Deep-Fried Food: How Many Times Can We Reuse Our Cooking Oil? | Talking Point | Full Episode

[@Iendleasereit]

the hawkers are dam honest with their answers here. respect for the honesty and help they offered the team. really respect to them as it helps with the research and adds to my knowledge (i'm gonna make some changes to the food i consume)

[@vedd2603]

Why are they named hawkers?

[@Lena-vw6ye]

@@vedd2603 makeshift stalls and cheap fried street food

[@JamelCantrell-k7e]

Lol u actually believe that

[@harryharrison362]

@@vedd2603 They are selling hawks

[@JoyJoy_Life]

@@IendleasereitRespect? what about feeding customers of cancerous stuff for a long time, is it "respectful" ?

[@apexcapital1328]

As someone who has been in the food industry for over 2 decades I’ll share some thoughts. Oil is expensive and you’ll be lucky to see them change it out once a week. With that said the most dangerous part is the chemicals used to clean out the fryer if not used correctly, so keep that in mind.

[@gnz8v]

Absolutely. Cleaning those thick greases require some strong special chemicals. Rising with water only won’t really wash off. Scary.

[@aaronlimeuchin7352]

​@@gnz8v I second your comment. I once work at a five-star hotel kitchen. Every day sharp at 3 am, the cleaning team would come to clean the whole kitchen. They use potent and corrosive chemical detergents (more potent and corrosive than the brand Chlorox detergent) to clean the kitchen machinery like deep fryer, the steamer, the wok, etc. The hot water vapor plus the chemical would get my eyes red and itchy if I get close to the vapor.

[@simonk5571]

why do humans eat fried food?

[@lostandwastedtime]

​@@aaronlimeuchin7352 can confirm. Worked same industry and you definitely don't want to breathe it in

[@cyclopsvision6370]

If you expect a hawker to change the oil in the deep fryer after 3 orders, you are sadly mistaken

[@beedeebee179]

To be fair, many fast food restaurants reused their oil as many time as well. So, not exclusively hawker fried food. If that is a concern, cook at home , avoid eating out.

[@grettzmendoza951]

No wonder why so many fat people

[@RL-fj9jg]

the difference is, fast food restaurants change their oil every night.

[@Iendleasereit]

Mos burger, long john silver, i got a shock when i saw my cheese black recently and it hit me they reused their oil like crazy

[@Iendleasereit]

@@RL-fj9jg they also have extremely high volume

[@OCK1995]

@@RL-fj9jg I used to work in KFC many years ago. and nope, at least KFC definitely doesn't change their oil every night. filter then yes.

[@willmorris8198]

As someone who has worked in a restaurant and worked fry station, we reused our oil for 3-4 days before changing it and deep cleaning the fryer. However, every night we would drain the oil into a compartment below the fryer and do a light cleaning of the fryer (just getting all the food particles out), then there was a mechanism that sucked the oil through a filter which filtered out all the food particles and sucked it back into the fryer. Then the compartment would be taken to the dishwashers where it was cleaned and the filter changed. This was done on every night except for 2 days of a week on which we would empty and discard the oil, deep clean the inside of the fryer, and fill it with new oil.

[@CST1992]

That is a good mechanism, however the oxidation of the oil will still happen even with the filter.

[@sankun7970]

We want cheap, how can he change oil daily but at least he is doing something.

[@jeegupopli1871]

yeah the oil used in the first place isn't ideal either you all wouldn't be doing anybody any favour even if you changed it after a single use hahahahah and that is stretching it

[@KCC22211]

These hawkers contribute to a smaller percentage. I like to know about the bigger restaurants and fast food chains like McDonald’s, BK, Popeyes and KFC

[@Iendleasereit]

EXACTLY! the mos burger and long john is scary!

[@bloodlove93]

you don't wanna know... some clips we've gotten occasionally are micro demonstrations in how horrid it is...don't eat there

[@li5321]

I used to work in McDonald's and the oil can get quite dark like in the videos with the hawkers, but generally it gets changed a few times a day as there are different vats of oil to use so it's easier in that way. Also, it's more high tech so it drain the oil itself, the worker just needs to add new oil to it.

[@MarioMariaMario]

They're no worse for sure. These joints change the oil multiple times a day and have probably cleaner kitchens than the hawkers. On the other hand their ingredients are toxic af. Avoid both and live better and longer :)

[@arsenal_84]

Can include old Chang keng as well.

[@helloworld12]

I worked at a Japanese restaurant as a tempura guy. We changed cooking oil every end of the shift even if there was only single order of tempura for the whole day. Not only change cooking oil but wash the entire deep fryer until everything looks brand new and rinse out numerous times. The first thing I did at the beginning of the shift next day was refilling the cooking oil and heat it up. I thought every businesses were like this.

[@poom323]

How much the food cost there?

[@xcel5203]

I guess you guys don't have inflation.

[@helloworld12]

@@poom323 it was just a normal Japanese restaurant that normal people can afford. Definitely wasn’t a fancy place and was owned by a couple in their 50s.

[@helloworld12]

@@xcel5203 we do have inflation. Every economy has inflation. Without inflammation, economy wouldn’t be advancing. Rapid inflation is what society is trying to avoid.

