I can't find an oil that can withstand the heat of cooking on a cast iron skillet without burning at least a little. There should be a synthetic cooking oil, safe for human consumption, that has an insanely high flash point. I believe Olestra is already a synthetic food oil on the market.
-- kevinthenerd, Dec 04 2007

smoke point of various fats. http://www.cookingf...nts-of-Various-Fats
beyond the smoke point is the flash point, the point at which combustion occurs. [pyggy potamus, Dec 04 2007]

Are you implying Olestra is safe for human consumption? [+]
-- ed, Dec 04 2007


//There should be a synthetic cooking oil, safe for human consumption, that has an insanely high flash point.//

what are you cooking?
-- pyggy potamus, Dec 04 2007


Too much Olestra gives you the splatter farts.
-- elhigh, Dec 04 2007


You can get food grade mineral oil for use up to 600 F. MultiTherm PG-1, for instance. And it's an excellent laxative.
-- ldischler, Dec 04 2007


According to pyggy's link, avocado oil goes up to 270°C, which is 518°F - and probably less laxative.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 04 2007


Anything with synthetic and food in the same sentence has to get a bone from me i'm afraid.
-- webfishrune, Dec 05 2007


I wonder how things would do deep fried in superheated mineral oil. The hotter the oil, the less oil stays in the food. It might be possible to cook french fries nearly instantaneously.
-- bungston, Dec 05 2007


How about cooking in a molten metal? Lead would be an unwise choice, but something less toxic might work. Molten iron (at 1538°C) shouldn't be harmful, although you would have to push the food down to stop it floating.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 05 2007


Mhhhh, plasma-licious.
-- jutta, Dec 06 2007


What [webfishrune] said [-] (but I'm still with you on the Nova).
-- Ned_Ludd, Dec 06 2007


I love it! The Crisco-1 line of synthetic oils, margarine, and shortning.
-- Jscotty, Dec 06 2007



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