46
votes
Can I deep fry food in butter instead of vegetable oil?
You can certainly deep-fry foods in clarified butter (also known as ghee) and in lard. In fact, there are many foods that are traditionally fried in these fats. They both have very high smoke ...
- 45k
25
votes
Accepted
Why does my deep fryer say not to use peanut oil?
On the T-fal USA website, they address this in their FAQ section. (A quick check on the UK Tefal site shows the same question.) Regardless of which model of fryer you have, it seems that all of their ...
- 8,056
22
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between a deep fryer and a chip pan?
The part that handles the food is comparable, as you noted: A container for the hot oil plus a basket to lift the food out again.
But the difference is in the periphery:
A chip pan is just a pan (...
- 53.9k
22
votes
On a naked chicken (skin on, but no coating, batter) is there any benefit of double frying?
I believe you are referring to this article? https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/01/the-food-lab-how-to-make-best-buffalo-wings-fry-again-ultimate-crispy-deep-fried-buffalo-wings.html
Funny enough, I ...
- 648
20
votes
Can I deep fry food in butter instead of vegetable oil?
No, you cannot deep-fry in butter. It simply can't handle the heat; it will brown and burn before you reach deep-frying temperatures.
In a comment you say that vegetable oils are unstable when heated,...
18
votes
Can I make fried chicken without a deep frier?
B is your best bet. In fact, that's the original (And IMO, best) way to do it! Find a nice heavy cast iron skillet, fill it around halfway with oil, and then fry your chicken and rotate it in the pan ...
- 1,093
15
votes
Accepted
Can falafel be made using previously frozen chickpeas?
I made 4 test case batches:
Dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours
Dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours, frozen, then thawed
Canned chickpeas
Canned chickpeas, frozen, then thawed
I tested with canned ...
- 409
14
votes
what cooking oil(s) produce the crispiest and least greasy fried foods
The desired texture of 'crispness' is the result of many factors, and oil choice is generally not the biggest factor. Consider a french fry. The generally accepted best practice for fries is a blanch ...
- 3,536
11
votes
Accepted
How are Belgian fries different than the average French fries found in North America?
All of the sources I read say the same thing... what makes them different is that they're fried twice.
From Saveur:
Frites are the supercharged cousin to paltry American-style fries: made from ...
- 16.2k
11
votes
I'm pretty sure these aren't scones, but what are they?
This is a staple of Balkan cuisine. You will see it named Lángos (and derivatives) in Hungary and Mekitza (and derivatives) in Slavic languages. Either of these words is used in Western Europe, ...
- 124k
10
votes
Is it safe to deep fry two turkeys in the same oil for Thanksgiving?
Reusing deep frying oil is fine (up to a point - you can't refry indefinitely), and in fact the flavour often improves with use. You should be absolutely fine frying two turkeys one after the other ...
- 43.2k
10
votes
Accepted
I'm pretty sure these aren't scones, but what are they?
Fried Dough As mentioned in comment, it's something I'm mostly used to seeing at fairs - the dough does not do well in a communal fryer where it could pick up other flavors (hmm, fishy fried dough - ...
- 10.5k
10
votes
Accepted
Making crunchy creamy hash browns
The way I have achieved this is by gently simmering the potato cubes until they soften. (You want them pretty much cooked, but not so done that they won't hold together well.)
I also lightly salt ...
- 18.2k
10
votes
Can I deep fry food in butter instead of vegetable oil?
As @ElectricToothpick said, the milk solids in butter will brown and burn, so that's not a good option. Since ghee has had the milk solids removed, that's not an issue.
Traditionally, rendered animal ...
- 4,904
10
votes
On a naked chicken (skin on, but no coating, batter) is there any benefit of double frying?
It does help, yes. The first frying acts to partially dehydrate the skin, while partially hydrolysing the collagen into gelatin. The second frying then completes the dehydration and "puffing up". If ...
- 20.1k
10
votes
Accepted
How can I hold a battered Mars bar in a deep fryer without leaving any chocolate exposed?
Put in on a stick. Depending on the size of the bar a toothpick may be sufficient. Just make sure the batter covers the stick a little where it goes into the bar.
- 5,065
9
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't deep frying 'wet' the food?
Firstly I think you're having trouble making a distinguishment between water and oil absorption. Even though placing food in (room temp) oil may at first seem as if it had gotten it 'wet' it's a very ...
- 503
9
votes
Accepted
Low-calorie French Fries
Isn't the oil (and bad oil temperature), the main reason for calories in fried food, not the vegetables themselves?
Just coating in corn starch will not help at all, the moisture in the vegetable ...
- 19.4k
8
votes
Cause of foam in fried chicken pan?
Further editing about other causes of oil foaming
It never occurred to me to add reasons other than lecithin leaching into oil as a cause of foaming. I hope most people don't re-use their oil for ...
- 3,943
8
votes
Can I make fried chicken without a deep frier?
You could absolutely pan fry them, a combination of your A and B options. You'll need an inch or so of oil, enough to come about halfway up your chicken pieces. This is a great job for a cast iron pan,...
- 326
8
votes
Why are we frying in the oil, but not in any other liquid? (besides the temperature)
We do cook over 100C in a pressure cooker, but not enough to brown food, as this would take very high pressures. It probably wouldn't be safe or economical at home, and doesn't have enough of an ...
- 38.3k
8
votes
Best way to Store and Rewarm Fried Chicken
Nothing you do will be perfect but here are a few things you can do to help.
When done frying dry well in a dry space.
Sealed spaces will trap the moisture released by the chicken as it cools. ...
- 2,992
8
votes
Can I deep fry food in butter instead of vegetable oil?
Electronic Toothpick is correct about deep frying in butter. Lard, however, is perfectly acceptable for deep frying. French fries taste better fried in lard (imho). Solid fats in general are still ...
- 3,719
8
votes
Deep frying with tallow in a stainless steel pot
I don't think you will have the risk of fire, as long as you keep the oil in the pot. Temperature will modulate more quickly than in cast iron, but it is not going to vary much within the pot itself. ...
- 63.9k
7
votes
Can I make fried chicken without a deep frier?
B. Definitely. My grandmother used to fry them this way for decades. Just be sure to watch them closely or the bottoms will burn very quickly. A splatter shield will also come in handy if you want to ...
- 201
7
votes
Accepted
How to keep battered (tempura) goods from sticking to the deep frying pan?
What you are describing should not happen when using the right technique. I suspect this is happening because you are either lowering the battered food into the oil using the net, or your oil ...
- 66.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Can deep frying oil be too hot?
Yes, certainly. Deep frying only works well in a very narrow temperature range. The optimal temperature is different for every food, but it's in the 180 to 210 Celsius range.
The needed temperature ...
- 124k
7
votes
Accepted
Why are my apple fritters too doughy in the center?
The overcooked exterior and undercooked interior indicates that your oil temperature is too high or your fritters are too large. You should be able to solve your problem by frying at a lower ...
- 5,065
7
votes
Accepted
What do the numbers on my deep fryer dial mean?
I am pretty certain these are degrees in Celsius. They cannot be degrees in Fahrenheit, that wouldn't deepfry a thing if they were. Similarly, unless you have a fryer which can only fry a single ...
- 124k
7
votes
I'm pretty sure these aren't scones, but what are they?
Fry bread. They are often served as tacos with savory toppings. Sweet toppings like butter, honey, or cinnamon are also common.
They are also similar to sopapillas.
As far as I can tell, these are ...
- 46.8k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible