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September 02, 2013Abandon Your Fears of Frying: Deep-Fry TipsLastweek in a comment about the almond crusted shrimp balls, Candice remarked thatshe refrained from deep-frying because she didn’t know what to do with the leftoveroil. That led me to assemble these tips to help you deep-fry. I’ve been deep-fryingsince I was young, when my mom gave me the task of frying chicken for ourfamily dinner. I’ve had many successes and mishaps over the years. (If youdeep-fry squid, remember to make sure it’s super dry before it hits the oil.)
Soif the thought of deep-frying puts you off or sends shivers down your spine, Ihope these tips will persuade you to go out and buy yourself a bottle of oiland fry up something delectable.
Addressing common concerns about deep-frying:
Is deep-fryingis fattening? Well, it’s not like eating boiled food. It’s not spa or dietfood. That said, if deep-frying is done well, it’s not terribly greasy. I’moften surprised by how little oil gets absorbed during deep-frying. Of course,that add depends on what’s being deep-fried. Also, old oil that’s degraded toomuchcan sometimes cause lead-like deep-fried food. As my friend Diane, anurse, once told me, “It’s not what you eat once in a while, it’s what you eateveryday that really affects your health.” So a live a little. What do youwith all that oil after deep-frying? Recycle it. After you’re done frying, let the oil coolcompletely, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. If the oil is cloudy orcontains lots of unsavory bits, line the strainer with paper towel orcheesecloth. Transfer the oil to a clean, dry jar or plastic bottle, captightly, and store in a cool, dry place. In general, I don’t reuse oil once ithas turned super brown (as opposed to its golden color when new) or if it haspicked up funky odors from frying foods such as oily fish like salmon. If you fry fish, use recycled oil and dispose of it afterward. Store spent oil in a separate container. Don't put it down the drain.Deep-fryingmakes the house smell. You betcha. To deal with the smell of frying, which perfumesa room but can linger for a spell, run the exhaust while frying and openwindows. I sometimes carefully take the pot of hot oil outside and let it coolin the open air. Burn a stick of incense. You can also do like mymother and fry outside. It’s toomessy to deep-fry. Put a few sheets of newspaper on the floor if you areworried about dirtying the kitchen. During or after frying, quickly wipe thestove and counter clean to prevent grease buildup. Wear an apron.Some more technical tips to fry by:
What kindof oil to use for deep-frying? There are many choices but I’ve been finewith canola oil, purchased by the 1.25-gallon containers from Costco. Onoccasion canola smells a little weird as it heats up, but I haven’t noticed itaffecting the flavor of my food. Grape seed and semi-refined peanut oil aregreat for deep-frying as they’re a touch lighter, but they are costly. By theway, the only time I was at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, I got to go intothe kitchen. What does a Michelin 3-star restaurant fry in? Canola oil, I wastold. Don’t beshy about using oil. It may seem like a gross amount but you aredeep-frying, not searing. Pour enough oil into the pan as called for in therecipe. A recipe will typically tell you by depth, that is “pour oil into a panto a depth of X.” Measure with a chopstick. If you’re short of oil, fry in a medium saucepan rather thana larger pot. It will take more time but use less oil. What tofry in? It depends on what you’re frying and how much. Restaurants havedeep-fryers the size of a kitchen sink! For us regular folks, how about asaucepan, 5-quart Dutch oven, deep skillet, or wok? I love deep-frying in awok because its concave shape requires less oil and heats up in a jiffy.How doyou know when the oil is hot enough? The key to successful deep-frying isgetting the oil to the proper temperature and keeping it there. The easiest way to achieve that is to buy a clip-on deep-frying thermometer (same as a candythermometer). Position the tip of thermometer just above the bottom of the panso you are measuring the heat of the oil and not the metal. When you feel morecomfortable with deep-frying, try using a bamboo chopstick to gauge thetemperature. Stick a dry on into the oil and if bubble rise immediate to thesurface, the