Heat Control
Reading Oil Heat with Chopsticks
Stand a dry wooden chopstick in the oil. The bubbles tell you the heat. No thermometer needed.
Key Points
150C: a few slow bubbles. 170C to 180C: steady fine bubbles from the whole tip. 190C: fast, noisy bubbles.
Common Failures
A wet chopstick bubbles too much and reads hot. A bamboo skewer is too thin to read well.
Do this
Dry a wooden chopstick well. Stand it on the bottom of the pot. Watch where the bubbles start and how fast they rise.
Why it works
Wood holds a little water. Hot oil turns that water into bubbles. Hotter oil makes more bubbles, faster.
When to skip it
Skip it for candy or oil above 200C. There a real thermometer is safer.
