Like we said, vegetable oil is best for frying, and while, yes, technically any oil derived from a plant can be called “vegetable” oil, we’re referring to the vegetable oil that says it on the bottle. (It’s usually a blend of a few refined vegetable oils.) While we wouldn’t use plain oil vegetable oil for a salad dressing or drizzle, it’s our go-to for frying. Here’s why:
- It has a neutral flavor. Unlike olive oil, which is prized for its distinct and varied flavor, vegetable oil tastes like absolutely nothing—and that’s a good thing. You’re usually not deep-frying to give that chicken a certain flavor. You just want to get it cooked through and impossibly crispy.
- It has an appropriate smoke point. Vegetable oil has a smoke point of around 400 to 430°F, making it ideal for most things you’d fry at home.
- It’s affordable and accessible. This point doesn’t need much explanation. Deep-frying requires a lot of oil. You wouldn’t want to use that entire bottle of cold-pressed olive oil you bought in Italy for $50 on a single batch of chicken thighs. Even canola and peanut oil are expensive when buying in large amounts. You can purchase a gallon of vegetable oil for about $10—a bargain! And it’s available at any grocery store.
Comparing vegetable oil to a few other options on the shelf will make the choice for frying obvious.
