Frying is a cooking method that involves immersing food in hot oil or fat, typically between 350 and 375ºF. The oil serves as a medium for heat transfer, allowing the food to cook quickly and develop a crispy exterior. Deep-fat frying produces desirable or undesirable flavor compounds, changes the flavor stability and quality, and is a dry-heat cooking method where the entire food item is submerged in the frying oil.
The Maillard reaction occurs during the frying process, resulting in a golden brown color and rich flavor. The heat from the oil also cooks the interior of the food, allowing fibers to soften, proteins to denature, and starches to gelatinize. Key items to consider when deep-frying include the type of oil/fat, temperature of oil, and coldness of batter.
High-temperature frying leads to thinner crusts and less oil absorption, while deep frying requires precise temperatures of oil to achieve a crispy exterior and cooked accurately interiors. Deep frying allows for browning the food on the outside in the time needed to cook the interior without adding liquid. The bubbling fat is responsible for the unique gold-brown color, crispy skin, and soft center of French fries.
In summary, mastering the art of frying requires careful selection of the right oil, temperature management, and preparation of the food. Deep frying is a dry-heat cooking method where the entire food item is submerged in the frying oil, ensuring a crispy exterior and cooked interiors.
📹 10 Deep Frying Mistakes most home cooks make
Here are all my favorite items that I use to deep fry at home: – Made In Carbon Steel Wok: https://madein.cc/ETHANC …
Why is deep-fried food unhealthy?
Fried foods are high in calories, as they are coated with flour or flour before frying and deep-fried in oil, leading to a loss of water and fat absorption. These foods are significantly higher in fat and calories than non-fried foods.
Fried foods are also often high in trans fats, which are formed when unsaturated fats undergo hydrogenation. This process, which occurs when the oil is heated to high temperatures during cooking, can change the chemical structure of fats and make it difficult for the body to break them down, leading to negative health effects. Trans fats are associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including heart-related diseases, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
Several studies have found an association between eating fried foods and the risk of chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Heart disease is linked to high blood pressure, low good HDL cholesterol, and obesity, all of which are risk factors for heart disease. The more often people eat fried foods, the higher their risk of heart-related disease. A study conducted using fried fish found that women who ate one or more servings of fried fish per week had a 48 increased risk of heart failure, compared with those who consumed 1-3 servings per month. Another observational study found that a diet high in fried foods was associated with a significantly higher risk of heart attack.
Diabetes is another risk associated with fried foods. People who ate fast food more than twice per week had twice the risk of insulin resistance compared to those who ate it less than once a week. Additionally, those who ate four to six servings of fried food per week may have a 39 higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate less fried food.
Obesity is another concern with fried foods. They contain more calories than non-fried foods, and studies on only fried foods have found that trans fats in fried foods can play an important role in weight gain. An observational study found that increasing trans fat intake by 1 resulted in 0. 54 kg weight gain in normal weight women and 1. 04kg weight gain in overweight women.
Does deep frying cook inside?
Deep frying is a cooking method where food is submerged in hot fat, typically oil, instead of shallow frying in a frying pan. It can be done using a deep fryer or chip pan, pressure fryer, or vacuum fryer. Deep frying is classified as a hot-fat cooking method and typically cooks quickly due to high heat conduction. The term “deep frying” and many modern deep-fried foods were not invented until the 19th century, but the practice has been around for millennia.
Early records suggest that deep frying began in certain European countries before other countries adopted it. Deep frying is popular worldwide, accounting for a significant portion of global caloric consumption.
What happens to food when you fry it?
Deep-fat frying is a popular method in the food industry due to its low cost and high demand for convenient, high-acceptability food. The process involves mass and heat transfer by hot oil, modifying the food surface to create a crust that preserves flavors and juiciness, making chewing and digestion easier. Deep-fat frying oil typically reaches 175°C, ranging from 150 to 200°C. This process leads to physical and chemical changes, such as starch gelatinization, protein denaturation, flavoring, and color production via Maillard reaction.
Some food and oil compounds are lost during the frying process, and potentially toxic compounds are developed in the oxidized oil. This study aims to review literature findings on changes in food caused by the frying process.
What is the theory of frying?
The surface crust of food is characterized by a porous structure, comprising capillaries of varying sizes. During the frying process, water and water vapor are removed from the larger capillaries, replaced by the hot oil, and moisture subsequently moves through an oil boundary film.
How does frying cook food?
Frying is a cooking method whereby food is cooked in hot oil or fat, typically between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The food is partially or fully submerged in the fat until it attains a golden brown coloration with a crisp outer layer and a moist interior.
What happens during frying?
Fried foods are subjected to various factors such as moisture, oxygen, and high temperature, resulting in the presence of thermally oxidized and hydrolytic compounds. These compounds vary in quantity depending on various frying variables. ScienceDirect uses cookies and all rights are reserved for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. Open access content is licensed under Creative Commons terms.
Does cooking oil get absorbed into food?
The use of oil in cooking results in the absorption of oil into the food being prepared, thereby increasing the caloric density of the dish.
What is the science behind fried food?
Frying is a cooking method that involves immersing food in hot oil, causing a chemical reaction called the Maillard reaction. This reaction creates a golden-brown color and savory flavor by combining amino acids and reducing sugars, forming a complex network of new compounds like pyrazines, furans, and aldehydes. These compounds contribute to the food’s rich and savory flavor profile. However, frying can also lead to the formation of harmful compounds like acrylamide and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are carcinogenic compounds that form when carbohydrates are heated to high temperatures. PAHs are formed when meat is cooked over an open flame, increasing the risk of cancer and other health problems.
How much oil is absorbed when frying food?
The normal frying temperature range for food service frying is 325 to 375 o F, but higher temperatures of 375 to 400 o F are also used. Most foods cook rapidly in this range, developing a golden color, crisp texture, and good flavor. Frying time is longer at lower temperatures, resulting in lighter color, less flavor development, and increased oil absorption. High-temperature frying leads to thinner crusts and less oil absorption, and crusts cook faster than the interior of some products, requiring over-frying to ensure proper interior cooking.
In batch frying, the oil temperature drops about 86 to 104 ο F when the product is added to the fryer, with higher drops for frozen foods. The guideline is to recover the oil temperature by the end of the frying cycle to prepare the next batch. Oil oxidizes faster at higher temperatures, so selecting the right frying temperature even within the normal range is crucial. The principal quality index for deep-fat frying should be sensory parameters of the food being fried. Regular check-ups of fryers are essential for accurate temperature control. Digital thermometers with calibration devices are available for this purpose.
How to reduce oil absorption during frying?