[@zerase84]

@@poom323 katsu curry rice cost less than SGD $10 or 1100 yen. dont believe just watch some videos, they have most of the ingredients home grown. sg imports everything, as long it isn't stuff from malaysia or indonesia its expensive.

[@zuckmedic]

Love the fact they mention it is safe to reuse and giving tips on how to do it properly. Alot of other channels just straight out say discard the oil after single use. Not everyone is willing to throw away their money like that, yk?

[@Vikingsroar]

Well better to throw away the used oil 🪔 than to harm our health right? In our house 🏡 we throw away any used oil after one use 😅

[@juliangrinblat955]

@@Vikingsroar it's not only about the money, it's also about wasting perfectly usable oil. You know, it's a limited resource...

[@gemmameidia8438]

​@@Vikingsroarit would be different case when you use it in home scale compared to bussines one, like imagine thworing away a lot of oil in a day from bunch of hawkers

[@brendon1689]

@@juliangrinblat955 what do you mean by that? i think you're confusing cooking oil with fossil fuels cooking oil of all types are produced by plants

[@juliangrinblat955]

@@brendon1689 lol no, you're right, finite was not the right word there I guess, although technically we are limited in how much cooking oil we can produce, we can produce enough of it for everyone. All I tried to say is, no point in wasting perfectly usable cooking oil

[@kirksulu]

People are concern about oil being reuse multiple times, but when the oil is changed everyday, they complain why food prices have gone up.

[@Choveck]

Are these people in the room with us right now?

[@projekt84]

​@@Choveck Have you read restaurant reviews? All people do is complain about price

[@lars2894]

People complain about price because restaurants generally act shady and refuse to disclose reasons behind them. You don't see a single person complaining about restaurants that they TRUST, when managers openly and calmly lay out the reasons and are willing to answer further questions. Besides, in order to change habit, they first have to acknowledge to the public that they were knowingly practicing all this unhealthy stuff for years and years. And most business owners have no interest in admitting fault.

[@DTYY941]

Govt is able to subsidize and help on this. It is about health

[@CST1992]

Businesses use cheaper oil where they replace it more often, and vice versa. Cheap oil has its own issues though e.g. trans fats, higher quantity of omega-6 fatty acids, and so on. This is what happens, unless the restaurant only caters to the upper class.

[@jiaxing4211]

Diana ser is the real mvp. working at an NH to experience it, scraping out the oils together with hawkers. kudos to her!

[@EverythingArchitecture247]

Not afraid to get her hands dirty. Kudos. 👏 👏 👏

[@EverythingArchitecture247]

Not afraid to get her hands dirty. Kudos. 👏 👏 👏

[@JoyJoy_Life]

@@jiaxing4211Some of these store got grade A, B...... Big slap to HSA, food hygiene department.

[@gnz8v]

If you are a journalist you will really know how impressive she is. It’s almost impossible to get stubborn and mostly unfriendly hawkers to even talk for a start. She’s really really good in persuading.

[@Dell96kill]

real journalist work unlike other journalists going drama not talking about everyday life

[@Tansel97]

i still feel that the hawkers were honest and upfront about their practices. Now since the authorities have these information in hand, they can work together with frying machine suppliers to allow easy oil change frying machines for the sake of the health of consumers and the lower cost of hawkers. We hope that this will bring some light to what we are eating.

[@jag4064]

Dont blame the hawkers…. The cost of changing the cooking oil too frequent, is a bomb.

[@warilban]

The cost is one thing, like the first guy said, he'd have to reheat a new freaking tub of oil every like 5 orders. That is completely unfeasible

[@britneychong-i6m]

Nobody blaming is just doing a research and hawkers are honest enough to reply… How about fast food? Like KFC, McDonald’s ,Aston etc all those restaurants?Will they be as honest as hawkers to reply?Which I don’t think so…

[@JoyJoy_Life]

@@jag4064 yes, blame us too cheapo eat at hawker center. Not hardworking enough like those Atas people only eat at reputable restaurants

[@sangeet9100]

blame the corrupt regulators or lack of regulations. If cost is more, the price will be more and the consumption will be less; so the general health will improve and you save on medical expenses. But then who wants strain their brains reasoning?!

[@beedeebee179]

@@warilban Cooling down is another 4 hours. Not feasible at all.

[@bunchklesy]

Wow! Kudos to Diana for actually trying the hand grime thing. Such professionalism. 👍👍👍

[@crosbyong]

An interesting, honest and fair report. Thank you, hawkers and Diana.

[@Iendleasereit]

agree. the hawkers are super super honest here. really respect to them

[@noproblematallmate]

As a western hawker to all other hawker, please filter and boil out your fryer everyday. Oil no need to change everyday. But filter and boil out is a must. No sludge in your oil please for the good of public health. I myself filter using cloth bag everyday. It is easy if you have the right process.😊

[@eva31s]

To be safe, just ignore fried foods. OR fried your food at home... Hawker's still need to control costing...

[@yapj0002]

Think again. Hawkers scoop the oil from their frying oil pot to cook. They also never use fresh oil to cook.

[@saupin002]

You are definitely not bright at all. Avoiding it isn't a solution. It's the same as telling people to avoid going out due to the fear of getting hit by cars or other moving vehicles. Can't believe your logic still exists!!

