Topic: Oil for Curry Base Sauce

[merrybaker]

To those of you who have watched takeaway chefs make base sauce:
Did they use fresh oil or oil leftover from the deep-fat fryer?? I know chefs can be frugal, and it would save money to use oil that would otherwise be tossed out.? Meanwhile, it?could give the curries added layers of flavor (onion bhaji?).?

[Dylan]

Whatever some restaurants do, I would be wary of reusing oil that'd been heated several times because it has been linked to carcinogens

[merrybaker]

Yes, I wouldn't recycle oil that way, either.? And since I would never consider doing it, I thought it just might be the secret of the elusive takeaway flavor.

[tempest63]

A friends son works in a local hostelry, one of a chain that is nationwide and sells cheap beer and food. He bought a deep fat fryer and constantly re-used the oil. I told him of the dangers of this and he showed me how they determine if the oil is good in the pub kitchen.
They take a wine-glass full out of their fryers and if you can see through it, it is fine. If you can't they chuck it. Hence my reservations about eating in such a place have been permanently re-inforced.

[pete]

I don't think for a minute that curries could be good for you
What do they have in abundance?
Oil
Ghee
Salt
Onions and garlic and ginger? boiled to the point of obliteration
Old cooked meats and old cooked vegetables
The oil is reused as well
Even if you don't lift the oil from the top of the curry gravy, you reheat it with the curry gravy you scoop out
The staff who work at the takeaways never eat what they serve
The only possible benefit you might get is from the spices
I read that turmeric has health giving properties
But having said that..........
Why does it taste so great?
Would I give it up?
Never!!!!!!!

[whitekight]

I don't think for a minute that curries could be good for you
What do they have in abundance?
Oil
Ghee
Salt
Onions and garlic and ginger? boiled to the point of obliteration
Old cooked meats and old cooked vegetables
The oil is reused as well
Even if you don't lift the oil from the top of the curry gravy, you reheat it with the curry gravy you scoop out
The staff who work at the takeaways never eat what they serve
The only possible benefit you might get is from the spices
I read that turmeric has health giving properties
But having said that..........
Why does it taste so great?
Would I give it up?
Never!!!!!!!

I quite agree,I was buying a curry from a traditional cafe/takeaway.This place cooked for the local taxi-drivers.What did they eat?Fish fingers chips and peas!! I kid you  not.Great curry though