If you’re a food service business owner or worker, you’re likely very familiar with vegetable oil. It’s by far the most common fryer oil in all types of restaurants, from the major fast food chains and diners to fast casual and fine dining.

Why do certain oils dominate the restaurant industry? The most important factors are price, flavor and deep frying effectiveness. Some vegetable oils are far and away the most affordable oils (compared to animal-derived oils), they’re great at frying fries, chicken and similar popular fried foods, and they offer the perfect balance of cooking speed, oil longevity and flavor profile.

Vegetable Oil (the Generic Ruler of Them All)

Despite there being a variety of seed-specific oils, the basic “vegetable oil” tends to reign supreme in commercial kitchens. Like many things (from fuel to wine), vegetable oil is a blend. It may contain different amounts of corn oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil in the best quantities to maximize flavor and frying performance in the most cost-effective way possible. It’s the all-purpose fryer oil king for a reason.

Soybean Oil

Typically, soybean oil is extracted using a solvent extraction method. The beans are cleaned, cracked and heated, followed by solvent extraction (usually hexane) to remove the oil. Its neutral flavor doesn't overpower dishes. Plus, it has a high smoke point, making it suitable for various cooking methods, including frying.

Canola Oil

Canola oil comes from the seeds of the canola plant, a genetic variation of the rapeseed plant. Like soybean oil, canola oil typically undergoes solvent extraction. After seed cleaning, it's rolled into flakes and then extracted using a chemical solvent. After extraction, the oil is refined. Its mild flavor and high smoke point make it versatile for a variety of cooking applications, including in fryers.

Corn Oil

After separating the germ from the corn kernel, the oil is expelled or extracted using solvents, followed by refining. Corn oil is known for its slightly sweet taste, imparting a unique flavor to dishes. Its high smoke point makes it a favorite for frying. The oil also contains polyunsaturated fats, which some consumers prefer for health reasons.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower seeds are cleaned, cooked and then mechanically pressed to extract the oil. Solvent extraction can also be used for higher cooking oil yields. The oil undergoes refining before being shipped to restaurants or bottled for sale on grocery store shelves. With high levels of Vitamin E and low saturated fat content, sunflower oil has health appeal. Its light taste and high smoke point make it versatile in the kitchen, suitable for frying and sautéing.

Peanut Oil

Peanuts are cleaned and shelled, followed by cooking and mechanical pressing. Solvent extraction can increase yield, and the oil is refined before use. The robust peanut flavor of peanut oil makes it popular for specific dishes in which chefs are going after that nutty flavor profile. Although its high smoke point makes it effective for deep frying, there are many applications in which a strong peanut flavor isn’t desired, which is why it’s less popular than the more neutral flavor options.

Does the Seed Oil Type Matter for Waste Oil Recycling in Atlanta? 

No – at Southern Green Industries we can process all types of waste fryer oil into biodiesel. For the most part the chemical composition of these vegetable oils is similar enough that the same process can be used to convert and refine the waste oil into usable biodiesel.

Just because your fryer oil is beyond its useful life in the fryer doesn’t mean it’s useless (or valueless). We pride ourselves on paying competitive rates for your waste oil and go above and beyond to make collection an easy and seamless process. We also provide containers of different sizes (including custom sizes) at no additional cost to you for easy storage and waste oil pickup.

We can also set up a convenient integrated oil management system (iOMS), which entirely eliminates the need for your staff to physically transport waste oil outside to the collection bin. Having a system automatically pump your waste oil into the proper container for later pickup reduces the risk of spills and injuries, not to mention the messes that can result from those issues.

If you’d like to learn more about waste oil recycling in Atlanta and how the process works, give our team a call at (404) 419-6887.