[@lingfengge6666]

Or avoid eating at such food stalls. Eating fried food at a decent restaurant is much better.

[@theotheleo6830]

@@saupin002 wtf are you on about? You have the ability to choose what you eat, do you not? The only person who is forcing you to eat fried foods is you. Talk about not being bright.

[@theotheleo6830]

@@lingfengge6666 "Decent" restaurants also reuse their oil.

[@solver55]

this needs to be on every new channel in the world

[@SaBoTeUr2001]

My dad used to keep a perpetual deep fat fryer. We'd skim the debris from it every time we used it, and if the oil level looked low, added more oil. That oil never got changed! Anyway, after he died (heart failure, no surprise), I retired that frying pan. I almost never deep fry anything now, just air-fry or oven bake.

[@ant713m]

Air fryers also release harmful chemicals due to high heat so not a good option. Oven bake or grill is better. Also eat more steamed or fresh vegetables and salad

[@inisipisTV]

My only criticism of this documentary is that they defined what they refer "Single use" of every Fry cycle. Does it mean cooking one batch against another batch of food or does it mean cooking multiple batches then stop cooking then reheating the oil again for another round cooking. Or, does it mean you fry one single chicken, for example, then cook another single chicken instead of cooking a dozen chicken at the same time... etc. The documentary doesn't even point out the different kinds oil used. Every oil has different smoke point temperature than other. Olive oil is the most healthiest but it has one of the lowest. Peanut and Avocado have a high smoke point. The doctor didn't specify that just because it's smoking in one oil doesn't mean it will be equally bad with another oil that's also smoking. There's also the point in regularly cleaning a deep fryer. Most fast food restaurants use harsh degreasers to clean the fryer. These cleansers are sometimes more harmful than old oil if used regularly since not all of it can be thoroughly washed away and would leave tiny residue, specially in a rush time of only half a day.

[@it5617]

Absolutely, even I was thinking the same. The scientist should have mentioned the time period a batch of oil can be heated continuously to be considered as one use. Also, oils have different colours naturally, for example mustard oil is naturally darker.

[@milanthakkar9493]

Agreed, also they should have done a baseline measurement of the amount of cancer causing compounds in oil that has not been fried at all.

[@443DM]

I also questioned what they meant when they said that the smoke point goes down 10% with "each use". I hope they meant Kelvin, but for all I know, they're talking Celsius. I assume most of the cleansers are strong alkalis. Certainly hazardous to the worker with poor PPE, but once it's rinsed (it's definitely water soluble) and the vessel is filled up with oil again and up to frying temperature, it will quickly create soap with the residue. Not the greatest to eat, but wouldn't say harmful relative to the amount.

[@TheBooban]

Yeah what is “one” use? Fry one French fry doesn’t count. Depends on amount of oil and quantity of food, so each use is different. As the scientist said, look at the color!

[@pandakitchen5185]

They didn't mention there are cooking oil quality test strips that measures 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, & 2.5 % FFA (free fatty acid). Perhaps they mean the number of heating cycles, assuming most restaurants aren't open 24x7....

[@KatJade269]

Frankly, how many hawker will change the oil after each round of frying. Just avoid deep fried food when eating out as much as possible.

[@Vikingsroar]

U r absolutely right..deep fried food in itself is already very unhealthy 😅and I'm sure we've seen some oils that are black too ! Lol those for sure will turn us off eating their deep fried food altogether lol

[@BlackCat-fg2zw]

But it's a shame for the sellers if no one buys, many of them support their families from the proceeds of their sales, sometimes the profit from sales is so thin that it's not enough to cover the capital.

[@BarkhatnieTyagi]

@@BlackCat-fg2zwif no one buys they should switch their business to healthier options

[@-RockOn-]

What is more amazing is all of their honesty and courage to be on TV and showcase this.

[@bettercallzaul]

Baik ah Haryadi. Tak sia2 email CNA suruh buat investigation..👍🏻

[@rikiyaaragaki]

his name is very indonesian, i've met someone who's named haryadi aswell

[@nkiruokon3547]

​@@rikiyaaragakiso?

[@rikiyaaragaki]

@@nkiruokon3547 I'm just saying tf

[@wileamyp]

Here in Indonesia, we joke around reused oil (minyak jelantah) and fried foods in general. Have you heard about adding plastic bags to make the fritters crispier?

[@bettercallzaul]

@@wileamyp siak ah!!!🤮

[@TheRattyBiker]

Also... I've spoken to a local takeaway before and it turns out "oil purifiers" are a big money business - these are basically multilayered filter systems, black oil goes in clean "new" oil comes out - in actual fact it's just heavily filtered well burned oil.

[@JoyJoy_Life]

@@TheRattyBiker please disclose those company

[@alleneng]

theres not one single restaurant/kitchen on this planet that uses oil just once, that would be stupid

[@everykneeshallbowzao]

True. But changing your oil once a week is insane.

[@SmartDumbNerdyCool]

Once is the cleanest

[@t-.-t.]

In India they change once a year and clean once in hundred years 😂

[@everykneeshallbowzao]

@@t-.-t. nonsense.

[@shiraishi1]

Real bro​@@t-.-t.

[@itsalltakenup]

This is a great and balanced approach to the story.

