Effect of Cooking Time in Relation to Fat Absorption - Lab Report Example

Effect of cooking time in relation to fat absorption Abstract This report aims at demonstrating the effect of time on fat absorption in the biscuit holes. The objective of this report is to help us determine the best time required for correct deep-frying and employ better techniques in cooking to avoid wastage and consumption of large amounts of fats in daily rations. The report indicates that biscuits fried for longer duration did not add weight but remained constant while those that cooked for short duration gained weight. Theoretically, we expect that when food is fried for shorter time it should lose weight since the water inside evaporate due to heating [CITATION Fel97 \p 1-22 \l 1033 ]. However, the results show otherwise with variations on the type of oil used. The data indicates that the longest time used in frying the biscuits was 4 minutes and there was no change in the weight of the biscuits. This indicates that the biscuits never absorbed any fat. Frying biscuits for 2 minutes resulted in 12.5% increase in weight indicating that the shorter the duration the higher the amount of absorption. Holes fried in Crisco oil lost weight within 25 second of heating. When the oil substance burns for long, they turn into gases forming blue smoke that are flammable hence the reason for no absorption by the biscuits. This is the reason the food samples remain the same in weight. When food substances fry within the shortest time, we realize that their weight increases. The data also indicates that when temperatures exceeded 200°C the biscuits gain weight. In conclusion, the best time for frying the biscuit is within the four minutes. This is because the food substances absorb the fats. Our experiment also includes different types of cooking oils and fats, which also creates a variation. Peanut oil, olive oil, and Crisco oil has also little or no effect on the final weight of the biscuits fried. The data also indicates that lard and peanut oil have poor mouth feel hence disliked by many people. It therefore means that food product fried using these two oils will not fetch high price in the market because they have a bad mouth feel. Justification Each group received a package of commercially prepared biscuits. Biscuits cut into small pieces forms holes in this experiment. Initial weight of each hole is taken before frying. 500g of vegetable oil was heat to 160°C and the biscuits fried for two minutes. After frying for two minutes, the holes are dried in towel and their weigh taken and noted down. The temperature of the vegetable oil was then raised to 175°c, another sample of hole placed this time cooking it for 80seconds, and the data was recorded. The hole was then dried and weight taken just like the previous one. The third hole was taken and its weight measured before being fried. The temperature was placed at 190°c and the hole was fried for four minutes. A fourth experiment conducted with the same procedure but with a slight increase in temperature to 205°c. Frying takes place for two and half minutes and the results indicate an increase in weight by 12.5% similar to the initial experiment. The four samples using the same vegetable forms the basis of our discussion. The procedure was repeated with different oil products and data recorded. Once the fats reach high temperature they do not decompose. The hole used with Crisco lost weight within 25 seconds. This is because the hole lost water and consequently its weight. Crisco oil is not broken down easily. Initial information and history of the oil indicates that it was meant for production of candles meaning that part of its chemical structure contains hard or tough proteins such as wax and glycoproteins, which do not decompose fast upon heating due to their structure. After weighing the biscuits, the data indicates the effect of time on frying the biscuits. The major challenge is maintaining a constant temperature. It is important to note that any increase in temperature occurs when the food substances is exposed to the oil. Under certain condition, the temperature decreased due to the number of biscuits being fried. The biscuits take away latent heat of vaporization form the oil hence reducing its temperature, which creates a difference in the data received. Vegetable oil at 160°c is our control experiment indicating a 12.5% increase in weight after boiling for 2 minutes. An increase in temperature indicates a reduction in weight while using the same type of vegetable oil. Further increase in temperature shows a no change in weight at all. This is because the oil turns into flammable smoke and changes its status from liquid to gas, which is not easily absorbed by the biscuits. The temperature can keep increasing but the duration of time for frying is the key factor in consideration for proper frying of the holes. Method Each group received a package of commercially prepared biscuits. Biscuits cut into small pieces forms holes in this experiment. Initial weight of each hole is taken before frying. 