer of muslin (cheese cloth) as your filtration media. ;)
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thanks :) I think I'll give cheesecloth a try. I'm not watching the the coffee cloths, but everytime I take a peek it's like nothing happened..hence I was looking for a quicker solution... oh well, pain necessary to know.
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The technique for filtering through a fine mesh is a jerking movement. This is because all the small particles block the holes stopping the liquid passing through. Lift and drop the liquid to make it pass through quickly as if you were bouncing it in the filter.
You dont have to wait for hours for a slow drip, but if using paper filters, make sure the filter is supported. i.e. with a sieve or a deep filter holder.
Or you could buy one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18-100-MICRON-FILTER-BAGS-BIO-DIESEL-VEG-OIL-W-V-O-/170993719829?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27d0051a15 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18-100-MICRON-FILTER-BAGS-BIO-DIESEL-VEG-OIL-W-V-O-/170993719829?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27d0051a15)
A larger mesh size than a coffee filter but still finer than any sieve and more than enough to catch all the sludge.
Not sure how felt holds up to jerking but they are washable and reusable. Better off with nylon or poly i reckon.
A coffee filter is generally between 10 and 30 microns. Not necessary for spiced oil unless you want to put it in your car. :P (5 micron being ideal)
This one would be similar in mesh size to a coffee filter.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130851907630?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130851907630?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649)
Cheers, Frank. :)
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Now that i think about the mesh size of the average coffee filter, i dont think its a good idea.
Its not something i would do myself anyway. I just let the solids fall to the bottom and spoon off without using any filter. And if i do filter, it will be through muslin.
I would say dont use anything less than 100 microns because i think you will be filtering out some flavour.
Frank. ;)
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Thanks a lot DP! I was today at a wedding and was trying to convince the bride to let me use her a veil to do the filtering of the oil at home! ::) :D ;D 8)
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So I opened the container where I stored the sieved oil from bombay potatoes, precooked with ifindforu's method and noticed there appears to be an emulsion or simply 2 layers to it. Now, I do remember topping up the spiced oil with fresh/unused oil, but I was expecting the 2 would mix. I also had a sniff and it doesn't smell of anything other than oil. Any thoughts?
Top view:
(http://i.imgur.com/d4n9JTjl.jpg)
side view
(http://i.imgur.com/HxoLc62l.jpg)
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How did you extract the spiced oil in the first place, Goncalo ? It looks very much to me as if the lower layer is aqueous, whence the fact that the fresh (odourless) oil floats on the top.
** Phil.
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I simply sieved it with a relatively fine sieve. Is there anything I can do/should have done to make it "blend" properly?
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I simply sieved it with a relatively fine sieve. Is there anything I can do/should have done to make it "blend" properly?
Hmmm, then I don't think you started with spiced oil in the first place ! I think you started with a spiced emulsion, which you would then have needed to heat gently and then leave to rest undisturbed until the oil had settled out on top. You should then have poured off and reserved the spiced oil, leaving the aqueous residue behind.
** Phil.
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and can I still do the emulsion at this stage?
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and can I still do the emulsion at this stage?
Should work fine. Heat gently in a saucepan, stir well, then decant (ideally into a heatproof transparent Pyrex (R) jug), leave to cool, then carefully pour off the spiced oil from the top.
** Phil.
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I'm a bit confused Phil. Any chance you could break it down a bit further?
What should I expect to see at each stage?
update: I can see some froth building up on top of the oil which is heating up slowly. Should I try to spoon the froth out into the pyrex?
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It's difficult to create this takeaway oil at home
Two takeaway places, that let me in their kitchens, just ladle off the oil from their cooked curry gravy into an large empty white tower tomato puree cans
So all the gunk drops to the bottom
They spoon off pure cooked oil from the top
Then when they make the next curry gravy, any remaining oil and the stuff at the bottom of the can, goes into the curry gravy pot
And you should smell this when they do
This , for me, is what makes takeaways taste and smell so wonderful
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I'm a bit confused Phil. Any chance you could break it down a bit further? What should I expect to see at each stage? update: I can see some froth building up on top of the oil which is heating up slowly. Should I try to spoon the froth out into the pyrex?
Sorry, wasn't intentionally cryptic -- let me try to be even more clear, with apologies if you already know/understand anything that follows :
The most important point is that oil is lighter than water; second is that in the presence of ground spices, water and oil when mixed together tend to form an emulsion. You need to persuade the emulsion to break down so that it liberates free spiced oil. So. You put everything into a saucepan, heat gently (it does not need to boil) and stir thoroughly so that everything mixes together (the emulsion); then, while it is still hot (very important) you pour it into a tall clear heatproof (usually Pyrex(R)) container so that you can clearly see the line of separation between the oil (at the top) and the solid and aqueous matter (at the bottom). You then leave it undisturbed to cool. When cooling is complete, the (spiced) oil will be at the top, the solid and aqueous matter at the bottom. You then carefully decant the (spiced) oil from the top, which is the part you want, and do what you like with what remains.
Oh, and no : the scum (frothy stuff) that forms on the top contains particulate matter by definition, so it has no place in your spiced oil.
** Phil.
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You could always siphon the oil off the top using some cheap clear plastic tubing from an aquarium or home-brewing shop.
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Thanks Haldi, Phil and naga for your tips. Also, I didn't meant to say you sounded cryptic, Phil. I suppose I just never had an interest in chemistry to begin with :)
However, I was wondering whether if I'd heat it over 100C, wouldn't the aqueous content form bubbles, rise to the surface and form a steam cloud, in other words, evaporating the aqueous content.
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However, I was wondering whether if I'd heat it over 100C, wouldn't the aqueous content form bubbles, rise to the surface and form a steam cloud, in other words, evaporating the aqueous content.
Eventually, yes; but you would be left with all of the contaminants that so helpfully bind to the aqueous layer in your oil, thereby making filtration much slower and more difficult. Look up "clarifying dripping" in Mrs Beeton or Hannah Glass and you will see from whence comes this technique ...
** Phil.