[@zoickn]

I always have this question. This video makes me salute to Ms. Ser

[@Creamypie626]

Once a week is child's play. I once worked at fastfood. We replace our oil once a month. We cook several hundred batches of chicken in our fryers but we only change our oil once a month. We keep the oil "clean" by adding a filtering powder into it and then running it through the filter in our machine.

[@anonanon7235]

Back in the early 1990s, I used to work at McDonalds. They used to have a special guy come in every MONTH to drain the oil vat and refill with new hydrogenated oil. During that month, we just ADDED oil as needed (there was a minimum oil line). Oh, and don't try to see the smoke at the fry station, above it is a VERY powerful exhaust fan, and it just hurls any smoke out VERY quickly. But I will tell you this, the oil color is quite dark.

[@vivagusto1072]

I have to put up with smoke spewing out of the kitchen exhaust of a popular fast food joint every time I use the park 😖

[@peter65zzfdfh]

In the 1990s I worked there. We didn’t use oil at all, it was all beef tallow.

[@xcel5203]

That's quite incredible - that means the sediments in the fryer are being not repeatedly fried but actually continuously fried . That means you're frying carbon - I shudder to think what will be the chemical composition of the sludge at the bottom of the fryer .

[@443DM]

Hydrogenated oil will oxidize less ----> fewer aldehydes. Replacing those double bones with more hydrogens reduces the potential points of oxidation. Of course, the hydrogenation process creates trans-fats...

[@uttpiew]

​@@443DM Fully hydrogenated oil means no double bonds, trans fat cannot exist.

[@seisopheapanya7528]

Truly appreciate this sharing.... I could not be more thankful. Very very informational.

[@monto39]

I doubt there's a single restaurant in Singapore that fills a fryer, uses it for 2 orders, then dumps the oil and puts in new (at least one that stays in business more than a few months). SO....I'm pretty unclear what they mean by "used more than 5 times". 5 orders? 5 days? A decent amt. of degradation happens just by keeping it hot all day. Really important is also how often they filter it, and how finely so. Great Video!! ((BTW - when I worked in a Bistro we filtered our oil and cleaned out sediment every day (we filtered it hot, the DANGEROUS way! But French food values safety of chefs very little over quality of food). We put in fresh oil as needed - which was at least 2x/week))

[@AgentOffice]

Yeah definitely days

[@monto39]

@@AgentOffice good video though - acrolein is nasty stuff

[@user-qe4dw8dy9i]

One of my earliest food memories is from when I was about 4 years of age. I was bought a cup of chips (French fries) at a school fete and I asked my mother why they didn’t have black speckles on them like the ones she made at home. She obviously reused her oil many times. 😱

[@janicehooihuan]

Haha you’re the only one that outside food is healthier than home cooked food 😂

[@amyschneidhorst1384]

Thank you very much for this report! I have often wondered how many times it is safe to use oil in home cooking. Discerning the quality of fast food is much more difficult. As we cannot control the cooking conditions, it is up to us to limit our consumption.

[@Rickodonleon]

I love the honesty on this video

[@kohzhixiong3932]

Worked part time in fast food during my schooling days. They aren't any better

[@That7Days79]

Worked in Fast Food Restaurant before.They filter their oils every night but changing the entire batch of oil, no. They just add more if it's lesser in the fryer. For hawkers ,its cost. With rising rental, raw materials cost, they wont be able to change oils after few times of frying. Like the brother in the video say, if customers willing to pay abit more, he dont mind changing the oil frequently. But increasing prices wont go down our throats that easily with the already increasing cost of living in singapore.

[@UberBaby168]

Do we know how many times oil is reused in McDonald’s, KFC, BK, Four Fingers, etc? Their frying volume is enormous.

[@annelin6376]

i actually think the big fastfood chains probably change their oils more frequently because they are big companies with more economies of scale and more quality control in place

[@Ahmed-gg4oz]

@@annelin6376 Their oil is also used a lot compared to others

[@JoyJoy_Life]

@@annelin6376 really you think they are safe. There is a listed company selling curry puff , go and check their oil, then you will be shocked

[@paparoti4006]

Sure got foteign trash RMs from mec kfsee watching this. Can comment or afraid lose job ?

[@RizkhyDestatama]

it should be daily. also they fried at lower temperature because they use pressure fryer.

[@munafbhaiji3646]

Too good,very informative experiment & survey. 👍🏻

[@ptg01]

Fascinating... so educational ! Thanks ! I've always wondered about the best way to store used oil at home, besides a dark corner... That's one of the reasons I do not deep fry anymore.. the messiness of handling and storing used oils !

[@codeofethics1]

seriously.. a perfect video with great details and a lot of useful information, thanks a lot ...

