The Ultimate Guide to Frying: How to Fry Just about Anything
By Rick Browne
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About this ebook
Just when you think you’ve run out of things to fry, The Ultimate Guide to Frying is here to rescue you. Rick Browne, honorary Doctor of Barbeque, takes us on a savory ride through the world of frying with more than one hundred recipes for anything and everything you could possibly imagine. Battered, buttered, dunked, and even forked, the recipes included in this book ensure that the most delicious food goes from the frying pan to the plate. With easy-to-understand instructions and detailed photos, this is the fryer’s dream cookbook.
From meat to desserts, sides to shellfish, The Ultimate Guide to Frying is the cookbook above all cookbooks for any frying questions. Beginning with a detailed guide to oils and frying equipment, Browne paints the complete picture for anyone interested in how to fry just about anything in their home and make it tasty too! With recipes such as Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Walla Walla Onion Rings, Beer-Batter Trout, Sumptown Oysters N’ Bacon, Fried Shrooms, Kathleen Cauliflowerettes, and many more, this cookbook is sure to leave its readers satisfied.
Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Good Books and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of cookbooks, including books on juicing, grilling, baking, frying, home brewing and winemaking, slow cookers, and cast iron cooking. We’ve been successful with books on gluten-free cooking, vegetarian and vegan cooking, paleo, raw foods, and more. Our list includes French cooking, Swedish cooking, Austrian and German cooking, Cajun cooking, as well as books on jerky, canning and preserving, peanut butter, meatballs, oil and vinegar, bone broth, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Rick Browne
Rick Browne is a writer photographer, pit master, restaurant critic, and consultant—a man of all trades. He has written for several publications, including Time, Newsweek, People, and USA Today. He is also the author of The Ultimate Guide to Frying and the Big Book of Barbecue Sides. Rick holds an honorary PhB (Doctorate of Barbeque Philosophy) bestowed on him by the esteemed Kansas City Barbeque society. He lives in Vancouver, Washington.
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The Ultimate Guide to Frying - Rick Browne
Copyright © 2010 by Rick Browne
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 555 Eighth Avenue, Suite 903, New York, NY 10018.
Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 555 Eighth Avenue, Suite 903, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Browne, Rick, 1946-
The ultimate guide to frying : how to fry just about anything / Rick Browne.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-61608-066-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Frying. I. Title.
TX689.B765 2010
641.7'7--dc22
2010017485
Printed in China
I would like to dedicate this book to four special people:
My mom, Dorothy, for instilling in me the love of good home-cooked food and the fun of cooking it.
My dad, Arnold, for instilling in me the love of travel, of going to new places, and meeting wonderful, new people around every bend in the road.
My brother Grant, for taking me on hikes and nature walks, thus instilling in me the love of outdoors, of the wonders of nature, and the mystery of all the creatures that inhabit it.
And my lovely wife, Kathy, for believing in me, for helping me fulfill a lifelong desire to travel the backroads of America, and who shares my love of cooking, making new friends, and enjoying life to the fullest.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
DEEP FAT FRYING BASICS
DEEP-FRYING A WHOLE TURKEY
APPETIZERS
BREADS & PASTRIES
PORK & BEEF
POULTRY
FISH AND SHELLFISH
VEGETABLES
DESSERTS
BATTER UP!
CONVERSION CHARTS
INDEX
Introduction
FREQUENT FRYERS BEWARE!
Deep fat frying has been with us as almost as long as the discovery that fire would make raw meat taste a whole lot better. In fact, cooking food in various oil or fats is still the only way they cook in some countries, societies, and single-guy apartments.
And deep-frying, in large pots, has been practiced in many parts of the country for years. While frying a whole turkey is fairly new to many of us, Southern folks and Texans have been doin’ it for decades. Deep-fried
surely began in an Alabama kitchen somewhere.
Our aim here is to demystify the process and reveal the culinary delights of this style of cooking. But recently a pall has been spread over the world of deep-frying, spawned by a few vocal, overzealous, and overprotective folks who think those of us who have—or wish to purchase—deep-frying equipment don’t have the brains God gave a newt.
Sure there are safety issues so you won’t burn down your garage, deck, or house. But all of those, and I do mean ALL, can be addressed and dismissed with a liberal application of what we Americans are best known for (in most cases anyway): COMMON SENSE.
Add some frying recipes and some helpful hints and techniques that we offer up here, and there should be NO problem deep-frying that turkey, roast, game hen, prawn, or donut. Attempts without proper preparation using a propane burner to boil several gallons of oil can be hazardous. But following the manufacturer‘s suggestions, having the good sense to pick up and read this book, and using your brain for something other than holding your ears apart will ensure a safe, fun, and delicious experience as a frequent fryer!
