Various kitchen hacks are currently gaining popularity on social media. They may relate to reducing smoke during cooking or methods of preparing food without using oil. Some of these techniques seem capable of simplifying kitchen work, while others raise doubts about their effectiveness. One such video is attracting public attention, where a small piece of ginger is placed in hot oil before frying puri, pakora, or other dishes.
The video claims that this method slows down the darkening of the oil and also reduces the sticking of burnt particles to the food during frying. Furthermore, it is stated that ginger can eliminate the old food smell that accumulates in the oil. The question arises whether this viral trick is actually effective.
When preparing puri or pakora at home, small particles of dough, flour, chickpea flour, or spices inevitably fall into the oil. These particles begin to burn in the hot oil and gradually darken. It is these charred particles that make the oil dirty and dark.
When puri or pakora is dropped into such oil, the charred particles can stick to the finished product. This not only worsens the appearance of the dish but can also impart a bitter taste to it.
As part of this viral culinary trick, it is suggested to add a small piece of ginger to the oil after heating it, and then fry the puri or pakora in the same oil. According to this trick, ginger prevents the oil from darkening quickly, and the fried products turn out clean. However, it is important to understand that adding ginger does not remove the charred dough or chickpea flour particles already in the oil. If the oil is dirty, the most correct way to remove it remains straining the oil.
A second, and perhaps more significant, advantage of this technique relates to odor. When frying samosas, pakoras, or fish in oil, a strong smell of that food remains in it. Reusing such used oil becomes difficult. It is claimed that ginger completely absorbs this smell, neutralizing the aroma of the oil, allowing the remaining oil to stay clean and odorless for the next use.
If your goal is to prevent the oil from darkening quickly, it might be more useful to focus on several simple points instead of relying solely on the viral trick. Thus, the ginger viral trick should be viewed as one of the kitchen hacks, but not as a guaranteed way to clean the oil or completely eliminate its old smell. The viral spread of videos on social media does not mean that it is scientifically proven.
If you decide to try this method, you can do so in small quantities, but for maintaining oil cleanliness, a more reliable approach is adhering to the correct temperature, minimizing residual particles, and, if necessary, straining the oil. Therefore, next time you fry puri-pakora, use the addition of ginger as a kitchen hack, not as a miracle cure.