12

I recently trying the flour coating trick before frying it so my meat can withstand more temperature and does not get dried up so easily inside.

However, when I rolled the meat with all-purpose flour so it became white, I observe that if I leave it for a period of time, the white-ness is kind of gone away. Did the flour somehow goes in the meat? What is the consequence of it? And should I apply flour coating again before immediately drop into my frying pan?

3 Answers 3

16

It doesn't go into the meat, it soaks up water and becomes a slurry. The slurry is transparent, so you don't see it.

If you fry it as it is, you won't prevent spraying and sticking the same way it would have been possible with a dry flour layer. If you roll it again, you will have these effects again, plus slightly more heat buffering because of the double amount of crust. The crust will be more noticeable in taste, towards schnitzel style.

In general, you don't want it to happen at all. If you miss your timing and it happens, re-roll. But the proper way to do it is to roll each piece separately, directly before dropping it in the pan. This gives you the optimal effects from the flour with minimal change in taste.

If you want the benefits and taste of a thick crust, make a real schnitzel, including pounding the meat thin and making several alternating layers of egg and flour in the crust. Double dipping in flour is not a good approximation, it is a middle thing which doesn't approach the good parts of either technique.

4

The flour is still there, it has just been moistened by the meat, giving it a translucent appearance. It hasn't in any way soaked into the meat. You don't have to re-flour, but you can, lightly, if you care to.

By flouring the meat, you are doing a couple of really nice things. The flour will form a brown crust on the meat by virtue of the Malliard reaction. Don't buy into the idea that it "seals in the juices", it doesn't, but it can kind of seem that way.

Secondly, the flour is going to leave nice juicy bits in the bottom of your skillet. That's called fond, and it's the basis of a beautiful pan sauce. See the answers here for more on that: Failed pan sauce didn't thicken and tasted far too much of wine.

0
3

When you coat meat with flour and let it sit for a period of tome, the flour will absorb some moisture from the meat and appear less white. It's still there.

I find that allowing the time for the meat to sit before cooking produces superior results. It actually seals the meat better, keeping the moisture in and grease out. Bonus is that the crust on the meat will be crispier.

I always use this method and I know some people that actually cover the meat after flouring and put in their refrigerator to cook the next day. I have only done that a couple of times when something unexpected happened and I couldn't prepare my meal as planned and it did work well.

Regarding applying more flour before cooking I do not personally recommend it. Much of the dry flour on the outside will simply come off in the pan and what does stay on will hold more grease.

4
  • 1
    Yes it happened! When I coat the meat again and immediately throw into the pan, my after-fried oil became black mess because all the grainy flour was burning in it!
    – 5argon
    Aug 26, 2014 at 9:15
  • 1
    Exactly! And the flour cooking and burning will drastically shorten the life of the oil.
    – Cindy
    Aug 26, 2014 at 9:26
  • 1
    @5argon: If you tried rumtscho's recommendation and got poor results, and Cindy Askew's advice works better for you, then I think you should accept Cindy Askew's answer instead of rumtscho's.
    – ruakh
    Aug 27, 2014 at 2:50
  • @ruakh That's a good point, I concur. I also said in my answer that lightly reflouring is OK. Apparently, reflouring without adding anything else (like egg) can be detrimental.
    – Jolenealaska
    Aug 31, 2014 at 5:03

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.