Have you ever wondered how some restaurants get that irresistible golden crust on their crispy fried chicken, fish fillets, or french fries? Or how they get that irresistible crisp on their onion rings and other fried snacks? Or maybe you’ve wondered how they get that authentic fried taste without the excess fat and oil that normally comes with deep frying? Whatever your reasons, you shouldn’t let that go just yet. Deep frying is not as hard as it seems and there are plenty of ways to make it work for you. You see, there are several ways to deep fry food, and not all of them rely on the use of hot oil. For example, broilers, barbecues, and other types of cookers can also be used for deep frying. If you’re reading this article, it’s very likely that you have a broiler or grill at home and you can use it for deep frying. The other way is to use the deep frying method. This involves submerging foods in hot oil. Therefore, we’ll be talking about the different ways you can deep fry food, and which foods to use the deep frying method.
What is Deep Frying?
Deep frying is a method of cooking in which food is submerged in hot oil. The term “deep frying” usually refers to the method of cooking in hot oil, but some versions of deep frying involve baking or steaming foods in oil rather than merely frying. Deep frying is one of the oldest methods of cooking. You can find references to it dating back to Ancient Egypt, where the earliest record of deep frying was found.
Why Use Deep Frying?
Are you curious about why you should use the deep frying method? If so, keep reading! Deep frying is often used in recipes that involve breading and batter coating. That’s because receiving a breading or batter coating coating is often a requirement for certain types of foods. For example, if you’re coating eggplant, shrimp, and other types of seafood, you need to bread them first before frying them. That being said, there are many other reasons to deep fry foods. Deep frying is often used in recipes that involve breading and batter coating because the coating helps bind the ingredients together more effectively while still maintaining the crispiness that’s so important for fried foods. It’s also often used in recipes that involve crispy foods like fried chicken, fish, and French fries.
How to Deep Fry at Home
Deep frying can be done at home, but you need to follow a few safety precautions. Since hot oil is used, you don’t want to use a pot or pan that you’ve never used with hot oil before. First of all, let the pan cool down completely, ideally to room temperature. Then, add a drop of neutral oil (olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.) to the pan to prevent your food from sticking to the pan. You can also use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. When the oil is at the right frying temperature, you’re ready to deep fry.
Deep Frying Tips
- You can deep fry foods, both raw and cooked.
- The foods you can deep fry should be small enough to fit in the oil. You can also try to re-use the food, like fried french fries or fish.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. You need room for the food to simmer and fry in one layer. Overcrowding the pan can lead to a decrease in oil temperature, which might result in a lower-quality and thicker-crust fried dish. - Don’t crowd the food while it’s in the oil. Let it simmer and fry in its own space to obtain the best results.
- Don’t leave the food in the oil for too long. It should be fried until it’s browned and crisp. Otherwise, it’ll end up being greasy.
- If you’re using the deep frying method, make sure to use high-quality oil that can withstand high temperatures.
Is Deep Frying Healthy?
There are both health and safety benefits and drawbacks to deep frying. Though it does deliver a delicious flavour and crispy texture, it’s also worth mentioning that deep frying can be unhealthy and dangerous. Deep frying usually adds a lot of fat, oil, and calories to your food. For this reason, it’s also often called fried food syndrome or unhealthy eating. The best way to use the deep frying method is to fry at low temperatures for a very short amount of time.
Which Foods to Use the Deep Frying Method?
The foods that are best to deep fry are the ones that are crispy, crunchy, and/or filled with air bubbles. That’s because they’ll be the easiest to crisp up. A good example is French fries. If you want to make them extra crispy, you can try using the deep frying method. French fries are also often fried in oil as a way to reduce their calories and calories. By using the deep frying method, you’re able to enjoy your french fries without the guilt! You can also use the deep frying method to make potato chips, onion rings, mushrooms, and many other types of fried snacks.