oil is roughly about 350F (175C). If you want hotter heat, use athermometer to be sure. Rectangular clip-on thermometersare my favorite.Getorganized before you begin frying. Put the food on one side of the stoveand the setup for draining the crispy results on the other side. Keep utensilssuch as a wire skimmer, chopsticks, or tongs nearby. Don’t letthe oil overheat and smoke. If it does, carefully move the pan to anotherburner. After the smoke dissipates, reheat the oil and continue frying. Test fryone or two pieces of food when trying out a new recipe. A practice run is greatfor testing the oil temperature and getting used to the timing and fryingprocess. Fry inbatches to avoid lowering the oil temperature. Always let the oil return tothe appropriate temperature, (regulatingthe heat as necessary,) before adding the next batch. Torefresh and restore a fresh-from-the-fryer crispness, refry a second time.When planning a second refrying, fry again right before serving. Slightly underfry the first time to avoid over browning on the second frying. In general,refry using slightly higher heat than used for the first frying.One last thing . . . I so enjoy deep-fried food but theolder I get, the more I realize that I shouldn’t (can’t) eat as much of it as Iused to. Looking back at all the restaurant French fries and pieces salt-and-pepper squid that I’ve eaten,only a fraction of them have been stellar. I had better luck when I did itmyself. Plus, it’s extra fun and gratifying to stand at the stove sipping champagneand frying onion rings, a perfect way to pick yourself up on a Monday or launchthe weekend on a Friday. Something to ponder and perhaps look forward to.
Feelfree to share deep-frying tips or experiences (good or bad)! Posted in Cooking Tips & Tools | Permalink | |
| Comments Abandon Your Fears of Frying: Deep-Fry Tips Lastweek in a comment about the almond crusted shrimp balls, Candice remarked thatshe refrained from deep-frying because she didn’t know what to do with the leftoveroil. That led me to assemble these tips to help you deep-fry. I’ve been deep-fryingsince I was young, when my mom gave me the task of frying chicken for ourfamily dinner. I’ve had many successes and mishaps over the years. (If youdeep-fry squid, remember to make sure it’s super dry before it hits the oil.)
Soif the thought of deep-frying puts you off or sends shivers down your spine, Ihope these tips will persuade you to go out and buy yourself a bottle of oiland fry up something delectable.
Addressing common concerns about deep-frying:
Is deep-fryingis fattening? Well, it’s not like eating boiled food. It’s not spa or dietfood. That said, if deep-frying is done well, it’s not terribly greasy. I’moften surprised by how little oil gets absorbed during deep-frying. Of course,that add depends on what’s being deep-fried. Also, old oil that’s degraded toomuchcan sometimes cause lead-like deep-fried food. As my friend Diane, anurse, once told me, “It’s not what you eat once in a while, it’s what you eateveryday that really affects your health.” So a live a little. What do youwith all that oil after deep-frying? Recycle it. After you’re done frying, let the oil coolcompletely, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. If the oil is cloudy orcontains lots of unsavory bits, line the strainer with paper towel orcheesecloth. Transfer the oil to a clean, dry jar or plastic bottle, captightly, and store in a cool, dry place. In general, I don’t reuse oil once ithas turned super brown (as opposed to its golden color when new) or if it haspicked up funky odors from frying foods such as oily fish like salmon. If you fry fish, use recycled oil and dispose of it afterward. Store spent oil in a separate container. Don't put it down the drain.Deep-fryingmakes the house smell. You betcha. To deal with the smell of frying, which perfumesa room but can linger for a spell, run the exhaust while frying and openwindows. I sometimes carefully take the pot of hot oil outside and let it coolin the open air. Burn a stick of incense. You can also do like mymother and fry outside. It’s toomessy to deep-fry. Put a few sheets of newspaper on the floor if you areworried about dirtying the kitchen. During or after frying, quickly wipe thestove and counter clean to prevent grease buildup. Wear an apron.Some more technical tips to fry by:
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