Eva's Kitchen Confidence by Eva Kende

Author:Eva Kende
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781584952404
Publisher: IB Dave's Library
Published: 2000-04-17T07:00:00+00:00

Eva's Kitchen Confidence Eva Kende 122

fry with a vigorous continuous sizzle. Train your ear to identify just the

right temperature.

Deep Frying:

A number of foods are prepared using this method. French fries, donuts, onion rings, mushrooms and zucchini join the long line-up of meats and seafood that can be prepared using the deep frying technique.

Method:

• Usually the meat or vegetable is breaded or dipped in a batter to create a crisp coating. Different batters absorb more or less fat. It is worthwhile to find a batter recipe that suits your taste.

My personal favorite is egg white mixed with cornstarch (about 3 tbsp. of

cornstarch to one egg white) mixed to a consistency that will coat the item well.

This gives a crisp crust which is a good barrier to keep too much oil from

penetrating the food.

Batters containing egg yolks, milk or water tend to absorb more oil than those containing whites only.

• I recommend using high quality vegetable oils as the cooking fat for deep frying. They have a neutral flavor, low moisture content, no cholesterol, contain mostly unsaturated molecules and their good performance at high temperatures makes them the best choice for this cooking technique. Olive oil is an exception. It breaks down close to the normal frying temperature, therefore it's not suitable for deep frying.

• It helps to have a thermostatically controlled deep fryer or electric frying pan, but it isn't essential if you are careful. Whether you are using a pot on the stove or a deep fryer, remember that hot fat is at 300-400° F. Any splatter can burn you badly and can cause a fire in an instant if spilled on a hot element.

Never leave the pot unattended and make sure the electric cord is safely

tucked away so that the pot or pan cannot be accidentally yanked off the counter.

• Choose a pot that is large and deep: a Dutch oven will do nicely. Add enough oil so that it's deep enough that the food can freely float on top of the oil. Never fill the pot more than half full with oil. While having a basket to fit the pot is useful, a large flat metal slotted spoon to scoop out the food will do.

• The trick to deep frying is to have the temperature of the oil as high as possible without burning the food. This usually means 375-425°F. A chunk Eva's Kitchen Confidence Eva Kende 123

of bread will fry to a nice brown color in about one minute at 375°F. For thick cuts of meat and large chicken pieces, the lower end of this temperature range is preferred, otherwise the meat will not cook through.

For vegetables a slightly higher temperature can be used, while quick cooking batters and doughs can be done on the highest of this temperature range.

• Fry only enough food in a batch so that all the pieces can float freely and the oil is not cooled much when the food is added. It is best to have the foods at room temperature. Since this is not always practical, add fewer pieces if the food is cold or frozen.

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