If you have a deep fryer or a special frying pan for soaking food in large amounts of oil, a wok or skillet with a deep concave, or a Dutch oven pan, it's sure to be a lot easier to enjoy a variety of your favorite fried foods at home! To deep-fry food to the perfect texture, all you need to do is fill the cookware with an oil that has a high smoke point such as vegetable oil or canola oil and then heat it to 177°C. After that, fry the ingredients that have been cut into small and uniform sizes until the texture is really crisp and the color turns golden brown. Voila, you can enjoy a variety of delicious fried foods in no time!
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Method 1 of 3: Using the Right Cooking Tools
Step 1. Fry the food using a heat-resistant, high-walled cookware
To get the perfect frying result with the deep fry method, we recommend using a special frying pan, high-walled pan, skillet, or Dutch oven pan. If you don't have all four, just use any cooking utensil as long as it's big enough to hold a lot of oil, as well as the food you're going to fry. Also make sure the cookware is able to withstand very high temperatures.
- A special fryer or deep fryer is of course the most ideal and easy cooking tool to use for frying most foods.
- If you don't have a deep fryer, we recommend using a high-walled pot or skillet that will prevent the oil from splattering in all directions when used for frying.
Step 2. Choose an oil with a high smoke point
The term “smoke point” actually refers to the temperature at which oil begins to burn and emit smoke. That is why, the most appropriate types to use for frying are oils with a high smoke point such as canola oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, and corn oil.
- If you want, you can also mix different types of oil to get a better taste.
- For a slightly healthier fry, try substituting vegetable oil for coconut oil, avocado oil, palm oil, ghee, or even purified animal fat.
- Extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, other unrefined oils, and butter and solid fats (white butter) have low smoke points. This means that all of them cannot be used to fry food using the deep fry method.
Step 3. Prepare a special thermometer to check the temperature of the food being fried, as well as food tongs or a wooden spoon
A thermometer is useful to simplify the process of checking the temperature of food while it is frying. As a result, the taste and texture of the resulting fried foods will be absolutely perfect when cooked. Meanwhile, food tongs or wooden spoons are used to stir the food when it's fried and drain it when it's cooked.
- Don't have a food thermometer? Don't worry, the wooden spoon doubles as a temperature checker! The trick, simply dip the tip of the spoon into the oil. If small bubbles appear around it, it means the oil is hot enough and ready to use.
- Never use a plastic spoon to stir fried food. The very hot temperature of the oil can melt plastic spoons in no time!
Step 4. Prepare a wire rack or paper towels to absorb excess oil on the cooked fry
The wire rack is specially designed to drain and cool the frying temperature making it the most ideal for use. However, if you don't have one, you can also use a removable oven rack. If you don't have both, just use a large plate that has been lined with one to two sheets of thick kitchen paper.
- After removing from the frying pan, the fried products must be placed on a cool surface to reduce the oil content in it.
- It's best to stick to a few kitchen paper towels even if the fried food is drained on a wire rack. The extra layer of paper towels can absorb more oil and make the fried food crispier when eaten.
Method 2 of 3: Frying Food Perfectly
Step 1. Fill the frying pan with enough oil
At least, make sure the portion of oil is able to submerge half the food. While the specific amount of oil will depend on the type of food you're frying and the size of the fryer, you'll generally need around 900 ml to 2 liters of oil for the food to soak properly when fried.
- Ideally, and if the frying pan is large enough, the entire food should be completely submerged in the oil.
- Leave about 5-7 cm of space between the surface of the oil and the rim of the pan to prevent the oil from overflowing when it heats up.
Step 2. Heat the oil to 150-191°C
If using an electric fryer, set the temperature to that number. If using a regular skillet, place the pan on the stove and heat it on high. Most recipes recommend 150-191°C as the ideal temperature. However, if your recipe doesn't include a specific temperature, it's a good idea to keep the oil temperature in the 163-177°C range for best results.
- If the oil temperature doesn't reach 149°C, chances are that the fried food won't be crispy and cooked perfectly. On the other hand, if the oil temperature exceeds 191°C, it is feared that the oil will be too hot so that the fried products can end up scorching.
