this reusing oil malarky

[grimmo]

I've posted a couple of times before on this because I can't seem to get my head around the technique for recovering oil.

I made a base at the weekend that more or less followed the Bruce E recipe. I used about 400 mil of oil. At the end of cooking the base I let it rest and did have a thin covering of oil across the top. However this layer was only a few mm thick and proved difficult to skim off. I tried to using a wooden spatula and then a spoon, but end up with about 40% base 60% oil. I then added about 3tbsp of this mixture to my final dish but there was no way of recovering any oil from this dish. Obviously I'm still doing something wrong though I do tend to end up with quite thick sauces in the final dish so I wonder if the oil gets lost in suspensions due to this viscosity?

Would anyone be able to photograph and post the important steps of this process. It will hopefully help this numpty out!

Many thanks

[Curry King]

400ml, depending on the quantity of onions and everything else wont be enough to get a decent amount of spicy oil, I would use 600ml or more.

[Yellow Fingers]

I always recover the spiced oil before I blend the base, that way I recover almost as much as I put in. If you blend the base with the oil, it forms an emulsion and is much more difficult to separate. Then when you cook your curry you should cook at high heat, and don't stir for the last minute or two,this always releases the most oil.

[pete]

I reckon that's where the Kushi base fails
The oil should be separated out before pureeing
or you should cook the pureed base for an hour longer, so the oil rises to the top again

[Mark J]

I puree with the oil in and you're right it does make it harder to extract, you need to cook the base for longer but it does pretty much all rise to the top eventually

[George]

I had another thought about re-using oil, hopefully to allow us to keep oil in a fridge for weeks, without any health worries. If it starts to smell 'off'  or the taste goes downhill, then that's a different matter. I reckon that if it is removed from the fridge every 3 or 4 days and heated to 120-150C (use a thermometer) for 20 minutes (perhaps less) then there's no chance that any bacteria or anything can build up in the oil. Avoid high (smoking) temperatures because that's when the oil can become dangerous.

Regards
George

PS I came up with this idea after recalling (and reconfirming on the Internet) that stock like chicken or vegetable stock can be taken out and re-simmered for a few minutes every 3-4 days, to help it last much longer. They only go to 100C for 5 mins.  The oil should be easier. Keep it in the same saucepan which you use for the reheat, then there should be negligible wastage. I don't think oil evaporates, either. I've never been ill from any of my curries but I don't yet have experience of reusing and storing oil for long periods.

[pete]

I've never had a bad tummy from my curries
I freeze the old oil and take it out when I need it again
Has anyone been ill from old oil yet?

[Mark J]

Not me and I keep it in the cupboard, not the fridge  ;D

Why would oil go off, isnt it a preservative?