To minimize the absorption of oil while deep frying, follow these tips:
Choose a clean pan with no deposits or burnt food layers. This is especially important for batter fritters or snacks dunked in flour. Excessive oil absorption can spoil the flavor of the food and make it difficult to fry.
Par boil the food before frying. Use paper towels to clean the pan and maintain the temperature.
Use carbonated essentials instead of oil. This can help prevent the oil from absorbing more during deep frying.
Use paper towels to clean the pan before frying. This helps prevent the oil from sticking to the food and making it difficult to fry.
Maintain the temperature by using paper towels to clean the pan and keep the oil temperature within the range of 165-180 degrees Fahrenheit.
By following these tips, you can enjoy your favorite deep fried snacks without guilt, ensuring a healthier and more satisfying meal.
Why is deep frying not a healthy way to cook?
The cooking of fried foods in high-temperature oil often results in the formation of trans fats. Trans fats are frequently present in processed vegetable or seed oils, which can undergo enrichment during the heating process. The trans fat content may increase during the frying process. A study found that the trans fat content of an oil increases with each reuse.
📹 The Ultimate Way To Deep Fry Anything That Never Fails | Epicurious 101
Professional chef Adrienne Cheatham demonstrates everything you need to know in order to get fully-cooked, crispy results when …
I really like how this guy approaches healthy eating. It’s not preachy, it’s not condescending, no ultra strict diet of sad foods, it’s realistic, flexible and acknowledges more than just the numbers. If eating one unhealthy meal will reduce the stress from a bad day, great, the stress is probably more unhealthy than just about anything you can eat. Something diet and fitness freaks never seem to take into consideration. This guy comes across as a real person.
As a belgian, where a fryer is a staple in every home where we eat fried food atleast once a week, often more. It is definitely worth having one. For 30 euros you can have one and it doubles as oil storage. Here are some reasons/tips: 1) It has it’s own heating/temp control so you just set it to 190C and forget it 2) Use it under your suction on top of your regular stove to make the smell not spread as much (or in something like a veranda/outside if you want to completely avoid it, ofcourse make sure not to leave it outside if it might rain) 3) Leave the oil there for around 8-10 uses (yes the oil will get a darker brown colour, this is not an issue, it even adds flavour. Stick to your uses unless it starts to go black 4) We commonly use sunflower oil for ease of use, ox fat used to be more common but thats in blocks and less convenient, more smelly (but subjectively, tastier) 5) Don’t generally leave it unattended. Things fry fast. Once your fryer tells you it is at temp (often with a light) you put the food on. It generally should not take long before the food is ready so don’t walk away. 6) it’s got a handy basket which you can raise above the oil to let the food leak a bit before transfering to your plate, and throwing things into before they hit the oil 7) And with any frying, if you ever have a fire (i never have in 20 years). Dont use water! Unplug and cover it with the lid. Yes it’s not just for not spilling during moving and smells, thats what it’s for. 8) Dont forget to remove ice from frozen food before freezing, it avoids execsive bubbling and spatters Frying is not scary, kids do it here all the time when they do parties.
Another way to reuse oil is the gelatin method described in Serious Eats, as gelatin traps all the particles in the oil and solidifies on the top of the oil as it cools on the fridge. In the next morning just scoop the gelatin with the particles, and when reheating the oil some bubbles trapped in the oil are going to surface and then you’re good to go.
I’ve gone from 275 to 170 myself over 20 years ago and never gained a pound ever since. I totally understand your point. I didn’t know your story until today but, weirdly, I started following you… I guess it’s a home cooking mindset. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I know this article’s a year old, but I’ve been following the new ones 😉. Just discovered this one by digging. Thanks bud
Best tip? Placing the used oil into a daily-use container. Thos allows it to gravitationally clarify any suspended bits that might remain; it also allows for re-use of oil that would otherwise ‘go bad’ en masse with repeated frying use. As a final bonus, it lets you know a general reminder that you’re probably deep-frying too much, if you end up with litres of oil in storage.
WIngs in peanut oil(sometimes used 4 times), double breaded ( 1:2 cornstarch to flour), double fried Maangchi style (lower temp first then quickly at a high temp ), also season the breading( smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper, cumin, salt, pepper). Try it out ! Thanks Ethan for this article!!!
Ethan, I hope that my girlfriend doesn’t read this, but this was perfect timing. I ordered a Made In wok for her, it was one of the last remaining items she was looking to enhance her kitchen. Thanks to your article, I’m looking forward to trying our fried fish, shrimp, and chicken recipes utilizing the techniques you’ve shown in both your frying articles. Thank you, dude. It’ll be a merry Christmas in our bellies. 🎄 PS — I mentioned specifically in the “How did you hear about us?” part of the order that it was your website. They’re having a Black Friday sale which was 25% off my first order.
Thanks for your honesty and thoroughness. I don’t deep fry often but I might do so more now. However, I would like to point out one thing… the numbers flashing on your microwave the whole time! (Ha! Made you look!) Honestly, I’ve noticed it whenever you’re filming in the darker kitchen. Just thought I’d mention it. ^_^
This article definitely needs more likes and views! I think this covers a lot of people’s general (mine included) around frying at home. While I made the jump myself to do so at home, there was so much more in this article that made me think about what’s involved in the overall process than others. So happy for your website growth and the info and knowledge you throw out there. Mad props!
This was very informative. I grew up eating fried foods and I guess that’s why it was never scary for me. But I do appreciate the tips, so I can improve all the more. (And I was really happy to see that peanut oil is the best for performance, sat-fat, and cost. Been using that as my choice for deep-frying and sauteing for many a year!)
I’ve recently gotten into the habit of keeping a bowl of pre-ground falafel mixture in the fridge. Whenever I feel like having a falafel wrap, I can either small batch fry the falafel in a cast iron skillet or bake the falafel in a non-stick pan. Of course, the fried falafel has more calories (along with a better taste and texture), but I’ll make the fried version a touch smaller and load up the wrap with more fillings and a slightly thinner tahini sauce. When I bake the falafel, I always add some crispy fried onions and a thicker tahini to the wrap. The baked falafel wrap with crispy fried onions ends up with slightly less calories, but the wrap with fried falafel is still tastes superior in the end. I guess it just depends on what I feel like doing, they both take roughly the same amount of time but the baked version is way more hands-off.