500g of vegetable oil was heat to 160°C and the biscuits fried for two minutes. After frying for two minutes, the holes are dried in a towel and their weigh taken and noted down. The temperature of the vegetable oil was then raised to 175°c, another sample of hole placed this time cooking it for 80seconds, and the data was recorded. The hole was then dried and weight taken just like the previous one. The third hole was taken and its weight measured before being fried. The temperature was placed at 190°c and the hole was fried for four minutes. A fourth experiment conducted with the same procedure but with a slight increase in temperature to 205°c. the procedure continues with palm oil, lard, castor, and peanut oils. The data is collected and noted down. The biscuits are then taken for taste sampling where a data is collected depending on the reaction of the respondents. The data indicates vegetable oil with cooking of 4 minutes had the best mouth feel while peanut butter and lard oils had the worst mouth feel results. Results and discussion The data below indicates that frying within 4 minutes is the best time required for frying the holes. Further increase or decrease in time shows negative effect on the quality of food a fact proven by the mouth feel experiment. Table 3: Fat Absorption and Frying Time for Doughnut Holes Unit Number Treatment Weight (g) % Absorption Frying time (min) Before After 1 Vegetable oil 160oC 16 18 12.5% 2:00 min 2 Vegetable oil 175oC 16 17 6.25% 1:20 min 3 Vegetable oil 190oC 20 20 0% 4:00 min 4 Vegetable oil 205oC 16 18 12.5% 2:35 min 5 Peanut oil 16 16 0% 42 sec 6 Olive oil 16 16 0% 1:30 min 7 Lard 16 16 0% 1:02 min 8 Crisco® 20 18 -12.5% 25 sec Frying biscuits for 2 minutes resulted in 12.5% increase in weight indicating that the shorter the duration the higher the amount of absorption. Holes fried in Crisco oil lost weight within 25 second of heating. When the oil substance burns for long, they turn into gases forming blue smoke that are flammable hence the reason for no absorption by the biscuits. This is the reason the food samples remain the same in weight. When food substances fry within the shortest time, we realize that their weight increases [CITATION Mar93 \p 89 \l 1033 ]. The data also indicates that when temperatures exceeded 200°C the biscuits gain weight. In summary, the best time for frying the biscuit is within the four minutes. This is because the food substances absorb the fats. Our experiment also includes different types of cooking oils and fats, which also creates a variation. Peanut oil, olive oil, and Crisco oil has also little or no effect on the final weight of the biscuits fried. The data also indicates that lard and peanut oil have poor mouth feel hence disliked by many people. It therefore means that food product fried using these two oils will not fetch higher price in the market because they have a bad mouth feel. Treatment General Impression Fat flavor Mouth feel Vegetable oil 160oC 3.9 3.2 3.6 Vegetable oil 175oC 4.1 4 4.3 Vegetable oil 190oC 3.7 3.3 3.6 Vegetable oil 205oC 2.4 2.7 3.2 Peanut oil 2.6 2.5 2.6 Olive oil 3.8 3.1 3.4 Lard 3.2 2.3 2.6 Crisco® 3.0 2.7 3.0 Key: 1-dislike extremely, 2- dislike moderately, 3- neither like or dislike, 4-like moderately, 5- like completely. From the data above, the holes fried at 175°c had a better taste hence liked by most people. An experiment conducted and it indicated that Crisco peanut butter oils had the worst mouth feel. The data below indicates the same. This is because the holes did not cook well in the oil having been cooked for less than one minute. The holes will fetch the least price in the market. The holes therefore contained the natural flavors of the oil, which is not palatable to human beings. Conclusion In conclusion, we have verified the relationship between cooking time and the amount of oil absorption. We also realize that the amount of cooking time has an effect on the quality of food we consume. It is therefore important that this aspect of cooking is considered while preparing commercial food for consumption. Cooking time also affects the taste of the food we consume. In recommendation, it is good to embrace good cooking habits to avoid consumption of more fats and oils, which can lead to diseases. Works Cited CITATION Fel97 \p 1-22 \l 1033 : , (Fellows 1-22), CITATION Mar93 \p 89 \l 1033 : , (Marshal 89), Read More