[@richardmurphy555]

I still remember when i used to work in a bubble milk tea shop at my town i have this experience. Since the shop does offer fried food like fried hotdogs, fried calamari squids, etc, we change the frying oils when it turns cloudy or dark depending on how much we use it. Typically, if there are not many fried orders (since we only fry it when the customers order it), we change the oils once every 7 to 14 days, usually on Mondays since there is not a lot of fried food orders during that time and most orders are on the weekends, so the oils get darker quicker on the weekends. But on certain rare occasions where the customers order fried food constantly, we might change the oils after 2 or 3 days. I do find that fresh oils tend to cook faster, and the food is more fragrant, but the overly used oils tend to take an extra few minutes to fry the foods properly. Side note, we only turn on the frying stove when used, so it might take a while for the fresh/used oils to be heated up properly. The seniors of the shop taught the newbies a trick to use starch flour (while the oils are boiling) to collect the residue from previous frying when we are cleaning the frying stove or whenever we have free time and no fried orders. The starch collects some of the residue that is floating and the ones that already sunk down. We only clean it on cleaning day. This trick saves us a lot of time cleaning the sediment gunk 😂

[@Iendleasereit]

thanks for sharing

[@judychuang1241]

You mean throw starch flour into the hot oil?

[@alwaabdrashid8644]

Do you mean just drizzle starch flour all over or starch flour that has been mixed with water?

[@xcel5203]

Won't that cause the starch to get fried ?

[@wakingmoments2023]

Kudos to the hawkers for being honest. Big fast food chains change the oil 3-5 days later. I was told directly by the operation manager when my fish burger was very very dark, prior to Covid. After that incident, I cut fast food down drastically.

[@u2ng-ny2us]

Thanks so much for filming this, no more deep fried food for me when eating out lol, not to forget outside food is so salty/ sweet, I don't know if I'm eating food or seasonings

[@arshjordan5455]

It's beyond economic feasibility to regularly change as oil is the most expensive component of food industry. Eating at home is the only option for concious people.

[@kingeling]

Steaming and boiling are by far the healthiest cooking methods afaik

[@vivagusto1072]

I learned from video that oil can be "cleaned" with cornstarch and water; to judge oil degradation by its color is unreliable but what options other than to make our own or abstain from fried food altogether.

[@bakkwa8705]

Can you explain how to do it ? Much thanks 🙏

[@vivagusto1072]

@@bakkwa8705 kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5ikdZ-QeNF3d6csi=eBZ03ikvF7Stcwqf

[@shengenma3116]

其实使用的油炸设备有比较大的影响。传统锅具和底部加热的电炸炉由于面衣和食材沉底并和最高温度的接触，因此更容易产生酸败和不安全物质。 中间加热的油炸炉的话呢食物碎屑和面衣（如果没有浮在表面）会沉到最底部的低温区域，这样的炉子炸的油可以用更久。

[@mdpal7166]

A very good documentary..Thanks❤

[@JorgeMoron-x3q]

Thank you for reporting this Please keep us informed on all other health matters

[@Livelovelaughes]

This open my mind i will not want to eat fried stuff as often anymore 🤮 🤢 the uncle is very nice showing us such a shocking tideous process of cleaning oil

[@ianuy3346]

So have you actually avoided fried food? Or have you forgotten 😂

[@Riza20462]

Tedious*

[@noonynoonynoo]

Excellent segment. It's so well researched and presented, and I love that it shows everyone's different perspectives--business standpoint of the hawkers, consumer health, and even includes practical safety techniques and tips from a professional chef. More journalists should aspire to be this balanced, fair, thorough, and helpful! I will definitely use a thermometer now when deep frying!

[@PeaceInDunia]

Omg.. I thought the 30-40time was too much use. Then i heard "every Friday" "twice a week" 300 batchs😨😨

[@luisfernando5998]

Imagine the reused oil in Uranus?

[@gary19880709]

First time?

[@DukeShanks]

Diana Ser is my idol, lovely voice, character, behaviour and most amazing persona. ❤

[@iambeiam]

Since I learned an about the effect of reusing oil a few years ago: we don’t reuse our oil or if we do no more than twice. Yes always filter oil if you are reusing and oil store in jars. But over all we also significantly reduced the number of times we cook deep fried foods

[@mysisterisafoodie]

I worked at a restaurant we changed our oil once a week. And these were HUGE deep frying machines. But we would have a dedicated fryer for separate things, to avoid flavor mixing. Two fryers for French fries and potatoes only, one for fish, two for chicken, one for beef/lamb and one for vegetarian stuff

[@ab-hi-sh-ek-l4x]

Oil reuse wasn't defined at all. I think cycling the oil cold to hot to cold counts as one use. Not frying each batch of food.

[@SVURulez]

I thought that too. If it's constantly in use then that has to count as one use.

[@peter65zzfdfh]

@@SVURulezyeah for sure, otherwise why would 1 chip be as bad a 1 thing of fish etc. I think places like this should change with every heat cycle. Every 2 pieces of food would be absurd and wasteful.

[@brendon1689]

i'm not going to agree or disagree but here is an explanation for all of you let's say you have 2L of oil you don't actually have 2L of oil, instead you have whatever millions of molecules of chains of sugar when you cook, just like when you eat, you break open these sugars to release energy so whenever you have any heat exposure, you are using these up even if the liquid volume has not changed that much the oil as a whole becomes weaker and weaker as you use it up and as the amount of impurities increases this is why oil is labelled with directions to store it in a cool and dry place

[@ChiiSiAn]

the amount of food you cook with the oil is the most important factor, if you cook the same amount of food in one day as someone else in five days. the oil will turn out to be about the same quality after.

