A diner cook in Tulsa showed me how to test oil temperature with a piece of bread, and I've never used a thermometer since

Emery Brown · 2026-10-09T08:35:03.701685+00:00

I was working a short order station back in 2016 and kept burning the first batch of fries every single shift. An older cook named Ray watched me for a bit, then dropped a small chunk of white bread into the oil and told me to watch how fast it browned. If it takes 60 seconds, the oil is around 350, if it goes dark in 20, it is way too hot and needs to cool down. I still do the bread test at home before frying anything, and it works every time. Anyone else learn a trick like this from someone at a restaurant that stuck with you?

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A diner cook in Tulsa showed me how to test oil temperature with a piece of bread, and I've never used a thermometer since | Ask A Home Cook - nhfree.com