Will it float?

RobsanX

Potato peeler
Super Site Supporter
Has anyone seen this game on Letterman? Well I have a serious (not really) version of it. I use my deep fryer frequently, but sometimes when I assume something will float in the oil it sinks right to the bottom, and vice versa.

This often creates a big mess, or otherwise makes something more difficult to cook than it should be. For instance, if I know something will float, I might use the spider and let the food spread out more. If I know something won't float, I'm forced to use the basket.

So I'll start...

Onion Rings. Will it float?
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
lol, I love it!!! [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGaEZ5owfoc&feature=related[/ame]
Some things will fall and then, float like doughnuts. However, you will have to ask a fry cook to answer these questions as I rarely fry anything anymore.
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
sink then float..unless you hold the battered onion ring in the oil for a few seconds until the coating sets...drop it, then it will float
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Does it matter how big the fryer and how big the poppers? Is this a trick question?!!!
lololololollol
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
I think it is only fair if we can see pictures of the fryer and the item to be fried. lol
 

buckytom

Grill Master
i don't know about floating, but if anyone's in nyc, i would be happy to give you guys a tour of the ed sullivan theatre, where letterman shoots his show. if the studio is "dark" (not producing a show that day), i'll even get you on stage and we'll see if we can find the float/no float tank.
 

Wart

Banned
i don't know about floating, but if anyone's in nyc, i would be happy to give you guys a tour of the ed sullivan theatre, where letterman shoots his show. if the studio is "dark" (not producing a show that day), i'll even get you on stage and we'll see if we can find the float/no float tank.

:a1:
 

Deadly Sushi

Formerly The Giant Mojito
i don't know about floating, but if anyone's in nyc, i would be happy to give you guys a tour of the ed sullivan theatre, where letterman shoots his show. if the studio is "dark" (not producing a show that day), i'll even get you on stage and we'll see if we can find the float/no float tank.


Now THAT would be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder if I can take a train from Chicago to NJ? :unsure:
 

Wart

Banned
Now THAT would be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder if I can take a train from Chicago to NJ? :unsure:

BT should be careful what he offers.

It's only 6 hours across Pa.

{edit} When I saw the title of the thread I thought it was about ... dietary things ... {/edit}
 

buckytom

Grill Master
anytime, wart and sush. i practically live here, at work.

tuesdays through saturdays, i'm here 8a to 4p. saturdays, 8 a to 12 midnight. and sunday nights, 11pm to 8am nmonday.

unless i'm covering more overtime... :sad:
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Well, I think so that we can play the game properly, we need to see the size of the item to go into the fryer and the size of the fryer. And, we need to know what are we playing for? (A new television!!!!) lol

Seriously, it is a good question and would be nice to learn these things from those who fry more often than I do.
 

RobsanX

Potato peeler
Super Site Supporter
Well, I think so that we can play the game properly, we need to see the size of the item to go into the fryer and the size of the fryer. And, we need to know what are we playing for? (A new television!!!!) lol

Seriously, it is a good question and would be nice to learn these things from those who fry more often than I do.

It's not so much the size of the food. What determines flotation is the density of the food vs. the density of the oil.

Some things will sink then float because of heat sensitive leavening, or some other reaction.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
I understand but instead of googling to figure out the density of the food and the oil, wouldn't it be easier just asking those who fry a lot what their experience is? I thought that was the point of your question.
 

RobsanX

Potato peeler
Super Site Supporter
I understand but instead of googling to figure out the density of the food and the oil, wouldn't it be easier just asking those who fry a lot what their experience is? I thought that was the point of your question.

That's the point, but you've asked twice about size, which doesn't matter (hehe). Just trying to clarify things a bit...
 

Wart

Banned
It's not so much the size of the food. What determines flotation is the density of the food vs. the density of the oil.

Yep. And they say Archimedes' figured that one out while sitting in the bathtub.

More than one teacher made a joke about what was floating.

Some things will sink then float because of heat sensitive leavening, or some other reaction.
The water boils out.

I use to do a bunch of frying of industrial food.

A rule of thumb is: the item is done when the items that initially sink float. Not a good rule of thumb, say your doing a batch of 5 Chicken Tenders, Those are done when one or two look to want to float, if waiting for an actual float or all floating their getting overcooked.

If you follow this rule of thumb with cheese sticks you'll end up with an empty shell for coating and a whole bunch of cheese particles floating in the oil.

.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Doesn't size correspond to density? A larger piece of chicken is going to be heavier than a smaller piece?

What am I not understanding?
 

Wart

Banned
Doesn't size correspond to density? A larger piece of chicken is going to be heavier than a smaller piece?

Density is mass/volume.

What am I not understanding?
.

That size is unrelated to density. 1 cc of water = 1 gm, 2 cc = 2 gm, size (volume) doubles, weight doubles, density remains the same. (to the persnickety: I know I'm taking liberties)

If an item being placed in a fluid is less dense than the fluid the item floats, if the item is more dense than the fluid the item sinks.

Or another way, if the item weighs more than the volume of fluid it displaces the item sinks, if the item weighs less than the volume of fluid it displaces it floats.


.
 
Last edited:

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Doesn't size correspond to density? A larger piece of chicken is going to be heavier than a smaller piece?

What am I not understanding?

Not really. Density is mass with relation to volume. Imagine a marshmallow and a steel ball bearing of the same size. They both have the same size (volume) but the mass of the ball bearing is far greater than the mass of the marshmallow, thus the ball bearing is more dense.
 

Wart

Banned
Not really. Density is mass with relation to volume. Imagine a marshmallow and a steel ball bearing of the same size. They both have the same size (volume) but the mass of the ball bearing is far greater than the mass of the marshmallow, thus the ball bearing is more dense.

I was trying to stay away from mass, people are more accustom to the concept of weight.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Density is mass/volume.


.

That size is unrelated to density. 1 cc of water = 1 gm, 2 cc = 2 gm, size (volume) doubles, weight doubles, density remains the same. (to the persnickety: I know I'm taking liberties)

If an item being placed in a fluid is less dense than the fluid the item floats, if the item is more dense than the fluid the item sinks.

Or another way, if the item weighs more than the volume of fluid it displaces the item sinks, if the item weighs less than the volume of fluid it displaces it floats.


.

gotcha! it must be the benadryl I have been taking since yesterday and the head cold I have. It still wasn't penetrating. Thanks for your patience, Wart.
 
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