[@kizarumelon2477]

Nah. We change it based on color. When it gets dark change it. If not dark keep it

[@eyebeebak]

I used to work for McDonalds and I worked at the french fry station. Trust me, when the oil level was low, I just poured new oil in. That means the oil that was already in the frying machine was never changed and it could be years old and been reheated for thousands of times.

[@Logic807]

Aarghh…. Vomit

[@bukannpdbukanbpd9012]

😢

[@matt9445]

9.46 looked like I could see to the bottom of the stove. Didn’t know it was a reflection of the ceiling😅

[@xcel5203]

Nice 😊

[@Jello_HelloJLOL]

Thank you for tackling this issue

[@NavyBlue2020]

Honestly, I don’t want to make my problem their problem. They’re running a business, after all. If you’re not willing to take the risk, cook your own food or choose something else to eat instead.

[@saupin002]

You are definitely not bright at all. Avoiding it isn't a solution. It's the same as telling people to avoid going out due to the fear of getting hit by cars or other moving vehicles. Can't believe your logic still exists!!

[@NavyBlue2020]

@@saupin002 Yeah, I must be really dumb for getting into NUS. Clearly, you're the smart one here. By the way, the solution I described is actually considered accommodating, not avoiding. I guess you know it better.

[@JoyJoy_Life]

@@NavyBlue2020 it is your telling us to keep our mouth shut?

[@kees0913.]

​@@saupin002Yep you are the brightest guy here. Go get a license and be a hawker and then use oil only once and charged accordingly. Let's see how it works out for you. Just be realistic businesses need efficiency and profit. Especially hawkers which depend on customer flow, more frequently a transaction is done more profit for living. Cheap and quick is the only way. Just avoid it if u can, if you can't just ignore it. Otherwise provide solutions not problems for hawkers. Solutions that keep them living not only u getting healthy. U are such a "bright" guy should have solutions right ?

[@aaronlimeuchin7352]

​@@JoyJoy_Life he is being logical here, who so salty with his answer? And yes, you should just stfu, no offense, man.

[@afrozasultanakakon]

Thanks for this informative documentary.

[@lucretius8050]

Pity they didn't compare tupes of oil as well, i think the higher smoking point oils should fair better i think.

[@pierreti]

Great investigative journalism. But what's defined as used once or twice or three or 10 times? I think it might be a combination of how long the oils been heated, at what temperature, and how much volume of foods it has been used to cook.

[@peter65zzfdfh]

It’s both the temperature and the number of cycles. But yes, the piece implied 1 use was one piece of food which would be absurd.

[@zarahcastro3601]

The first hawker is honest, the others hedging. We know the cost is lower to reuse the oil as many times as long as the taste & quality is maintained. Too much reusing will change the taste... Just don't eat too much fired take out food and eat vegetables to clean up the inside of the body.

[@KP-xi4bj]

This documentary is an eye opener.

[@moonstarsun633]

Should investigate those pasar malam stalls' cooking oil. That's really next level!

[@Mao2Di2]

Absolutely agree! I don’t buy deep fried foods or cooked food in general from pasar malam stalls. The oily smell is nauseating most of the time unless they change the oil.

[@moonstarsun633]

@@Mao2Di2 the vadai, the chicken skins, chicken wings, finger food are big no no

[@moonstarsun633]

@@Mao2Di2 I'm not surprised the vendors don't change oil until the event is over!

[@HurricaneBacklash]

@@Mao2Di2 Yeah, on top of that, you can literally smell the reused oil without even entering the pasar malam

[@JLeeLovesYou]

i love how you document and the story telling style, very FAIR AND PROFESSIONAL!! a big respect to the hawkers and Diana!!

[@Jeb9221]

Oh dear, this is so shocking. I had no Idea they changed their cooking oil only few times a week or even once a week!

[@celestialstar124]

Scary that some only change after more than 10 days.

[@JoyJoy_Life]

@@Jeb9221 Too late.....for the last 3 years lock down, all of us happily order and eating this KFC, hawker food....many kena cancer in this year 2024.

[@Jeb9221]

@@JoyJoy_Life I work in oncology and there are, indeed, more and more people getting cancer. We have teenagers walking into our clinic 🥺

[@jayoshree7655]

Really informative video

[@shuu4869]

Part of this problem can be avoided using saturated fats (palm, coconut, tallow, even lard) but also i think something that was missed was the factor of heating time. The potato chips are fried for 3-5 minutes per batch, the chicken is fried for almost 20, unless they were previously frozen pre-fried, which would already have a lot of aldehydes in it. I appreciate the video, and the honesty of everyone involved. Very high quality.

[@sebastieng-r9764]

best journalism I've seen all month

[@jaaz5531]

Those who care for their health will avoid eating out on regular basis especially cutting out on deep/fried items, and those who care less like the host(in her closing statement), will continue eating out those fried foods.

[@QWERTY28875]

The TV program "Talking Point" is the best rate educational program. Long live CNA. Best of the best

[@tarunleft123]

It is unbeleivable that this episode has come out so late in Talking Point series despite being how prevelant deep frying in oil is in our food these days. Thank you and keep up the good work on making the public more informed about the choices that they have as consumers.