Deep Fat Frying Basics
Deep-frying Tips
Recommended Frying & Deep-frying Oils
Smoke Points of Oils
Oil Smoke Points
Prolonging Oil’s Useful Life
Time & Temperature Guidelines
DEEP-FRYING TIPS
Maintain a frying temperature of 375˚F (190˚C). That way the battered, breaded surfaces will quickly form a protective shield, keeping the oil from penetrating the food as it cools and keeping it grease-free.
DO NOT SALT FOOD before deep-frying. Salt draws moisture to the surface, which can splatter when the food is added to the hot oil. Salt also lowers the smoke point and breaks the oil down more quickly. Only add salt just before eating, if at all.
Dip the food into lightly-beaten egg and then roll it in seasoned bread crumbs. Allow the uncooked breaded food to rest on a rack at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before frying so that the food can partially dry and the crumbs adhere to the food.
Have the eggs at room temperature and avoid beating them too much. Air bubbles in over-whisked eggs form pockets on the food when it’s dipped into the egg. These pockets won’t take breading.
If the oil is too hot, the coating will burn from the intense heat of the oil before the food inside the batter/coating has had time to cook properly. Burned outside, and semi-raw inside: Not a good thing!
Don’t jam the fryer with food; things need space to cook properly, and too much food will lower the oil’s temperature.
Small bread crumbs are much better than large breads crumbs.
For each portion of food, use at least six volumes of oil.
Preheat the oil to about 7 to 8˚C (15˚F) higher than its optimal deep-frying temperature. This is to allow for the immediate cooling of the oil when food is added. Preheating it higher than this may damage the oil’s molecular structure.
RECOMMENDED FRYING & DEEP-FRYING OILS
DEEP FRY:
Peanut Oil is good if you want to fry every day with the same oil, but it should be used only for a few hours per day.
Sunflower Oil can be used if you fry the whole day continuously with the same oil. But after this one day of extensive use, it might have to be replaced.
SHALLOW FRY:
Coconut Fat is good for frying if it is not hydrogenated (hardened). Hydrogenated fats and oils are extremely dangerous for your health and should be omitted from a healthy diet because they contain harmful trans-fatty acids.
Clarified Butter is very good for frying, but it is more expensive than most oils.
Olive Oil contains many monounsaturated fatty acids and is good for pan frying, but not for the rigors of extensive deep fat frying.
Canola Oil made from rapeseed is used extensively in food service.
HOW LONG WILL FRYING OIL LAST?
The longer you use oil, the more it starts to oxidize and deteriorate. It’s important, between frying sessions, to filter it, store it in a cool location, and protect it from light. All of these help prolong its life.
The hotter oil gets, the faster it begins to decompose and fail. Don’t cook at 375˚F if your recipe suggests 325˚F.
If food particles are not filtered out frequently, they tend to burn and can not only cause the oil to fail more quickly, but can also form toxic chemicals in the oil. Filter after each use when you pour the oil back into its storage container.
Eating too many fried preparations and using oxidized or spoiled oils can cause minor to severe health problems.
When oil becomes deteriorated, it appears dark and thick (viscous). It may have an off odor, and smoke appears before it reaches 375˚F. If the oil smells funky and old, better to toss it away and replace it with fresh oil.
Filter deep fat fryer oil every time you use it!
SMOKE POINTS OF OILS
Knowing the smoke point of the oil you intend to cook with is important because each time you deep fry, you lower its smoke point irreversibly. The smoke point is the temperature at which the oil begins to break down and to smoke. When the oil breaks down, it is unusable for cooking.
If your oil’s smoke point is just above 375˚F (190˚C), which is the normal deep-frying temperature, chances are its smoke point will drop below 375˚F (190˚C) after its first use, rendering it useless for further deep-frying.
If you want to save money by reusing an oil as many times as possible, select one with a high smoke point.
A number of factors will decrease the smoke point of any oil:
« combination of vegetable oils in products
« foreign properties in oil (crumbs from batter)
« temperature to which oil is heated
« presence of salt
« number of times oil is used
« length of time oil is heated
« exposure to oxygen and light during storage
« temperature at which oil is stored
OIL SMOKE POINTS
Knowing the smoke point will also warn you about the flash and fire points.
An oil reaches its flash point (about 600˚F [320˚C] for most oils) when tiny wisps of fire begin to leap from its surface. You do not want to get to this point.
If the oil is heated to its fire point (slightly under 700˚F [400˚C] for most oils), its surface will be ablaze, and you have a big problem at hand.
NEVER use water to put out an oil fire: the water will splatter the burning oil and spread it more quickly. Instead, smother the flames with a tight-fitting lid or sheet of aluminum foil. If the fire has spread outside the pan, suffocate