Can You Salt Cooking Oil?

No, you should not add salt directly to hot cooking oil. Adding salt to hot oil is generally discouraged for several reasons.

• Lowered Smoke Point: The ionic nature of salt, when heated in oil to high temperatures, can create free radicals. These free radicals lead to the formation of impurities in the oil, ultimately reducing its smoke point. A lower smoke point means the oil breaks down and begins to smoke at a lower temperature, impacting the quality of your food and potentially creating harmful compounds. This is supported by numerous sources, such as Tasting Table's article, "Why You Should Never Use Salt In Hot Cooking Oil," which states that salt lowers the oil's smoke point.

• Increased Splattering: While not the primary concern, adding salt to hot oil can increase splatter, potentially leading to burns. This is mentioned in several online discussions, such as the Reddit thread, "I've read in a few places that sprinkling some salt or flour in your hot..."

• Unnecessary and Ineffective Seasoning: Salt's role is to season food, not the oil itself. The oil doesn't absorb the salt, and trying to season your food this way is inefficient. As stated in the Quora thread, "Is it possible to add salt to oil, to fry salty chips?", the accepted practice is to salt the food after frying.

• Potential for Chemical Reactions: While not explicitly stated in all sources, the interaction of salt and high-heat oil has the potential for unintended chemical reactions, although the exact nature and impact aren't consistently detailed.

When Salt is Used With Oil (in other contexts)

It is important to note that while adding salt directly to hot oil is inadvisable, salt and oil are used together in some recipes, but under different circumstances:

• Playdough recipes: Some homemade playdough recipes use salt, oil, and flour as ingredients. However, this is a cold application and not relevant to cooking oil.

In summary, while salt and oil can be used together in certain non-cooking applications, you should never add salt directly to hot cooking oil. Season your food separately for optimal results and safety.