Many people find it tricky to fry foods because of the high temperature that needs to be used. It can also become difficult if you can’t control the frying oil from spattering on your hands and body. Have no fear because there are some tricks to frying.
The key to frying correctly is to use the right temperature and the correct frying oil. Many chefs would say that using vegetable oil is best. This is because it has a higher smoke point and remains consistent.
Only pair the same foods with the same frying oil. In other words fry chips only in the frying oil you have prepared. Don’t also fry doughnuts in the same oil because it will affect the flavour. The remnants in the frying oil can stick to the food.
Cook the same sized portion in one frying set. If you are the type of person who prefers to deep fry you would know that it’s easier to fry when all the pieces are more or less the same size. You will only remove the batch once all the pieces are evenly cooked. If there are small pieces they may burn in the process of cooking larger chunks of food.
When you are pan frying or frying in a deep bottomed pot you need to have the correct cooking tools and utensils. An apron will protect your clothes from getting stained if the oil starts to spatter. Have a strainer or draining utensil with a long handle handy. This is a good idea because your hands won’t be so close to the hot oil in case of spatter. The best utensil to use for frying is a slotted spoon or spider spoon.
Gently place the food into the pot, pan or fryer. Throwing it in will cause an eruption of sizzling oil that could hurt your hands and face. You also don’t want to cause too much disturbance because the temperature has to stay consistent.
Crowding the pot or pan will result in a temperature drop then it becomes trickier to handle. Keep the amount of pieces in the pot at a minimum if you are a beginner. You also have to keep calm when cooking in this style. Too much panicking will distract you from the quickly-cooking food. In addition, don’t overuse frying oil. After two to three uses the oil needs to be thrown out because it goes bad eventually.
The correct way to serve your freshly fried food is to make sure that excess oil gets drained from the pieces. Too much oil that remains on the food softens the crispiness that was intended. It also isn’t pleasant to take a bite and just have oil dripping all over the place. Place a serviette layer at the bottom of a bowl then remove the food from the frying oil and allow the serviettes to absorb the excess oil.