[@DomDollx]

This is done so well and with so much openness that I am surprised but got an idea of Singaporeans and how they operate. Or maybe it's just this channel and how they set up this whole thing. Great job appreciate all the directness and how well the public research was done. You guys literally tested researched and did a social experiment all in one.

[@BTjs321456]

"Food Scientist" Mr Richard did not give an accurate enough explanation on why the oil used to fully cook the fried chicken wings has higher concentration of harmful substances. The oxidized fatty acids which contributes to arteries blood clots & harmful cancer-causing aldehydes formation are driven mainly by chemical reactions between water molecules(H2O which also maybe vaporizing into its hydrogen & free radical oxygen atom form when heated) & fatty acids(oil) in the presence of heat. The chicken wings need to be cooked & exposed to heat longer to be thoroughly cooked compare to his potato chips which is sliced thin & needs a shorter cooking time. The key culprits that determines the resultant concentration of harmful substances are the amount of water(including presence of other chemical additives you use in your seasoning, batter etc.) present in your volume of food which is available to leak into the deep fried oil for more massive chemical reactions & the duration you are heating your oil on high heat(bringing it nearer to the smoking point thus more unstable reactive breakdown temperature of your oil) to completely cook your food of choice. Oh & FYI, whether it is the delicious fried food smell everyone loves or the rancid smell of old oil can be broadly referred to as aromatic carbon ring compounds, the aldehydes mentioned in the program are aromatic carbon ring compounds.

[@xcel5203]

Very interesting and disturbing.

[@sadafmo7363]

this was so helpful, thank you for typing it up!

[@wileamyp]

Aldehydes (characterized by R-CH=O) normally don't have carbon rings. Try getting a refresher on organic chemistry...

[@BTjs321456]

@@wileamyp My bad. Thank you for pointing out my mistake.😜 I should have instead said that the bulk of the harmful compounds that remained after repeated high heat smoking point reactive process should be the more stable aromatic carbon ring compounds which include the food-aroma compounds like aldehydes.

[@ManojPawar]

Maybe this could help. 1. Frying in smaller, shallower woks instead of large 20 liter deep frying vats. This will reduce time to cook up oil and also reduce reuse. 2. Changing oil once every day, while ensuring that oil is not smoking during the day 3. Usage of oils with high smoke point

[@eymaslacker]

Does the type of oil affect this? Like soya bean, corn, peanut, vegetable? If there is a more effective oil, the hawkers might be more open to changing to that type. This type of video information is the type that really helps and we can see effort was put into it

[@uttpiew]

Usually highly refined oil is preferred for high heat deep frying due to its neutral properties. Soy bean, corn, peanut, sunflower, palm, coconut, olive do not matter. It can be a blend too.

[@Marshlander5]

Excellent interviews and investigation. Very informative, well done!

[@semerahpadi4484]

My mom also reuse the cooking oil. Some sediments still okay. I never had stomach upset from eating home cooked food. As long as it doesn't turn bad, still okay.

[@Iendleasereit]

stomach ache is not a good gauge of whether it is harmful

[@theotheleo6830]

The issue is the build-up of cancer causing agents, not upset stomachs.

[@celestialstar124]

This have nothing to do with stomach upset or unhygienic food. It is related to cancer and inflammation.

[@epicka]

What does 5 times mean, like 5 batches of fries? What is the standard?

[@dk_mrkz]

Interesting Topic! I love to cook and I sometime reuse oil if used for mild-tasting food, really informational indeed

[@JamilaJibril-e8h]

Probably leaving emails is the aim I would have them wrong but nah 🙂

[@HKim0072]

Worked in a seafood restaurant when I was a teenager. Can't remember how many times we would re-use the oil, but I remember filtering it. We would empty / filter it at night and then clean the fryers.

[@FelonMusk2021]

Why target hawkers? What about fast food restaurants?

[@nicekit]

because they probably wasnt given permission to film...... major fast food restaurant require a lot of permission

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

Fast food chains will NEVER change their oil after 1-2 times of usage. In fact, it is a well known fact that used oil produces better tasting fried chicken.

[@itsbonkerjojo9028]

It's not a target thing here . They were very gentle with there approach and whole bit. This was an interesting watch considering how honest hawkers were with their filthy oil.

[@celestialstar124]

This is because the person asking want to know hwaker. What have this got to do with fairness? Just some low class people mindset to drag others down. 😂

[@felixchan2081]

Simple answer. You'll go to hawker center to eat more than at fast food chains, daily.

[@htetnaingoo86]

this why I love talking point. talking point is very educational. singapore is good country. hope more educational documentary will be air .

[@Hornscope]

CNA insider is the best useful information provider in the world. You always educate people about surroundings. Having said that, I wish you investigate about poor ventilation problems of cheap hotels and dormitories

[@cinhok]

Hospitals too. Some of them the windows is locked. Cannot open

[@Hornscope]

@@cinhok what I saw one hotel I been to next to Masjid Jama station is unbelievable. Not only they blocked the air from outside, but also there's no ventilations to take the dead air from the atmosphere. Inside the hotel you can smells a rotten air. You'll get sick and coughing

[@MrRazorteeth]

McDonald's also used the oil until it turns black like kopi-o

[@JacobthePoshPotato]

Its great that you were able to find a scientist that can explain concepts in ways that the layman can easily understand.

