How to Tell When Oil is Ready for Frying

I came up with a fun way to remember the rules of checking for proper temperature of oil for frying battered foods, without a thermometer in a skillet or pot based on "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" ;-)

If the batter immediately turns golden and raises to the top then the oil is too hot. If you drop a teaspoon of batter into the oil and it sinks to the bottom right away then the oil is too cold. If the batter takes about 30 seconds to rise then the temperature of the oil is just right.