The key to good deep-frying is the temperature of the oil
At the ideal oil temperature, when we place a potato, chicken, or shrimp in the pan, bubbles will form and the water vapor on the surface of the food will immediately turn into water vapor and spill out onto the surface.
Although it sounds counterintuitive to the average person, deep-frying is actually a form of dry-heat cooking, where the water vapor runs out of the food, leaving behind tiny crevices that are replaced by tiny amounts of fat.
And during the frying process, when you fry starchy foods or wrap non-starchy foods in a starch batter, the outermost layer of starch is dried out, so the food becomes airy and crispy, and a lot of the oils and fats are attached to this newly formed skin.
In this case, if the temperature of the oil is too low
The water on the top of the food does not turn into vapor during the frying process, and if the food does not absorb enough hot oil before forming a crispy skin, it will not be able to stop the loss of water from frying the food to the outer layer, which will make the food end up being soft and mushy.
In addition, if you put a lot of food into the pot at once, the temperature of the oil will drop instantly, turning the food into a pile of soft, mushy fried food, which is why we usually have to fry food in batches.
High oil temperature also affects the flavor of fried food
When the oil temperature exceeds 200℃, the inner part of the food is not yet cooked, but the outer part of the food may be burnt, and even if the inner part of the food is cooked, the high temperature of the oil will cause too much water to be lost, which will make the food very hard.
Not only does a crispy exterior add flavor to the food, but perfect cooking technique keeps the fried food from tasting too greasy. The temperature of the oil is really only one of the reasons why the fried food tastes greasy!
The temperature of the oil should be between 162°C and 190°C when frying.
To find out the ideal temperature for french fries, we conducted the following experiment:
Cut browned potatoes into vertical strips
of 1 inch thick.
To find the ideal temperature for french fries, we conducted the following experiments:
We cut brown potatoes into inch-thick vertical strips
We deep-fried them in batches at 135°C, 162°C, and 204°C
We found that:
●? After only a few minutes in the hot oil, the 204°C fries were already burning.
●? And at this time, the fries fried at 135℃ oil temperature are still off-white in color even though they have been in the pot for 10 minutes. As for the fries fried at 162℃ oil temperature, they are in between.
●? Aside from the exterior, the real difference was inside the fries. We let all three sets of fries cool for 1 minute before cutting them in half from the center:
The fries fried at 162°C were still perfect, with a fluffy-looking center and a hard, crispy crust surrounding the freshly fried potato;
The fries fried at 135°C were moist from start to finish, including a very soggy and soft crust;
The fries fried in the hot fryer at 204°C had the same appearance;
The fries fried in the hot fryer at 204°C had the same appearance. Fries from the fryer, on the other hand, had a ring of overheated skin, but the potato in the center was completely raw.
Raw materials:
Preparation:
●? Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl and rinse under running cold water until the water becomes clear, then cover the potatoes with cold water and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, up to 12 hours.
●? Pour off the water and lay the potatoes flat on kitchen paper towels to absorb the water completely, then place them in a large bowl and drizzle the cornstarch over them until the outer layer of potatoes is evenly coated. Transfer the potatoes to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and let stand for about 20 minutes, until a white crust forms.
●? Meanwhile, heat peanut oil and bacon grease in a Dutch oven over medium heat to 162°C.
●? Place a rack in a rimmed baking sheet, line the baking sheet with three layers of kitchen paper towels, and set aside for a few moments to pick up the fries and absorb the grease.
●? Place half the potatoes in the hot oil, a handful at a time, turn the heat up to high and start frying, stirring with a mesh spoon for about four or five minutes, until the potatoes turn from white to yellow. The temperature of the oil will drop by about 25°C during the frying process.
●? Lift the potatoes with a ladle and place them on the prepared wire rack. Heat the oil back up to 162°C. Repeat with the remaining fries and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
●? Increase the heat on the Dutch pot for a second frying session, heating the oil to 176°C. Rack number two in a second rimmed baking sheet and line the sheet with three layers of kitchen paper towels. Place half the potatoes in the hot oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes, a handful at a time, until golden brown in color and fluffy.
●? And place the fries on a prepared baking sheet aside to absorb the oil. Heat the oil in the pan back up to 176°C and repeat the process to finish frying the remaining potatoes.
●? Drizzle the fries with salt and serve.
Key to preparation
●? Use fresh brown skinned potatoes.
●? Wash well. These potatoes are rich in starch and it is important to wash the surface before cutting into vertical strips for frying.
●? Hot potatoes, cold potatoes. Soak the potatoes in a bowl of cold water and leave them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This step means that the potatoes are near frozen when they first go into the frying pan, which allows them to cook slowly, with a crispier outer skin and a more beautiful colorful appearance.
●? Fry twice and they must rest between fryings.
●? Use a ladle that will not pick up hot oil, water or soup.