10 TIPS FOR FRYING - KITCHEN

10 secrets for frying like a true chef!

Knowing how to fry is an art. Perfect frying must be tasty, light, digestible and must not cover the flavor of the food.

Not easy, right?

To help you fry in the right way, thus amazing your diners, follow these 10 tips: the result will be worthy of the most starred chefs and your guests will also lick their fingers!

1- Oil, butter, margarine or lard?

The function of the fat that is chosen for frying is to create the typical golden crust. But which one to choose? The fundamental criterion in the choice is the smoke point, that is the temperature at which it begins to release a toxic substance called acrolein.

The best fats for a perfect fried food are extra virgin olive oil, followed by lard (which, however, transfers the fats into food and is therefore heavier), because they have a very high smoke point, between 180 ° C and 210 ° C. Butter and margarine, on the other hand, are to be preferred in the case of light browning (such as for scallops) because they reach the smoke point at low temperatures, around 130 ° C.

2- No to crowded

Do not stack the foods to be fried all together in a pan, because frying requires space and the level of fat used must not completely exceed the foods, but must reach about half of them.

3- Moderate fire

To heat the fat, the fire must not be too high, it must instead be raised and made lively when the food is inserted in order to compensate for the consequent lowering of the temperature.

4- The highlight

The moment in which the food is placed in the pan is very important. How to understand when is the right time? Drop a drop of batter and if it starts to sizzle then here we go! You can also use a toothpick to achieve the same result.

5- Don't skimp

Do not think that by putting less fat the fried food will be lighter, on the contrary it will take longer and therefore the food will absorb more of it.

6- Choose the right pan

To get a perfect fried you need to either use a high-level fryer or opt for an iron pan with high sides.

7- Drain

Once cooked, the pieces must be collected with a slotted spoon and placed on several layers of absorbent kitchen paper, so that they "dry from the fat still retained.

8- Cheeses & co

To fry a food that melts (such as cheese) you can do a double breading: first flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, then again egg and finally breadcrumbs; this creates a barrier that is difficult to break during cooking.

9- Salt and sugar

Salt (for chips, vegetables, fish or meat) and sugar (for pancakes, for example) should only be added at the end of cooking, not in the batter.

10- Do not recycle

Even if you are tempted, do not store the fat used thinking you can use it again: repeated recycling develops toxic substances and alters the taste of food.