How to Avoid Oil Splatter when Frying

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman Reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur

Last Updated: December 5, 2023 References

Fried food may taste delicious, but the oil splatter you experience along the way isn’t quite as pleasant. Believe it or not, the dreaded splattering effect typically happens when water droplets from your food touch the hot oil. ^{[1]
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Research source} Not to worry—with the right cookware and some extra precautions, you can say goodbye to oil splatter once and for all!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

General Frying Tips

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As water lands in the oil and evaporates, it expands into a bunch of tiny droplets, which leads to the splattering effect we all know and dread. For extra protection, blot your ingredients dry with a paper towel or cloth before you start cooking. ^{[2]
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2
Place a splatter shield or screen over your cooking surface. Splatter screens are perforated sections of metal that go over your pan as you cook. Vapors from your ingredients can evaporate through the openings on the screen, but the actual oil will stay put within the pan. ^{[3]
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- You can find splatter screens at most home goods stores.
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When deep-frying, fill your frying pot ⅔ of the way full with oil. ^{[4]
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Research source} The same concept applies when you pan-fry—pour in just enough oil to cover the bottom half of your ingredients, instead of filling up the pan.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Pan-Frying

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Refrain from using shallow pans for your pan-frying recipes. Instead, grab cookware that’s big enough to fit your ingredients and also has tall sides going all around the pan. A taller pan is less likely to splatter! ^{[5]
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Choose high-quality stainless steel or cast iron pan. Cheap, stainless steel pans don’t always spread heat evenly—this can create hot spots on your pan, which leads to extra splattering. Instead, grab high-quality stainless steel or cast iron pan, which has decent heat distribution. ^{[6]
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- When heated up slowly, cast iron cookware has good heat distribution. ^{[7]
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3
Add a pinch of salt to the bottom of the pan. After pouring oil into your pan, sprinkle a few pinches of salt on top. The salt helps prevent the oil from spraying around as you cook. ^{[8]
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- Salt soaks up some of the moisture in your food, which helps prevent oil splatter. You can also use flour for this! ^{[9]
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Try not to drop the ingredients—this can lead to extra splatter. ^{[10]
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Research source} While the food is cooking, use tongs or a wire skimmer to flip the food without splattering yourself in the process.
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Cut meat into thin slices before frying it. Thinner cuts of meat are less likely to splatter. If you’re working with a thicker piece of meat, sear it before frying. ^{[11]
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- You can cut the meat into thin strips, or compress it with a mallet.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Deep-Frying

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1
Pick out a deep pot to cook your food. Grab a stockpot or deep fryer that’s big enough to hold your ingredients. Measure from the very top of the pot—to reduce the risk of splatter, there should be at least 4 in (10 cm) of space between the surface of the oil and the brim of the pot. ^{[12]
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- Woks are another great option if you’d like to deep fry your ingredients.
- Stainless steel, aluminium, copper, and cast iron are great cookware materials. ^{[13]
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Place your food in mesh frying baskets. Then, deep-fry your ingredients by slowly and carefully submerging the basket in the hot oil. Always put the food in the basket before frying, so no extra oil splatters over the edges. ^{[14]
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- Don’t drop your food into the pan or fryer. When deep-frying, dip the ingredients into the oil with a slotted spoon or pair of tongs. ^{[15]
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- You only need frying baskets when you deep-fry. Pan-frying doesn’t need a lot of extra equipment! ^{[16]
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Set your frying oil to 300 °F (149 °C), and let your ingredients fry until they’re golden brown. Then, remove the cooked ingredients and pat them dry with a paper towel. Reheat the oil so it’s 350 °F (177 °C), and cook the food until it looks nice and crispy. ^{[17]
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Let your first batch of food cook all the way through. If you add extra ingredients while your original food is still cooking, you could get burned by oil droplets splashing up.

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Tips

Wear long sleeves when you plan on frying food. ^{[18]
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Place an upside-down cooking tray on any burners you aren’t using—this helps make clean-up a lot easier. ^{[19]
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Warnings

Don’t overheat the oil when you fry! Keep your deep-frying oil between 325 and 375 °F (163 and 191 °C). ^{[20]
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Research source} When pan-frying, set your stovetop to medium or medium-high heat, depending on the recipe’s suggestion.

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How to Avoid Oil Splatter when Frying

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Deep-Frying

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