From chips and doughnuts to chicken and French fries, fried food is hard to resist. And it’s no wonder: No other cooking method delivers such crisp, delicious browning while keeping food moist and tender on the inside.
Here are some tips and info for what you need to know to fry right.
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Tips to Fry Food Right
- Cut food into similar-size pieces so they fry at the same rate.
- To help breadcrumb coatings dry and adhere, let raw breaded food sit on a rack for up to 30 minutes before frying.
- Always deep-fry in a deep pot and fill it only a third or half full with oil. Tall, narrow pots help extend the oil’s frying life, since less of the oil’s surface is exposed to oxygen.
- Use a deep-fry thermometer and adjust the heat while frying to maintain a steady temperature.
- Fry in small batches to prevent the oil temperature from dropping too low, which can lead to greasy food.
- Briefly drain fried food on a rack or absorbent paper.
- Season food immediately after frying so the seasoning adheres to the hot food.
- If not eating right away, transfer each batch of fried food to a 200°F oven to keep it crisp.
- Let the oil come back up to frying temperature between batches.
- Never leave oil unattended on the stove—it can overheat and become a fire risk.
What to do with used frying oil
Reuse it
Do this only if the oil still appears clear and light in color. To extend ts life, keep it clean by regularly straining out crumbs.
Discard it
Don’t pour used frying oil down the drain. Instead, let it cool, pour it into a biodegradable container, such as a paper milk carton, and throw it out
with your regular trash. Some cities also have collection centers.
Recipes to Try
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