Excellent, accurate, informative and correct. I Deep fry once or max twice a month for the family and use a Tefal fryer that filters oil after use (once cool enough of course) We are 5 so I have to do 2 batches. 2,5-3KG total (peeled and chipped weight) The trick to English style chips (not thin French fries) is to double cook. As follows. set to 180C, deep fry the 1st batch but turn down to about 140-150C and cook for 12 mins. Remove and keep warm in the oven at 80-100C. Wait for the oil to get up to temp again and do the same for 2nd batch. Because the potatoes cool the oil quickly, the 180 start quickly drops to the point where you need to slower cook at 150 for 12 mins. Remove 2nd lot, mix with 1st leaving to cool longer so both batches are about the same temp. Then cook a 2nd time at 190C for about 4-6 mins removing when golden. Result is thick cut fluffy on the inside crispy on the outside. The oil can be used in my experience about 6 times. Using breaded items or batter greatly reduces that. Finally Ethan is spot on about take away / fast food for 2 reasons – 1 often cheap seed oils are used – they are processed and considerably less healthy. 2 they don’t change or filter the oil enough. So OPTIMALLY cooking with beef tallow from grass fed is the perfect solution for chips but I got here looking for how long tallow can last/be reused. Solid at room temps means I can’t filter like I do with the tefal using peanut oil. Ethan gets everything correct here. The “Bad food” is the one you do to much of and without other oils to break it down.
The last 5 minutes were really important for me for someone who has struggled with weight and self image issues. Often I watch these articles and “wish” to recreate this because “I will do it when im healthy” but a true self reflection of what is considered “healthy” and “not healthy” really gave me insight on my (and I assume lots of people) flawed views on deep frying and food altogether. Can’t appreciate it enough.
Don’t recall if it was this one or the Crunchwrap Supreme article but “boiling pasta for water” made me chuckle 😉. By far my new favorite website, I’ve been trying to find ways to cook “healthier” and improve my relationship with food and a lot of what you’ve posted so far is exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks so much for the content!
One thing you didn’t mention is if you have an extraction hood to make sure that thing is cranked up while you are frying. This makes a huge difference to the smells that can linger in the air. Most of the smells are from evaporated oil settling on surfaces and having extraction over your work station removes this problem completely.
I’m from India and literally I never had any of these problems nor have I ever heard anyone complain about these because we use kadai to deep fry which is very similar to wok. Our kitchens always have a exhaust fan \\ system for smell. We re use the oil for other purposes. Cleaning the kitchen is what I \\ my mom do everytime we are done cooking so it feels weird to watch this article and how simple theses things are and still so many people are unaware of these (example Adam Ragusea) Love your articles keep on doing the amazing work you do.
This is such a great article! I consider myself a pretty confident and proficient home cook but deep frying took me a while to blindly navigate and I still am mostly relying on specific recipes telling me what to do in that very particular scenario, and also being wasteful with my oil afterwards. This is a great one stop shop for end to end process and understanding the whole concept so thank you for putting in the hard yards to produce this!
As to controlling smells, I like to work underneath a vent hood (or very close to one when I’m using a standalone deep fryer that doesn’t sit nicely on the stove). Every fall, we get potatoes from the family farm in Idaho. They make excellent fries. They are a lot better than the potatoes you normally find in the store since they are straight from the ground and haven’t been sitting in some farmer’s potato cellar for over a year.
Hi Ethan, this article is a godsend! I had been cranking up the heat and constantly burning the oil, food and causing smoke to billow throughout the house. Using a thermometer, constantly monitoring the temp before and during cooking, made my food taste 1000% better and made it sooo much easier to correctly brown the breading AND have the chicken come up to temp. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, this article changed the way I cook!!!
I don’t agree on one thing Ethan – “on off” for electric stoves was how I felt about induction cooktops. Maybe the induction cooktop that I’ve used was just low quality, but you could hear it cycling and it was incredibly frustrating to make work right, whereas the ancient electric range in my house (circa 1965) does great for temp control.
This is such a great website. I’ve been perusal for a while now and really appreciate the science backed approach to food. It’s laid out so well with references and intertwined with your own personal experience that many can relate to. And for what it’s worth, nothing can top the brussel sprout salad I discovered here. It’s been my meal prep lunch ever since. No regrets. Keep up the great content Ethan.
The honesty about the willpower over the restaurant sides hits home for me, once I’m down that path it’s very hard to make a good decision wrt ordering a calorie-dense side (and finishing the whole thing). Also second the request for some info about the weight loss journey if you’re comfortable sharing, esp. since your start and end mirror my current and goal.
This is an awesome article. So many great tips. The only qualm I have is that a wok is less stable with the narrower base. Combine that with stacking on top of standalone burner, and safety risks stack up. I’m not suggesting that it makes a wok a less suitable vessel…just that it’s instability is something to be aware and extra careful with
You are definitely right about incorporating fried foods into your diet. For one, I will typically eat only one fried item per meal if I’m frying or ordering take-out. In addition, I’ll steam up some veggies to go along with it so that I’m not missing out on important vitamins and fiber intake. I also won’t eat fried foods for consecutive meals or even days! You can’t count the exact amount of calories you’re consuming in fried foods, but you can definitely ball-park it. For instance, if I decided to go all out and eat a cheat meal with several calorically dense items, I’ll likely settle for veggies and fruits, as in a salad or simple stir-fry/steaming in my other meals throughout the day to ensure I don’t go over- on my daily caloric intake, which varies from adult to adult but there are online calculators for that. If you care about fitness like I do, you’ll learn that it doesn’t matter how many calories you consume in one meal, so long as you don’t go overboard on your whole day (or even week).
This was an amazing article. I deep fried for the first time by myself yesterday and it was nothing short of a disaster. My oil was foaming, everything was splattering, and they came out a bit too dark. I felt discouraged and decided to watch this article. I feel so much more confident. I really believe I’ll continue to try this method at home, it doesn’t feel scary anymore.
