Learning how to cook again, burned cooking oil making pancakes but not sure what it produces?

Question

I've tried to research my problem but for whatever reason either I'm not using the correct terms or getting results that don't match what I think I'm experiencing.

I moved into my apartment half a year ago and finally got around to learning how to cook again. I've cooked maybe 20 years ago as part of the Boy Scouts but there are things, namely pancakes, that I do remember how to do. The problem is that I have always cooked with natural gas stoves and not electric I don't know the term but it uses those coils and heats things up quickly.

I put the setting at little below medium, heated up the pan and put in my unrefined coconut oil. I wasn't aware how hot the pan was and it began to smoke to which I put it under the already running at high speed hood that I have. I lowered the temp but quickly cooked my pancakes and turned it off.

The problem I'm asking is that I ran my projector in the other room and it got hazy. The image was perfect but the amount of particles in the air was enough to show the beams of light in midair. Same with a traditional flashlight but only for a distance of about three inches. You can't see it otherwise with the naked eye (weather was cloudy). I thought it was smoke but neither of my ionizing fire alarms went off. I know it went to all corners of my apartment but it has no odor and after a few hours I checked but I can't tell it ever existed. It has no residue and no smell so everything seems to be fine.

I'm just really confused as to what it is. I decided to pop open my front door to let it air out and the living room cleared out in about fifteen or so minutes and I think because of how my apartment is circulated it took a little bit longer for the bedroom and bathroom to clear out. I'm also afraid of it damaging some keepsakes I have so not sure the best way to clean it, if it needs it.

I've cooked with it recently on low and not had the problem reoccur.

Answer 1

From an NIH paper about cooking fumes:

"Frying at high temperatures also produces aerosols of fat with small aerodynamic diameters of 20–500 nm which disperse in the air of the kitchen and nearby facilities."

People like me who wear glasses while cooking know all about this. Even being in the same room as someone sauteeing something undoubtedly means needing to clean the fine grease spots off of your glasses. If the air temperature outside allows it, you should run your hood/fan not only while you're cooking, but for a little while after to remove as much grease from the air as possible. Even hoods that don't vent to the outdoors have crinkly 'filters' designed to trap airborne grease droplets so they don't travel too far. Even with decent ventilation, the grease droplets will eventually accumulate on just about anything that shares airspace with your stove, including your projector lens.

As an aside, like butter, unrefined coconut oil has a very low smoke point. You should only use it at reduced temperatures, and use more refined oils for higher-temperature cooking. Though it takes a little experience to judge it precisely, putting a few droplets of water on a pan and seeing how they behave is a pretty good way to test it before you add oil. If it evaporates nearly instantly or exhibits the leidenfrost effect, it's too hot for low-smoke-point oils.