I am considering a replacement for deep frying. I have deep fried small fish into crispy protein sticks and chicken in a typical pot. I heard a tip that professional deep fryers do not heat the bottom of the oil containers to avoid charring the bottom residue, prolonging the usability of the oil while making it also healthier. Thus, I was considering to buy a dedicated deep fryer. Then I started to think discarding the messy and oil consuming deep frying altogether. What do you think, would it be somehow possible to cook foods described above with similar "deep fried" characteristics using an air fryer or super-heated steaming oven? If I would apply a thin coat of oil with salt on the fish and chicken, could I achieve similar crusty surface with cooked internal parts? This blind test is not quite encouraging regarding air fried meat, but I think they did not describe the exact recipe (did they apply oil coat or not, etc). Product recommendations are also welcome.
4 Answers
You are not going to reproduce deep frying with any alternative. Certainly steaming will not get you in the ball park (generally because you are adding moisture). "Air frying" (really convection baking) can get you to crispy...and you might achieve deliciousness, but it is not the same as deep frying. That may be fine for your purposes. I would suggest trying an air fryer to see if it meets your needs. Dedicated deep fryers do indeed retain a "cold zone" below the heating element so that bits of food can sink to the bottom and remain unburned. That needs to be filtered periodically and, as you mention, one would need to dispose of and change the oil as necessary.
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Thanks @moscafj, this was also my gut feeling. But how about the ovens based on the super-heated steam. For example in the link below the results look interesting. But of course nothing will ever fully replace deep frying, but could we get acceptable close? These are pretty difficult subjective matters to deal using typing instead of tasting. Anyone have detailed experiences or curious protocols/recipes to share perhaps, to get deeper understanding about the differences between the methods? youtube.com/watch?v=zZubLdKWIEs&t=34– ImsaCommented Jul 16 at 5:34
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Just one quick note... when making Baguettes, french Boulangers add cold or even ice water to their hot ovens, when baking their Baguettes, because it makes the crust crispier. So a super heated steamer is certainly worth researching at the very least. Commented Jul 21 at 1:01
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@HollisHurlbut I don't think that enhanced browning or crisping is the purpose of steam in the bread baking process.– moscafjCommented Jul 21 at 1:48
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@moscafj It's not the only purpose of the steam but it's perhaps it's main purpose. There's an excellent article over at Serious Eats that goes into more detail about the science behind it - seriouseats.com/… I should clarify though that I could have chosen a better word than "crispier". The steam does more to the crust than just make it "crispier". Commented Jul 21 at 20:22
I had a similar dilemma a few years ago. I was looking for a deep fryer for use at home, that didn't have it's heating element at the bottom. My reasoning was different to yours though.
One of the issues with home deep fryers is that the elements are seemingly always at the bottom. I believe it's for reasons of practicality, to minimise their size, and no doubt to cut manufacturing costs. At the time I was looking, it also seamed to be true for all but the higher end, much larger, commercial models.
The reason I wanted such a deep fryer is because so many manufacturers opt to coat the interior of their fryers ( including the heating element that constantly gets scratched and scraped by the drainer basket) in non-stick coatings. Indeed, we threw our last deep fryer away because the non-stick coating as getting degrading and getting scratch off by the basket.
Which is why, if you really want a deep frying appliances for home use, the only model I know of that I would recommend is the Tefal Oleoclean range. The main reason for the recommendations is that they have stainless steel interiors (more on this in a moment) but they also have a built in filtration system for cleaning the oil.
Personally though, I went a different route and bought a large, well made but reasonably priced (and much cheaper than the Tefal), stainless steel stock pot. Along with a "spider" strainer. The pot is large enough so that even though I never fill it more than a quarter full, it's still plenty large enough for cooking multiple portions of fries at the same time. Even then though, in practical terms, it doesn't take up any more space than our old deep fryer.
When the oil gets dirty, I filter it through a sieve and a coffee filter. I'm also careful to never over heat the oil. Both of which mean that the oil lasts much longer.
When the pot needs cleaning, I can scrub it with abrasives, Barkeeper's Friend... even wire wool! Without fear of lit bits of forever chemical flaking off.
Going back to the subject of appliances though... We threw away the deep fryer, not just because the coating was getting scratched off, but also because it was impossible to clean properly. You just can't clean polymerised oil of non-stick coatings, without damaging the coating too. We also ended up throwing away our counter top halogen oven. Because short of taking it apart, it could not be clean properly. Now we've got a Ninja air fryer and guess what?... in the near future we'll have to throw it away because you can't clean it properly without taking it apart and voiding the warranty, the non-stick coating is degrading, and we can't get the friggin polymerized oil off the interior because you can't scrub non-stick coatings like you can stainless steel!
Manufacturers don't want you to clean modern appliances. They don't want the coatings to last, they don't want you to to have access to the heating element in your air fryer in order to clean it... they want you to throw the old model in the landfill, and buy another one.
My stainless steel pot will last as long as I am able to take care of it.
I made some experiments. According to my subjective experiences, deep frying can be satisfactorily replaced by using a typical non-convection electric oven. My recipe was to first check that there is no excess moisture on the meat. Then season the surface with salt and black pepper, evenly apply some field-mustard oil (typical here where I live, but I believe similar oils are good as well), and add moderate coat of wheat flour. Not too much to avoid floury end result, ideally the flour is moistened by the oil. Then put the meat in the oven adjusted to 200 degrees of Celsius with the upper grilling resistor also turned on to give nice intense heat, and cook until desired golden brown color is reached. I turned the layer of small fish multiple times to get rid off the excess moisture, the test chickens were good without turning. Underneath the meat I used a metallic baking tray with baking paper on it, to ensure good heat conduction. I haven't done side-by-side comparisons or any blind tests with deep fried meats, but what I remember I don't miss the deep frying. This method is so convenient and the end result is good. Thus, I also rejected the idea of buying any new kitchen equipment.
You could also try to spray some oil on your goods before putting them in the air-fryer.
On various shopping websites you can find these oil spray bottles. I got better results when air-frying fries or other goods that usually get deep fried.
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1Thanks @hollishurlbut, I wish I would have enough experience to give upvotes for the tips. The Tefal OleaClean is an interesting looking option, and the compact version can be disassembled for dishwasher.– ImsaCommented Jul 21 at 6:22
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Thanks also for @redman, I thought this option as well. Maybe it will not fully resemble the results of deep frying, but if it could get acceptable close. Need to search more comparisons and consider own experiments.– ImsaCommented Jul 21 at 6:25