I was put off by the price of Made In. My wife, God bless her, reminded me that I’m not getting any younger and could afford it. I got the 10 inch nonstick. Bad news was the lid was extra. Good news was that the lid from my crappy ceramic pan {omg what a waste!} fit like a charm. The pan is amazing. Whatever you say about Made In is an undersell. I’m gonna take my good pans to my cabin and they are GOOD pans and replace the home kit with Made In. Thank you Made In for sponsoring this article
Man that article was great, love the science based (or shoudl I say Kenji based) facts and everyday tips. I´ve been succesfully deep frying at home for some time now. I just have a pot of frying fat in the fridge that i either use completely or partially and just strain back in there, so thats quite easy. Really loved the article, thx Mr Bowski
Such an informative article! Thanks! Now I have to get a wok and try some of your tips. A few years ago I did an experiment to now how much oil was absorb to my chicken and surprisingly it was only a few gramms per nugget. (I weighted the oil before and after frying and the oil was absorb by the paper tovels)
MY COOKING / FRYING TIP……… We have white quartz worktops/counter tops and when cooking anything on the burners it was a nightmare clean up…. So I bought some of those silicone rubbery mats you typically knead bread on or roll dough out on, the ones that are also safe around heat etc (not the silpat ones) and I move anything away from around the cooktop – our items are a toaster and the tea and sugar canisters – then I surround my cooktop with these mats, I even cut a few down to fit smaller spaces around the area that may get splashed, we also have glass at the back of the cooktop and these mats just stick to the glass on contact and don’t come off until I pull them off, I’ve even numbered them from left to right to make each set up easy…… then especially when I’m deep frying anything (or any time I cook now) any splashes go all over these mats, at the end of cooking I throw them all in hot soapy water in the sink and replace my toaster etc, you would never know I’d cooked on there, so easy, it eliminates all the nooks and crannies, I even put them over the glass cutting boards I have down permanently on the work surface, best thing I ever did and these mats aren’t expensive either …..win win 😊…… great article Ethan and website too, I LOVE it…..only found you about 2 weeks ago (April 2024) xx❤xx
If you don’t have a thermometer you can also put in a (very) small piece of what you’re frying into the oil as you’re heating it up. once it starts bubbling it should be alright to start putting in bigger pieces. So with fries you’d put in a small fry or with battered stuff a tiny amount of the batter. It’s not that accurate but it will get you in the right area. It’s how my mum and great-grandmother taught me how to deep fry food and I’ve never even had a close call with stuff bubbling over.
Thanks for demystifying the process with yet anopther brilliant article Ethan. After losing a stack of body fat a few years back and making much healthier choices with diet/cooking I generally avoid deep fried goodness altogether these days and have never even tried at home, however you’ve inspired me. I’ve had a simple recipe on my mind and already cook mostly in a wok so once I get a few new tools there’s nothing to stop this being an occasional treat that’s hopefully healthier than takeaway or eating out.
Really cool article, and I learned some things that might make me give it a try more often. I need to get a proper wok. I only have one remark to offer you and it’s not really a criticism, just something to consider. You mentioned letting the oil cool completely before filtering it into your jar. This is indisputably the safer thing to do and what most people should do. Technically though, the filtering process works better when the oil is still hot. It will go through the filter faster, it will get away from the remnants you’re trying to get it away from sooner, and since I would assume that most people either use a mesh metal filter regardless of whether they’re also using paper towel or cheese cloth (to support them), it will make it easier to clean that. Are all of those things worth potentially burning yourself? Probably not. It’s just food for thought. Your advice is probably still the correct route. The only reason I know this is because I once worked at a restaurant with giant deep fryer and every night we had to filter the oil via use of this machine pump with a big square filter on the end of a hose. If you didn’t use it while the oil was still hot (like, the elements had been turned off for less than 5-10 minutes), it would end up clogging the machine itself up, and you would see both how much more gummy the filter got on the end, and the oil that came out on the other end was more discolored. Like, to the point where if we had put in fresh oil on Monday, and filtered it cool/cold at the end of the night, then on Tuesday filtered it hot, the oil that came out on Tuesday night looked cleaner/fresher than the oil that came out Monday night – and stayed that lighter/cleaner color once it cooled, too.
Hmmm peanut or canola oils, even though they have a higher smoke point, it doesn’t have a higher or stabler decomposing or “oxidation” temperature, which is the most important variable for whether it’s unhealthy or not. The oils with the higher of those would be virgin olive oil or tallow. Adam Ragusa explains this better in his Olive oil and high smoke oils article. Compliment the articles together.
So my problem with the “healthy” issue isn’t that isn’t the calories, rather the type of oil itself and the breading. Most vegetable oils tend to promote inflammations and the breading is just carbs in its simplest most processed form. Would you have any recommendations for HOW to use substitutes properly? For example lard, coconut oils, duck fats, olive oil and perhaps maybe other carb breading that might be less processed and refined?
Great information. Question? When the oil temperature drops initially after placing food in the oil, should you increase heat to bring the oil temperature back to around 350 degrees? because when I checked the oil temperature after placing food, the oil temperature dropped to 250 F and held it at that temperature.
Finally! A cooking show that uses non-stick and understands where it has benefits. Hell might have just chilled a bit. I totally agree with your 3 essential cooking pans. The wok is great for anything high heat, non-stick for day to day general purpose (Is there a reason you don’t use this for tomato based things?), and SS for abuse like things that will for sure need chiseled off or would react with the wok’s steel, but be too hot or harsh for non-stick. Big advice: get the thickest alu pan you can.
One good point to mention is that when deep frying chicken, much of the fat already in the animal skin will get dissolved into the oil, eventually changing its composition, especially after repeating a few times. This changes the oil’s color, smell, and viscousity (which is not a bad thing in itself IMO).
Which method is better, korean style wet batter fried chicken or flour dredge fried chicken? i always dredge with flour+starch my chicken. but little flour particles burn and sink bottom. this precipitate is not small amount. I cant remove all between batches. Next time i will try wet batter. probably wet batter will not participate and burn. at least thats what i think 🙂 so can you make a article about different deep fry technics? and thank you for this article 👍
I only use my frier for potato chips, after 6-7 uses i take some of the “old” oil and make it into a seasoned oil which i then use to make roux paste. For basic plain roux paste i just use the plain oil for simple thickening, to seasoned for a “chinese curry” etc which i then freeze and use as required. All other frying i do in a deep pan, depending on what i fry and filter with a coffee filter getting 3-4 uses for pork schnitzel and fried chicken being the most common and the oil is disposed of.
Though I haven’t used it in over a year due to a lack of space since moving, I have a large Waring deep fryer that also includes a rotisserie for “dip frying” larger items, like a turkey. Therefore, I’d like to thank you for your comment about frying outside. This might be doable in my current situation. As to filtering the oil, I do so while it’s still around 100-150F. However, I run it not just through a strainer, but also through a large coffee filter. (I prefer cone style, but I have a metric CRAP-TON of the large kind restaurants use for their tea machines).
I’ve never used a thermometer for frying. I just am used to my stove and know what to look for visually, but having one can make the learning curve faster in the beginning. I never really messed up any fried food though either – I just wasn’t perfect out the gate. I find it harder to determine the amount of oil needed for baking something so it’s crispy because my baking sheets are so old and dirty I top them with aluminum foil LOL.