[@wnose]

Can you guys do an investigation into man made oils like canola oil, corn oil, etc versus natural oils like coconut oil and peanut oil? Dr. Kate Shanahan claims that man made oils, after exposure to high heat, are toxic to the human body. She says it's worse than smoking.

[@Iendleasereit]

i second this

[@jonathanpeters4240]

The best oils to fry in are animal fats. Vegetable oils are heavily processed poly unsaturated oils that oxidize quickly. It’s this that causes them to destroy your arteries and build plaque. Canola (rapeseed) oil was initially used as a substitute for whale blubber in lamps. Because it’s toxic it had to be heavily processed. Cottonseed oil is also toxic and must be processed. Corporations once had to pay to get rid of seed oils as waste products, so they decided to make it food and profit off of causing heart disease. There’s a reason why studies show eating more causes earlier death.

[@YellowBunchofBananas]

Canola and corn are plants, same as peanuts.

[@wnose]

@@YellowBunchofBananas Nightshade and castor beans are also plants but not so good for you.

[@YellowBunchofBananas]

@@wnose I totally agree. Naive appeals to nature suggesting natural is better represent a fallacy. However, you were the one that drew the distinction by suggesting that seed oils were "man made" and not "natural". Care to explain yourself?

[@dinesh2006kumar]

"In India, where home-cooked meals are a cherished part of our culture, having a variety of food options and alternatives available is truly a blessing. It’s both informative and convenient, as it allows us to enjoy diverse flavors while sticking to our traditions."

[@tnductai]

Not many people know that the vegetable (seed) cooking oils are already highly processed and inflamatory, they look dark and thick after being extracted from the seeds with chemical, so they were processed to become ordorless, yellow. You all must avoid these oils, opt in for extra virgin olive oil, organic avocado oil, or any saturated oil (coconut, lard, tallow, duck). It is best to eat at home if you want to be healthy, if you eat out, then absolutely avoid frying food.

[@peted3637]

True. Polyunsaturated oils are the WORST for frying as they oxidise very readily. Palm kernel oil is also another good saturated oil for frying.

[@samsalot6115]

Dr berg follower?

[@tnductai]

@@samsalot6115 dr. berg, dr. ekberg, bobby parish! ftw!

[@urumi142]

No, refined cooking oil in general is literally for cooking and high temperature frying. Using those oil you have listed for high temperature cooking is like asking to speedrun any % getting cancer, the oil would break down when cooking too fast

[@uttpiew]

​@@urumi142Exactly. Extra virgin minimally processed oil is only meaningful if we consume it on the spot straight from the farm. They are essentially fresh juice of the fruits or seeds. Nowadays, many so called health conscious people don't even understand the science behind what they are preaching. They just repeat from each other.

[@FODOR00]

I used to work in a restaurant. We have been told to change the rapeseed oil twice a week in the deep frying machine which we used only to fry vegetarian falafels in it. The main reason was that changing the hot oil would take too long time as you need to wait for it hours to cool down. Also it is expensive to buy and have to be disposed via collection only.

[@toyoyoyo104]

3 decades ago I worked in a western restaurant. We changed the oil every 2-3 days. The used oil I heard were sold to other food vendors.

[@PsychoDude]

Yo what

[@AkPK369]

Singaporean hawker or kopitiam dishes includes kaya toast, chilli crab, fish head curry, laksa, roti prata and Hainanese chicken rice, which is widely considered to be one of Singapore's national dishes

[@Mi_Mi1990]

Why nobody tested on MacDonald oils? I guess it should belong to the 57% of reusing more than 5 times of oil category 😮😮😮😮

[@lequinntessential]

I have been dying to learn more about the practices of hawkers regarding their use of cooking oil. Thank you CNA! I am definitely steering clear of fried foods outside from now on. The oil changing scene was horrifying, and I am certain big companies like Old Chang Kee is reusing their oil for more than 5 days as well, given how dark their frying oil generally is whenever I peek into their frying stations

[@rielfamily]

CNA : "Uncle, your oil how long you change?" Uncle: "about 2 - 3 days.." Me : "Uncle, your oil how long you change?" Uncle. "Bloody hell, you trying to be funny is it??! You want buy then buy la, ask so much for what!"

[@ggg9gg]

Can you pretend to be CNA too

[@xcel5203]

Just talking about the sludge at the bottom of the fryer - it is being continuously fried everyday for hours 10/12/14 . By the time the fryer is cleaned the sludge would have chemically metamorphised into something unthinkable . That itself should be food for thought.

[@jillclarke7264]

Are they willing to pay the cost of first time oil? I don't think so.

[@SmartDumbNerdyCool]

Customers might. We could even call it "organic fish n chips".

[@siewchoolow3191]

This is a good program by Diana Ser ! 😊😊

[@Stan-eb1es]

This bro is very honest, cost is bery important

[@TheCommonGardenTater1]

Fascinating, and thank you for producing this.

[@NavyBlue2020]

8:47 Politically right answer 😂

[@badgerbun]

The guy has a pretty bad Poker face 😑

[@edthelazyboy]

This is an eye opener. I guess I'm eating fried foods less often when going out to eat. I already air fry at home most of the time. If I deep fry on rare occasions, I only used the oil twice at the very most with filtering in between the frying.