Just fried donuts in canola oil and it smelled like I was frying fish. I've read this happens sometimes to canola at high heat. Anyone know w

nzle added over 1 year ago

When you heat oil, you release aldehydes, a particular kind of organic compound. Many aldehydes have fragrances, which can range from fishy to citrusy to smelling exactly like a banana! You can see a list of aldehydes present in oils and their smells here:

http://uqu.edu.sa/files2...

Oils breakdown and develop smells particularly when exposed to direct sunlight, or when they age and become rancid.

• 2 People think this is an excellent answer
• Reply
• Flag this answer for inappropriate content

Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.

added over 1 year ago

Here's some more reading on this matter -- a paper from The Journal of American Oil Chemists' Society: http://www.springerlink...

• 1 Person thinks this is an excellent answer
• Reply
• Flag this answer for inappropriate content