For me… I bought a good electric fryer; I go outside on the deck and we’ll have a big fish fry. Getting everything ready and set up and up to temp takes time. Make it worthwhile. Fry up a couple bags of crappie or pike and share what you’ve caught with friends and family. Make it fun. If you get past the setup and cleanup (my fryer drains the oil after it’s cooled into a reservoir to re-use later) the actual cooking is easy and fun. Which reminds me… it’s time for a fish fry next weekend.
My reason for avoiding deep frying wasn’t mentioned. I love deep frying, but I know that some of the oil will evaporate and then collect on surfaces in the house, especially the kitchen. I once rented a place where the entire kitchen was coated in a film of oil from the previous tenants. I remembered my high school science teacher’s lesson of “like dissolves like” and poured fresh cooking oil onto paper towels to cut through the film. Then, while it was still wet used soap and water to wash off the area I had just scrubbed with fresh oil. Counters, cabinets, walls, etc. The technique worked great, but it was still a lot of messy work. I do deep fry once in a rare while, but remembering how much effort it was to clean that kitchen keeps me from doing it more often. (Tip 8 is kind of close to it, but not quite. And opening a window every time I cook isn’t a great option in Wisconsin about 6 months out of the year.)
Not only is discarding frying oil after a single use expensive, it’s also a missed opportunity to deep-fry up some amazing food. Frying oil (or what I like to call the frying medium) usually takes two to three uses to become broken down enough to produce an ideal crispness, as well as faster browning and more flavor. 300 F might be great for frying donuts, but I have found a drop-temp between 340 and 350 F to be the sweet spot; the reason being you can drop a fair amount of battered or breaded protein into your deep fryer and allow for a 15 to 20 F drop in the oil temp, which afterward should remain at a comfortable 325 F. I prefer an old-school submersible oil thermometer to the digital probe ones for the simple reason you get a constant live reading of what your frying medium is doing. A clip-on submersible hot oil thermometer or candy thermometer work great for this purpose and will cost between $5 and $12. Much better than shelling out $150 to $200. I use a heavy iron wok for frying up fries, homemade chicken fingers, breaded shrimp, frozen chicken burgers, and battered fish. For fried chicken I use a dutch oven or a pressure cooker. The dutch oven is great for preventing wild oil temperature fluctuations and the pressure cooker is great for a high volume of pieces but it can be difficult to get the time and temperature parameters to an ideal combination. I have pan-fried chicken as well but it does get messy and the chicken doesn’t get a chance to float, sometimes resulting in a burnt appearance if not turned enough during the frying process.
Hey Ethan, great article! What counts as a “use” here when you say, for example, 3-4 uses for fried chicken. Does that mean the same oil can only be used for 3-4 batches of fried chicken? Edit: One tip about being clean while frying: Helps to fry (or cooking anything involving oil, really) over a fan. It helps gets rid of heat, odor, and evaporated oil.
As far as oil itself is conserned, peanut oil is a great choice, but make sure it is expeller pressed. The same goes for Canola oil, just make sure is expeller pressed. Also, that when it comes to soy bean oil, again, just make sure that it is expeller pressed. Otherwise, make sure you’re using avacado oil.
I have the javelin, but I need to get Thermopen since I do so much cooking and grilling. I have a wok I like, but I might check out Made In. I kind of want to get an outside fryer. I like the results of frying with gas. I typically like to go left to right as well, but right now my Deep fryer is in a corner. I guess I could still put the rack to the right. I have one of those big gallon water jugs I put on grease in. We used to do fish everyone other Friday and have family over. We often used one of those big fryers people do Turkey in. I won’t lie and say I only eat it at home, but I try my best to cut it back to once a month at home or at a restaurant. There are just a couple places where I feel like their chicken I haven’t replicated well enough at home. Fried chicken is the only food I feel that way
Actually my electric stove was really good at delivering a consitent temperature once I had it dialed in, which took me maybe one or two batches, maybe I was lucky, idk. Also, on the note of thermometers, I have used one for oven roasting with an alarm that sounds when a certain temperature is reached. Because once the water is evaporated and the food is heated through, the temperature of the oil starts to climb where before it was stable. If you do that in the right temperature range, you should be fine, yet keep an eye on it and try at your own risk. I was making small spring rolls.
Many restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses that cook, have a large dark blue or black painted steel oil recycling dumpster vessel in the back of the parking lot, where you can open the lid and pour your container of spent oxidize foul frying oil so that it can be turned into biodiesel to help reduce petroleum use and emissions, thus making the world a better place.
I have 2 different deep fryers from Goodwill, actually. They were very inexpensive, and they work. I love using actual deep fryers, as it’s really clean and safe. The safe factor is great for when my husband and I have kids. I would not feel comfortable frying with a larger, open pan with young children. I usually just make fries occasionally, but sometimes I also make fried chicken or shrimp, so it’s great having two of them.
I remember once coming home from a long overnight train trip during which I hadn’t slept at all. I was hungry and absolutely EXHAUSTED, but when I came home (I was living with my grandparents) we were having guests over. At around 8 or 9 in the morning. I was fucking hungry and exhausted, and my grandparents were busy so I changed into my pajamas that I didn’t even bother to close up so my gut and chest were exposed then just picked up a frozen sausage from the freezer, heated some oil and tossed it in. It splattered like fuck but I was so tired and hungry that the searing-hot droplets landing on my chest weren’t registering, I was just dopely standing there, spatula in hand kind of pushing the two halves of the sausage so they would cook faster and more evenly. I then ate and went for a well-deserved sleep. I was fine afterwards, if there were at-best 1st degree burns they had healed in the, like, 4 hours of sleep I had.
Hi, Ethan. I agree about using a wok. I have a small round-bottomed Japanese wok that works wonders on my gas stove, however, I did have to purchase a wok ring for stability. Woks heat up and cool down so quickly that it makes temperature control so much easier. I actually find it less messy than a safety fryer.
Thanks for talking about the oil disposal situation… My family never fried food at home (we onced moved into an apartment where the previous renters must have fried a lot of fish… so you know the SMELLY thing was a pretty big deal to my mom), and I didn’t know how to deal with the oil thing cause NO ONE EVER TALKS about it on the Cooking website, Food Network or my other FoodTubers. So, seriously, THANK YOU!. Now I know, and as G.I. Joe used to say, “knowing is half the battle!” P.S. Just had your Jollof Rice and Garlicky Chicken Thighs. Damn you for being absolutely right about the addictive nature of that stuff! SO GOOOD!!! 🙂
Love your articles! Each one is so perfectly well thought out, researched, comprehensive, and to the point. With that said, I am a bit of a deep fryer junkie when it comes to a few different foods like french fries, schnitzel, fried chicken cutlets, onion rings, corn dogs, etc. So a few years back I decided to just take my electric deep fryer outside onto our patio and that decision completely put to an end any problems with kitchen odours, grease film buildup, etc. Furthermore, the upside is my neighbours always comment how much they love the wafting odour of whatever I am cooking. L O L! Keep your articles coming! I have yet to watch one that I did not thoroughly enjoy and learn from. In the meantime, I am going to pull out my deep fryer tomorrow morning and deep fry some bacon, which I will serve to myself with a couple of deep fried eggs and an angioplasty.
