Frying 101: Easy Tips and Recipes
Want to learn the secret to golden, greaseless, perfectly fried foods? Learn how to master this crowd-pleasing cooking technique with the following tips and recipes.
Want to learn the secret to golden, greaseless, perfectly fried foods? With the following frying tips and recipes, you'll learn how to master this crowd-pleasing cooking technique.Interested in learning more cooking-technique basics? Check out our Cooking 101 headquarters.
Deep Frying 101
Two words: French fries. Without the cooking technique known as deep-frying, this indulgence would be a shadow of their golden, crispy selves, as would other American favorites like fried chicken, jalapeño poppers, and mozzarella sticks. The key to frying's uniquely delicious results is maintaining the oil at a relatively high heat, which browns food's exterior, while fully cooking its interior.
Learn how to fry the safe, smart way with the following tips and easy recipes (like Sunny's Handcut Fries with Mango Mayo, pictured).
Choose Your Oil
Ideal Frying Fats: The best oils for frying are relatively inexpensive, have little to no flavor, and have a high smoke point, which is the temperature at which a fat begins to break down and smoke or burn. Oils that fit the bill include peanut, corn, and canola. Vegetable shortening can also be used, but its smoke point is 370 degrees F, so be sure to keep the heat well below that.
Recipe: Mini Arancini
Use the Proper Tools
Best Pots and Gadgets:
• If you don't want to buy a deep fryer, deep, heavy skillets are perfectly acceptable cooking vessels. Nonstick, Teflon-coated sauté pans are not recommended.
• Because oil temperature is such an important factor when frying, make sure to invest in a good clip-on thermometer that's suitable for deep-frying and candy-making. Standard oven and meat thermometers may not be able to withstand such high temperatures.
Recipe: Rosemary Fried Chicken
Don't Get Too Deep
Proper Amount of Oil: When frying on the stove top in a deep-sided pan, about two inches of oil is generally an adequate amount. Allowing the frying food to fully submerge will help create evenly cooked results.
Recipe: Buttermilk Onion Rings
Temperature Tip
How Hot Is Too Hot?: When frying on the stovetop, place the room-temperature, oil-filled pan over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 325 to 375 degrees F. If you don't have a thermometer, test the oil temperature with a 1-inch cube of white bread — if the cube turns golden brown in 60 seconds, the oil is ready.
Recipe: Corn Fritters
Avoid Large Crowds
Frying Tip: It's best to fry in small batches. Overcrowding a frying pan causes the oil temperature to decrease, which lengthens the cook time and increases the amount of oil absorbed by the frying foods.
Recipe: Fried-Shrimp Po' boys
Dry Before You Fry
Frying Tip: Excess moisture on foods can result in dangerous splattering when adding them to hot oil. Make sure to pat food completely dry, even if you then employ a batter or bread-crumb coating.
Keep it Clean
Frying Tip: Frying can be a messy business. To keep oil splatter to a minimum, purchase a wire mesh splatter guard to lay on top of the pan.
Recipe: Pork-and-Cheese Arepas
Safety First
Respect the Hot Oil: Hot oil can give you a nasty burn. When adding food to a hot, prepped pan, gently lower it; never drop from high up. When removing cooked food from hot oil, be sure to use a skimmer or a trusty pair of tongs (always face them downward to protect against dripping hot oil).
Recipe: Double-Chocolate Doughnuts
More Safety Suggestions
Frying Tips:
• Make sure long sleeves fit tightly and are rolled down in case of oil splatter.
• Never leave frying food unattended.
• In case of fire, cover pan with its lid or a metal baking sheet to extinguish.
• Before disposing, make sure frying oil has cooled completely.
Recipe: Fried Peach Pies
Reuse Oil with Care
Frying Tips: Unless you've fried fish or other foods likely to taint the cooking oil with a strong flavor, you can reuse frying oil, but only for sauteing. Even after straining, tiny food particles in used oil can remain, which lower the smoke point of the oil. Just be sure to cool oil completely and store in a glass jar with tight-fitting lid at room temperature.
Recipe: Vanilla Raised Doughnuts