- The right temperature really depends on the type of food being fried. Therefore, always read the recommendations listed on the recipe or consult the owner of the recipe, if possible, to find out the most suitable temperature recommendations.
- Keep flammable substances and objects away from burning stoves.
Step 3. Coat the food to be fried with flour so that the surface texture feels crisper when cooked
Coating food with flour or a thick coating of dough before frying it can instantly enrich the taste and texture when cooked. Just make sure the entire surface of the food is completely coated with flour before frying it in hot oil.
- If you want to make floured fritters, you'll first need to dip the food you're going to fry in a bowl with 3-4 beaten eggs. Then, coat the surface again with flour, bread, or a combination of both.
- To make an all-purpose coating, mix 120 ml of milk or buttermilk, 80 ml of water, 60 grams of flour, 1½ tsp. baking powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
- If you wish, you can also enhance the flavor of the coating mixture by adding a pinch of seasoned salt, garlic or onion powder, ground black pepper or cayenne pepper, or oregano.
Step 4. Put the food into the fryer slowly and carefully
To minimize the chance of oil splattering in all directions, submerge the food in the oil with the help of tongs or a slotted metal spoon. Remember, add food gradually so that the pan is not too full and the temperature of the oil does not decrease, especially because the temperature of the oil that is not optimal is prone to undercooking the food and absorbing too much oil when draining.
- If the food is quite large or long, try submerging it in the oil gradually, about 2.5-5 cm first. Also make sure the part that has not been submerged in oil is pointing away from you to prevent the skin from being injured by splashing the oil.
- If the amount of food is large enough, the frying process should be done gradually to maintain a stable oil temperature.
Step 5. Continue to stir and/or flip the fried food to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan
Use tongs or a wooden spoon to stir or flip the food every few minutes. If the pan is too full, there's a good chance that the fried food will stick together or it won't brown evenly.
- If you have to fry a food that is so large that it is difficult to completely submerge it, remember to flip it halfway through so that each side of the food is submerged in the oil for the same amount of time.
- To avoid burning or hurting your hands while frying food, do not place it near the mouth of the pan for too long.
Step 6. Drain the food once it turns golden brown
Different foods need to be fried at different times. In other words, there are foods that only take 30 seconds to cook, but there are also those that need to be fried for a few minutes so that they are fully cooked. That's why it's a good idea to check the level of doneness of the food based on the color of the surface.
- Remember, these rules don't apply to cooking meat! Therefore, it's best to use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of chicken, pork, or other animals that need to be fully cooked.
- Chicken and other types of poultry should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 73°C or higher. Meanwhile, pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 62°C, while beef should be eaten even if the internal temperature is slightly below that.
Step 7. Drain the food with the help of tongs or a slotted spoon
Once the color of the food turns golden brown, immediately drain it using food tongs. If the size of the food is too small, use a slotted spoon or a metal sieve to make sure that no pulp remains in the oil. After that, gently shake the spoon or tongs to drain any excess oil before transferring the food to a cooler surface.
Do not mix foods with fried results that are charred and float on the oil
Step 8. Place the food on a cool surface to drain the excess oil and cool it down
For example, you can drain the fries on a wire rack or a few kitchen paper towels and let them cool down to a more palatable temperature, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remember, the temperature of food that just comes out of the frying pan is very hot! Therefore, do not touch or consume it for a while. Be careful because even after 2-3 minutes, the temperature is not necessarily comfortable for your tongue.
- If you want to add other complementary seasonings, do so while the food is standing still. A temperature that is still warm will help the spices to stick better, and ensure that the flavors of the spices can penetrate deeper into the food.
Step 9. Store and reuse used oil in separate containers
After use, strain the used oil with a coffee filter into a large heat-resistant container, then place the container at room temperature. Later, the filtered oil can be reused when you want to fry other foods. If you are reluctant to consume used cooking oil, pour the used oil into a closed container, then throw the container in the trash.
- Containers made of glass, metal, and plastic can be used to store used cooking oil. If the oil will not be used again, you should use a disposable container such as used yogurt packaging.
- Using used cooking oil helps you to save on new oil stocks and of course, financial expenses.