Ethan, I do love your articles. Thank you! But, in this article I must disagree with your choice of a wok for deep fat frying. Because of it’s small bottom and high and wide sides, I consider it less stable when cooking with deep hot fat. The one you are using is very nice, I agree, and appears more stable than most (wider bottom). Less expensive woks would be found in most kitchens. Those of us with young children or grandchildren need to be very wary when cooking with large quantities of hot oil, because accidents do happen. Adults without children wouldn’t need to be as concerned.
16:30 Got confused. Now deep frying only in the dark and in a vacuum chamber. Not much I can do about the heat but at least I’ve minimised my expendature on oil losses. Unfortunately I couldn’t see what I was doing and now have 3rd degree burns and damaged lungs from the vacuum too, but my fries tasted good.
Nice advice on frying!!! This makes the second article of yours that I’ve seen (The first being toasting vs not toasting spices), and I learned several things off of both! Thank You! I also had to do a double take about half way into this article. At about 11:46 you made a gesture with your hands that I first questioned out loud, and then I laughed. Hard. I thought it was really funny, mainly, because I asked myself out loud if I saw that happen. Just be careful in the future, cause some over sensitive jerk might get offended. FYI that’s all. So, thank you for the excellent info and for making me laugh!!! Now I’m gonna check out some of your other articles.
Ethan, this was incredibly thorough and informative. I’m glad I stumbled onto it. I reuse my corn oil (soon to be changed to peanut oil) 4 or 5 times when frying potatoes or chicken. I keep a separate container of corn oil that has had fish fried in it. After 3 or 4 fries, I get rid of it and use the chicken and potato oil for the next batch of fish, maybe adding some fresh oil if I need the volume. I strain my oil through a permanent brass mesh coffee filter inside a funnel. I find that it flows better if I pour it while it is about 150 degrees F. I always keep both oil containers in the door of my fridge, just to be safe. You have me thinking that that may be unnecessary. I’ve also found that if I gather up all the paper towels that I used for cleanup and put them in the trash can outside the house, the smells dissipate from the kitchen much faster.
An easy way to recycle your cooking oil: you probably have a restaurant in your neighborhood (not a big chain) that you go to enough to be a regular, and that fries stuff. Just ask nicely if they’re willing to add your little container of used fry oil to the bin that the grease recycling company will come and pick up. The restaurant gets paid money by the grease recycling company for the amount of oil, so they shouldn’t mind.
Something that I’ve started to do with potatoes is throwing them in an air fryer for a bit at low temp (170°F). This dries out the outside of the potatoes a bit and makes for a crispier fry. I wonder if you could do something similar with chicken to control the moisture. FWIW, the low temp air fry to make a twice cooked French fry is kind of a game changer. I coat it, dip it, etc between the first and second air frying. Honestly, they’re the best fries I ever had.
Calories aren’t the reason it’s unhealthy. Good fats (Some plant fats, most animal fats) are a healthy source of calories as long as not paired with excessive carbs. It’s primarily because of unhealthy plant oils (seed oils). Heck I’m slim and drink a pint of half and half every day at work. However I also don’t eat breakfast and the half and half is my lunch.
An excellent article. At the end you ask what our favourite tip was. I actually already do nearly all the things you cover but the one tip that I will take away is about clearing all the stuff away. Beside my stovetop is a tray filled with oil, a salt pig, balsamic vinegar, my mortar & pestle, etc. Because I do clean like crazy right after deep frying, I must admit I don’t always think to clean every single one of those items. So from now on, I’ll simply move that tray over to another counter until I’m finished. Thanks for such a great article.
Fried foods won’t kill you or send you to an early grave. The key to food choices is moderation. You can have it once in a while in small portions and along with an otherwise healthy diet is sustainable. If you always deny yourself the good things then you will break your diet and have a more difficult time eating healthy.
first time perusal your articles. I’m impressed. Intelligent, concise, just what I look for. Here’s my question. How, did you lose 90 pounds. I’m struggling to get 17 to 20. Believe me when I say I am eating more veggies, and that works. But perhaps you can impart a secret which will bring it home. Thanks for a great instruction on fried foods.
Frying in oil is unhealthy – but not for calorific density as you’re stating. Calorific intake has little to do with health despite all the advice from health bodies and governments. The “unhealthy” aspect of frying is ingesting poly-unsaturated oil – seed oils. If frying with lard, tallow, ghee or avocado oil then there is no health impact other than a positive one. Please have a read of the Nina Teischolz book “Big Fat Surprise” for full references. Gary Taubes gives an excellent description of why your emphasis on calorific density is incorrect in his book Good Calories, bad calories. The fat burn equation our bodies use to metabolise food shows clearly that the more “good” fats we ingest (that is mono-unsaturated and saturates), the happier, healthier and more energetic we will be. There is a TEDs talk on this describing how out bodies metabolise fat.
Hello Ethan, good article and good standpoint on deep-frying things. I like to deep-fry, but I just do it like once in a week, sometimes twice, but that’s it. This is my way of feeling not eating too much unhealthy food. As always, the amount of bad food matters. If I’d eat deep-fried food every day, it’s obviously not healthy. Or I deep-fry some veggies, what’s like running into opposite directions, but also an option (at least for me). Cheers and keep creating!
with my deep fried chicken sandwich, I throw in some fries that will also be deep fried, and, I feel great doing it, this weekend, I did it back to back both nights . I might die tomorrow, I am not going to cry about some deep fried food as I eat in a very small eating window, I don’t slam cupcakes all day with sodas and all that other junk, I cook at home, I eat what i like . I also just toss my oil in the garbage, the products for grease disposal are just a money grab .
This was really nice. I loved the explanations, rules, demonstrations, and clear communication. I for one have only ever done shallow pan frying at home and avoided deep frying for several of the reasons you mentioned, esp. the health aspect. I chose this article because I was curious (I love to cook), but I didn’t expect to be converted! Now I am excited to try frying chicken, fish, and potatoes. And I’m getting my first wok. Thank you, it was very kind of you to share so much. FYI, another FANTASTIC oil to cook with is clarified butter (smoking point is 450degF). Congratulations on your improved health!!
