I try to be honest, so I’m not going to try to convince you that frying is actually good for you. It’s not. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I can continue in defense of the crispy, succulent goodness that good frying is all about (we’ll talk about healthy eating next week, ok?).
We have all been traumatized by badly fried food: the oil is oozing, the crust is soggy. It’s an unappetizing mess and downright bad for you. If done correctly, however, frying is not as unhealthy as one might think. In fact, a good fry does not actually cause the food to absorb that much oil at all. Because I hear you squirming in your seat, let’s start off slow and talk about pan-frying (I’ll leave deep-frying for another time!).
When pan-frying, the food is semi-submerged in hot oil in a pan on the stove top and flipped halfway through cooking. Foods that benefit from this method would include naturally tender cuts of poultry or veal, delicate fish fillets, and vegetables.
Free yourself of your frying fears! Follow these tips for perfectly crisp-on-the-outside, moist and tender on-the-inside results that cook lightning fast!
- Choose your cooking oil carefully. You want one with a high ‘smoke point’: in other words, one which won’t break down at high frying temperatures. Peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil and canola oil are some good choices (olive oil is not because it has a low burning point).
- Choose a deep, heavy pan for frying. Leaving a headspace (space at the top of the pan) of at least one to two inches allows for a safety margin when the oil bubbles up as the food is added. A good heavy pan with a thick bottom will also conduct heat better, saving you from unevenly cooked, burnt food.
- Make sure that the food you are going to fry is dry. Oil and water do not mix, especially at such high temperatures and burns from splattering oil are not fun.
- The best temperature for frying is 350-375 degrees F. When deep-frying, the best way to make sure you’ve got it right is with a fry thermometer; but with pan-frying, the shallow depth of oil in the pan may preclude this. You can tell that oil is ready when a 1″ cube of white bread dropped into the oil sizzles upon contact and browns in 60 seconds.
- The food should be less than an inch thick (thin cutlets work best). If too thick, the surface of the food will burn before the center is cooked. The oil should be no more than half as high as the food so that the same area is not fried twice when you flip it.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan! Carefully add the food, leaving lots of space around each piece so the food will cook evenly. If you add too much food at once, the oil temperature will drop and the food will absorb fat.
- Watch the food carefully as it cooks, regulating the heat if necessary to keep the oil temperature steady. When the food is evenly golden-browned on both sides, it’s done. Remove it with a slotted spoon with a long handle. Drop it onto paper towels in a single layer to drain.
- Don’t reuse the cooking oil after it cools. Some sources say you can strain it and reuse it, but the oil has already begun to break down from the heat, and undesirable compounds have formed. Let the oil cool completely, and then discard safely. I pour it in a jar and throw it in the garbage. Don’t pour it down the drain!
The following recipe is a very flavorful, Indian twist on classic fried chicken cutlets. Eaten hot and right out of the pan, there is nothing like it…and your kids will ask for more!
MURGI CHICKEN
This recipe can easily be doubled. Cut chicken into smaller strips and make the best chicken fingers ever!
1 medium onion, quartered
2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cutlets)
¼ cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cornflake crumbs
peanut or corn oil
1) Process the onion, ginger, garlic, and spices in a food processor until pureed.
2) Tenderize chicken breasts until they have an even thin thickness.
3) Marinate chicken breasts in the onion mixture for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.
4) Prepare 3 bowls – one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with cornflake crumbs.
5) Dip the chicken in flour, then egg and then Cornflake crumbs. Place on a plate until frying time.
6) Heat oil in a large skillet until very hot (drop of water sizzles upon contact).
7) Fry cutlets on both sides, about 5 minutes per side or until breading is golden brown.
8) Transfer to paper towels or brown paper to drain. Serve hot and enjoy!
Serves 4.
By Naomi Ross