Method 3 of 3: Choosing Food Ingredients for Frying
Step 1. Fry the potatoes for a plate of delicious light snacks
French fries are an incredibly easy snack to make, especially since without you needing to do anything else, they'll cook on their own to perfection! To make it, you just need to buy a plastic bag of frozen potatoes at the supermarket, then fry them at home for 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked. If you want, you can also fry fresh potatoes that have been peeled and cut into desired pieces.
- The same procedure can also be done for frying potato chips, hash browns, or fried sweet potatoes which contain nutrients that are better for the body.
- Boil fresh or frozen potatoes for 3-4 minutes before frying to give them a crunchier texture and a more even level of doneness.
Step 2. Fry the chicken to make a delicious plate of homemade dishes
Who doesn't like to eat fried chicken? In addition to being very delicious, the processed recipes are also very varied. For example, chicken can be coated in flour or batter and then deep-fried in very hot oil until it turns golden brown. In general, a whole chicken needs to fry for 30-45 minutes until it is fully cooked. Or, the chicken can also be cut into pieces first, then fried one by one until they are completely cooked.
- If you have a large enough skillet, chicken or even turkey can be fried whole! However, make sure the process is carried out outdoors to reduce the risk of fire, yes.
- Want to fry frozen poultry? Do not forget to soften it first so that the oil does not splash in all directions when the frying process is done.
Step 3. Dip the fish in the flour mixture, then deep fry it for a delicious dish in no time
First, coat the surface of the fish with a classic flour mixture made from a mixture of flour, milk, and egg, then fry until it turns golden brown in color. While frying, move the fish gently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. However, don't do it too often so that the tender meat of the fish doesn't end up crumbling.
- Add a little beer to the coating flour mixture to enrich the taste, and make the texture feel lighter and crunchy.
- For a more upscale dining experience, serve the fish with hash browns, boiled peas and rice vinegar.
Step 4. Fry the crispy and delicious vegetable tempura
To make the dough for tempura coating, you only need to buy packaged seasoned flour which is widely sold in various large supermarkets. In addition, you can also buy various vegetables such as bell peppers, shitake mushrooms, kabocha pumpkin, eggplant, and various other favorite vegetables. Arriving in the kitchen, dip the vegetables you bought in the batter, then immediately fry them for 3-4 minutes. The tempura is done when the flour looks puffy and turns golden brown.
- Other delicious vegetables to make tempura include sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, lotus root, and jalapeo peppers.
- Tempura is the best choice if you want to eat light fried foods that are still nutritious. In addition, tempura is also delicious paired with a variety of baked goods or chicken teriyaki sauce.
Step 5. Make delicious fried cheese or mozzarella sticks
First, cut the fresh mozzarella cheese into 3 to 5 cm thickness, then roll it with the palm of your hand to form a cylinder. After that, dip the cheese sticks into the beaten egg and breadcrumbs and fry them for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Fried cheese that is cooked can be served immediately with a dip of warm marinara sauce!
If you're in a hurry, you can use a cylindrical string cheese that is sold in supermarkets. String cheese can be a mainstay for those of you who are busy because the shape and size really resembles a mozzarella stick
Step 6. Make sure the condition of the food to be fried is really soft and dry
Whatever ingredients you prepare, don't forget to dry them before putting them in the oil. The easiest way to do this is to lightly pat the surface of the food dry with a paper towel. Make sure there are no water droplets or ice crystals left on the surface of the food while frying!
- Remember, oil and water don't mix! That's why frying food that is still wet or damp will splash hot oil in all directions.
- In addition, frying food that is still half wet or frozen will also make the level of maturity uneven. One way that can be done to speed up the process of softening food in order to make it cook more evenly is to cut it into uniform sizes before frying.
Tips
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The more oil you use, the better the temperature consistency will be.
Although not mandatory, a metal frying basket will greatly help facilitate the process of soaking and draining food
- When compared to other methods, the deep fry method is effective in cooking large or hard-textured or solid foods in a relatively short time.
- Wear long-sleeved clothing to protect the skin from hot oils that may be splashed when frying food. If you wish, you can even wear heat-resistant gloves to maximize their protective benefits.
Warning
- Do not leave the frying pan in use.
- If possible, provide a fire extinguisher just in case something untoward happens. Remember, fires that occur due to overflowing oil must not be doused with water so that the fire does not spread further in all directions.