Hi Ethan, I think it would be very interesting to look at precooked foods, which are used then in the deep fryer. I am thinking of Sous Vide food, but also e.g. Filipino and West African chicken (and other cuts) are usually pre-boiled and then fried. How should I fry different? I like to have it crispy – but the time of frying has to be far shorter, as it is already cooked. Should the batter / breading be different? What about the temperature?
Also, to my knowledge, good deep frying at home (ajusted temperature, not overcrowding and well submerged) is much healthier than what they serve in fast food chains (where they tipically reused oil a bunch and overcrowd food). Thanks for all the frying recipes, i specially love the beer battered fish
Great article, thank you so much for the detailed educational points that will allow me to make great food without too much time spent revisiting recipes. Plug and play! And I especially appreciated your philosophy of health, nutrition and enjoyment within a whole life, and not as some status marker. Love to see it!
Quick tips…. If you don’t have a dedicated deep fryer use a very deep cast iron pot. Oil level should be ½ to ⅔ full to avoid large splatter. Frying frozen product stay closer to ½ full of oil and use less product so that oil level doesn’t go above ⅔ level. Yes woks are ok but remember that the more dense/colder the product the quicker the oil cools. It is very important to keep oil above 300° F and below 400° F to keep product from being greasy or soggy. Cast iron retains more heat than any other metals used for cooking. If you deep fry a couple times a week use animal fats around 325-350° and keep floating debris skimmed while cooking. Also filter oil while it is hot so that it filters easily. Also use a filtering agent (like magnasol) which binds smaller particles together so they are caught in the filter. Plus the protein makes a difference. Fry veggies first and meats afterwards. Frying seafood or fresh water protein you should not reuse for veggies (fries) because of flavor transfer plus they sour quicker. If you use anything besides animal fat stick to peanut oil as long as no one is allergic to peanuts. It has a high burn temperature and low flavor transfer. Also peanut oil won’t go rancid as quickly as animal fats. Last frying tip is to use a mesh rack above drip trip. If possible place rack in a gas oven at 200° if you are cooking large amounts of different items. A gas oven keeps moisture low (gas ovens use oxygen and less oxygen which also reduces the moisture more than electric ovens) and the mesh allows oil to drip off the food and air to circulate.
Funny how you didn’t mention the OIL TYPES at all when talking about health… Deep frying seems sketchy to me in terms of health, not because of higher caloric density (because heaven forbid we should eat anything fatty), but mostly because in order to have a high smoke point at an affordable price for a ton of oil, you have to process the hell out of these super cheap generic “vegetable” oils for deep frying. They may have a high smoke point, but these sensitive fatty acid oils react with oxygen and hydrogen when cooking to create what’s called “reactive oxygen species” (especially when reused over and over) which contributes to insulin resistance and inflammation, possibly on a similar level to refined sugar. I hate it when the health food type cooking websites (not necessarily saying that’s you😜) act all sciencey while avoiding fats we’ve been cooking with since we discovered fire, just to default to this ultra processed crap. That said, if you’re just deep frying occasionally, try something less reactive but with a high smoke point such as Ghee (expensive I know, but bare with me), and like you said, just filter it after you’re done so that you can use it for general purpose cooking afterward; As far as the reactivity issue is concerned one reuse should be fair enough. That said, I can also understand buying cheap crap oil just for very occasional use, and throwing it away after, though I consider that wasteful and putting money in the pockets of people producing bad oils.
Speaking on behalf of the home cooks who put flavor, authenticity, & overall eating experience at the top of the priority list, the word “healthy” even being GRAZED upon in a article about deep-frying is bit paradoxical. I’m looking for a website that leaves “healthy” at the coatcheck. (It also comes off more as condescending than any genuine concern.) 🤔🤷♂️ I’m still tryna figure which this website is. Onward!
I pretty much exclusively eat my own “deep fried” food at home, instead of eating out… ALTHOUGH… I do check out Popeye’s & chic Fil a… occasionally once in a blue moon. I can’t replicate popeye’s new fries at home.. Anyways.. what I was getting at is, oil content. I use peanut oil pretty much exclusively, except that 1 time.. I splurged & bought cold pressed macadamia nut oil from Aloha oils, in Hawaii.. b/c it was supposedly super healthy & made deep fried foods taste great. (I don’t know how true that is, I used it, it worked great, high smoke point.. ) can’t say it was a huge difference from 100% peanut oil. Where I was going before my tangent was.. My own deep fried food, has always been light & fluffy.. & not really oily at all vs food I’ve paid for. The only time I’ve had food get saturated with oil, is when I over loaded the oil with too much stuff, OR…. my breading wasn’t good enough, so I had a “leak” in the side of it… then I suffered. Or if the oil wasn’t up to proper temp. That’s another. Also I have a dedicated deep fryer… I push the use of my oil hardcore, b/c I do deep fry like EVERYDAY, but its normally a potato product, anyways, peanut oil is expensive. Also I can tell the difference in taste between fresh & more used deep fry oil. Noticeable drop in taste quality. TL:DR good article. *Side note: I’ve been looking for a great deep fryer on the market, that filters the oil for you… & has a digital temp gauge on it, & I’ve not found jack didly squat.
Ok first, lets address the elephant in the room sir… your mustache is glorious! Second, mind if I ask how you went from 240lb to 160lb?? That’s an impressive and significant amount of weight to shed! Oh, and well done on the deep frying tips! Almost half of our prepared meals have something we’ve used our deep fryer for.
Kudos on getting a grip on your excess weight at a younger age. We have a looming health crisis that will make 2020-2021 look tame in retrospect. Observe younger adults at any beach & many restaurants, fatty & cheaper foods in particular, & the problem is obvious. Set your current weight as your limit, weigh regularly & at perhaps 3 pounds over your limit, ramp up hard calorie limit & exercise until back at your weight. Good luck & great health to you!…..Thanks also for the tips. I have a wok stand & LP burner on my patio “kitchen” & don’t have the grease issues. Seasoned carbon steel & instant heat regulation are requisite for my frequent stir frying. Several dishes require deep frying & it’s perfect. Per your examples, I’m gonna try a few other ideas. We pretty much stopped all but pan frying (2-3 tablespoons of oil) about 40 years ago. At almost 70, I just plan to be more selective now!
