Regardless if you are seeking to deep fry vegetables, meat, or pastries, you have to consider a few items to make sure that your gourmet creation is preserved in the deep fat frying process.
First and most important is the proper deep fat frying equipment. Whether you choose a real deep fat fryer or a deep fry pan, the oil you use will determine either help or hurt you. You need an oil that will not burn quickly, but burns at a higher temperature. Not considering this will cause your food to have a burned and unsavory flavor. Oils that work best for deep fat frying are:
* Vegetable, including shortening and lard
* Safflower
* Canola
* Peanut Oil - be cautious about this choice to ensure none of your guests have allergies to nuts
Choices of oil to avoid include butter or olive oil. In all cases, you should ensure your oil is hot when you submerge the food - it needs to crisp up immediately trapping all of the moisture and juices inside!
Next, take into account the food you are to deep fat fry. General guideline is if your food is wet, your batter needs to be dry. If your food is dry, your batter needs to be wet. Simple, right? Yes and no - in instances like zucchini, your food is very wet and it is good to pat down your surfaces before applying the batter. This helps the stick factor and you should see a reduced amount of flake off through the deep fat frying process. If the food is dry but you wish to use a dry rub or batter, this could easily be resolved by adding water or egg to help the mixture stick to the surface.
Lastly, what's the staple of all batter recipes? Below I'm showing you a tried and tested recipe that works well largely for vegetable and meat frying.
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c water
1 slightly beaten egg
Stir your dry ingredients first than fold in your wet ingredients.
Now those of you that like a little spark of something in their batter, some good additions to this batter include paprika, finely chopped peppers, garlic or onion powder. Rule of thumb is to add a 1/4-1/2 tsp of your addition to taste. Also, get creative with your wet ingredients by substituting beer for water. Open your pantry and add those flavors you enjoy! In all cases, bon appetite!
First and most important is the proper deep fat frying equipment. Whether you choose a real deep fat fryer or a deep fry pan, the oil you use will determine either help or hurt you. You need an oil that will not burn quickly, but burns at a higher temperature. Not considering this will cause your food to have a burned and unsavory flavor. Oils that work best for deep fat frying are:
* Vegetable, including shortening and lard
* Safflower
* Canola
* Peanut Oil - be cautious about this choice to ensure none of your guests have allergies to nuts
Choices of oil to avoid include butter or olive oil. In all cases, you should ensure your oil is hot when you submerge the food - it needs to crisp up immediately trapping all of the moisture and juices inside!
Next, take into account the food you are to deep fat fry. General guideline is if your food is wet, your batter needs to be dry. If your food is dry, your batter needs to be wet. Simple, right? Yes and no - in instances like zucchini, your food is very wet and it is good to pat down your surfaces before applying the batter. This helps the stick factor and you should see a reduced amount of flake off through the deep fat frying process. If the food is dry but you wish to use a dry rub or batter, this could easily be resolved by adding water or egg to help the mixture stick to the surface.
Lastly, what's the staple of all batter recipes? Below I'm showing you a tried and tested recipe that works well largely for vegetable and meat frying.
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c water
1 slightly beaten egg
Stir your dry ingredients first than fold in your wet ingredients.
Now those of you that like a little spark of something in their batter, some good additions to this batter include paprika, finely chopped peppers, garlic or onion powder. Rule of thumb is to add a 1/4-1/2 tsp of your addition to taste. Also, get creative with your wet ingredients by substituting beer for water. Open your pantry and add those flavors you enjoy! In all cases, bon appetite!
About the Author:
Before you purchase anything online, make sure you check Paul Stevens' excellent buyers' guide to Deep Fat Fryers and also check out my recipe for deep fried pickles.