I purchased a 3.5 quart deep fryer $45 Amazon. Its DESIGNED to deep fry, has a dial for the temp! It has a lid to cover it during frying. It stays out in the garage. Which is my frying area….easier to maintain out their, less cleanup etc. Next to my metal lathe/welders. I use Only Lard, small buckets from the grocery store, $7ish each bucket, takes bout 3 or so, I also purchashed some extra buckets for standby. NEVER let your oils get burned….Dont cook your food to the burning stage!!! AND never over temp your oils!!!! Keep oil “Skimmed ” clean each time you use it. Keep moisture out of your oil, let moisture boil off!! Moisture is evil. Carefully filter your oil after its cooled down every so often . I filter mine about every 1 hour of frying roughly.Use some papertowels and a strainer, it will work fine. Oil once used will not be crystal clear any more and thats ok! You will start to notice the oil flavor change after so many uses, then change oil! Used fry oil will keep a LONG time if properly cared for….AND you can use some of the still good fry oil for your frying pan cooked foods as you replace with fresh lard in your fryer. Lard aint bad stuff! Please do some investigating into the oils you use! Maybe dont deepfry every meal either!! Use common sense regularly in your life!!
To avoid getting the splatter, odor and oil sticking to kitchen walls, I open the kitchen door to the outside and use a small collapsible table. I set my deep fryer on the table and use an extension cord to connect it to the power outlet in the kitchen. So my fryer is outside and the steamy oil goes outside my home. I can move my food from kitchen to fryer and from fryer to kitchen.
I believe you missed one important thing. When people say it’s dangerous they are afraid of boil over, not just splatters. Meaning, the bubbles overflow the pan and oil spills out, touching the flames beneath and igniting, setting the whole thing on fire. One important tip would be DO NOT TRHOW WET THINGS INTO THE OIL. Meaning, either dry the surface with a paper towel or remove the ice from frozen food before tossing it in.
I mean getting a deep fried appance sovles all these issues as it’s self contained and makes frying just like like baking like ovens are degous too you know. But as for the unhealthy thing… eat less get more caloeres not hard I eat 1000 calores a day or less and the only way I can even get that much is with deep frying and red meet… becuase it is dense… If you think cals are unheathy you should drink only water then and even then that is adictive.
Depending on where you live, throwing your oil in the trash is illegal; knowing France’s fairly environmental and recycling laws, it probably is. But then so is jaywalking and literally everyone does that, too. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ You can probably take your used oil to a garage to include with their oil recycling. Another reason your place will smell of fried food is that as the water evaporates from food it carries vapourized oil with it, and the oil itself also vapourizes on its own accord. This vapour will coat everything. Always run your exhaust hood on high when deep frying, or better yet, do it outside. I just discovered you website and you’ve got some great thoughts on cooking, and even as a former professional cook I’ve learned a few things.
After perusal this, I switched to peanut oil. Holy shit does it make a difference. Tested it with some frozen fries the same way I would using past oils (sunflower, canola, vegetable). Boom, a million times crunchier. It’s barely on the shelves where I live (Australia) except in small bottles for stir-frying, so I’d never heard of it for deep-frying before.
Great thoughts on eating deep fried food healthy. You are so right about eating out vs in home. I actually much prefer a balanced meal anyway, not grease paired with greasy starch paired with more starch. At home, I balance away some of the grease, not for health reasons, but because it makes for a better meal experience. I’d rather not walk away from eating groaning about my stomach. Something cool and refreshing is nice to lower that heavy grease. I think that lack of balance is part of why so many people feel ill after eating fast food. (Well, that and ultra cheap tvp filler that doesn’t digest well…) If fast food places were to make the burger and fries 1/3 smaller each and then pair them with something crisp & refreshing, maybe a salad with a lemon glaze dressing, then they wouldn’t be so groan.
I have been waiting 2+ years for the price of real avocado oil to go down and I just filled my deep fryer with 50.00 worth of avocado oil and WOW!!!, I did wings last night and they were the lightest most crisp and best tasting wings I have ever had. Next is fish and chips in avocado oil, can’t wait. My stomach loved me for it,none of that heavy oil feeling. Felt like a healthy deep fry for sure.
I bought 30 lbs of beef tallow trimmings from my meat dept for 15 buck. Made over 3 gallons of tallow. I did it in my oven but lots of articles how to do it in a slow cooker. Lard is just as easy and probably less expensive. Using a good heart healthy fat like lard or tallow should not be a deterant. Peanut oil is probably one of the most toxic and moldy junk you can use. If you think seed(vegetable) oils are healthy check out the vide Prof. Timothy Noakes The Cholesterol Hypothesis for the actual research and you can draw your own conclusions. Btw. If you cook your bacon in the oven you’ll soon have more bacon grease than you need. Perfect for saving to fry.
Got a wok as a wedding gift, came as a kit with a wood spoon and some other stuff.🤗🤩 Was going to deep fry chicken so set it up on our propane BBQ side burner in the backyard for the splatter and mess frying can do. Turned on the burner added the oil and went in to get the chicken. When I returned to the wok I noticed a black puddle had formed at the bottom of the wok and separate from the oil.🧐 Kinda’ looked like motor oil in with the frying oil resting at the bottom.🤔 …..Guess What It Was!:hand-orange-covering-eyes: The oil got so hot it melted the black nonstick the wok had on it. A clear line was created where the frying oil was and above the frying oil line the nonstick was still on the wok. It Seemed To Be a Nice Wok But, What a POS wok some companies make!😕🤡💩
The best tip for me is to not over crowd. Don’t need a thermometer, I just drop a tiny bit of batter in and see what happens. And yes, I agree with the salt. Seems to aid in the crisping if you do it straight away. Healthy? meh. I’ve been eating fried food my whole life, maybe 2 or 3 times a week and I’m not over weight. Cholesterol checks came back great last I checked. I do keep averagely active. No gym or anything, I just try to walk as much as I can. I love me some fat and carbs! I like switch between battered and crumbed. Yum!
The “one size fits all” approach to healthy living has been a disaster. People are the same in many ways but they’re different in many ways as well. In the sixties and seventies when I was growing up everyone ate very calorie rich diets. And few people were obese. Two things changed… the vast majority of us now live sedentary lives, and the government and other organizations started telling everyone how to live. They were wrong on countless topics. People can be wrong on their own without help from anybody. Let people know the current data and let them make their own decisions. Here’s one example: Salt is dangerous… if you have high blood pressure. Humans crave salt. If we didn’t we wouldn’t be here. Mess with human cravings at our peril. The government and other organizations pressured food makers to decrease the amount of salt in everything. Unintended consequences! A person in the past would eat a small bag of potato chips and that would satisfy their craving and make them content. Now? That same person eats three bags. And they don’t have high blood pressure. Some people crave control over others more than we all crave fat, salt, meat and sugar. Tell them to fuck off.