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FeedThe Frying Game
By Joyce Hendley
Photo by Terry Brennan
I’m also a big advocate of frying at home. That way I can control the fat that’s used—a tasty, freshly poured vegetable oil rather than, say, a commercial “frying blend” that’s loaded with loathsome trans fats and re-used countless times. Currently, restaurants aren’t required to disclose if their foods contain trans fats, so experts advise you to just assume any fried item does—but of course, it doesn’t hurt to ask first. (Those calamari, by the way, are fried in olive oil. Be still, my beating heart.)
When you home-fry, you’ll discover that you don’t have to use gallons of grease to get that delectably crispy coating. A lot of food that’s traditionally deep-fried can be pretty wonderful fried in just a little oil, in a good nonstick skillet or a well-seasoned cast-iron pan—or, even easier, in your oven. You just need to master a few of the techniques the deep-fryer jockeys use and be willing to experiment a little. Here are a few pointers.
TURN ON THE OVEN. Oven-frying is probably the simplest way to fry with less fat. With the all-over heat of the oven, you don’t have to turn the foods so often, and you can make a bigger batch all at one time. The trick is to use a good-quality, heavy baking sheet or shallow sheet pan, which can retain enough heat to brown foods appetizingly. Look for “professional quality” heavy-gauge aluminum, and don’t bother with nonstick finishes, since most can’t take the higher heat of oven frying anyway. Give the sheet a light film of oil (line it with foil first for easier clean-up). For extra sizzle, preheat the oiled baking sheet right in the oven, so the food gets a head start on a good crust the minute you put it on the pan. Or, for gorgeous crispy crumbs all over the food, place a rack on the baking sheet, so that air circulates all around the food.
CHOOSE TASTY, HEALTHY OIL. Since oil is such an important part of the fried-food experience, it should taste great—complementing the food, not overwhelming it. While olive and peanut oils are natural choices for French fries, fried chicken, or crab cakes, a more neutral tasting oil like canola, grapeseed, or so-called “vegetable” oil (usually soybean) would work better with, say, apple fritters.
It’s also worth noting the heart-healthiness of the oil you choose. Vegetable oils, by definition, are low in saturated fat, the kind that clogs arteries—you can’t go wrong with just about any of them. But oils like peanut, canola, and olive oil—and the now-available “high-oleic” versions of sunflower and safflower oil—get extra health points, as they’re also rich in the monounsaturated fatty acids that keep LDL (bad) cholesterol down while boosting heart-healthy HDL (good) cholesterol. These mono fats benefit more than just the heart: Studies show that in places like the Mediterranean, where the population eats mostly high-mono fats, cancer rates tend to be remarkably low. (By the way, fancier oils like almond, macadamia nut, and avocado oil are also mono fat—rich, but their higher prices might make you reluctant to use them for frying.)
MAKE SURE YOUR OIL CAN STAND THE HEAT. Consider, too, the oil’s smoke point—the highest temperature it can reach before it starts to smoke. With continued heating the oil begins to break down, forming noxious, potentially cancer-causing compounds in the process, so oils should never be heated past their smoke points. (Likewise, you should never re-use an oil you’ve cooked with, because cooking lowers its smoke point.) Since frying requires fairly high heat—most foods deep-fry best at around 365°F, and oven-frying gets best results around 400°F—you’re best off choosing oils with a smoke point well north of those temperatures. Generally, the more refined an oil is (that is, the less “virgin” or cold-pressed” it is), the higher its smoke point.
My favorite choices for frying, then, are rich in mono fats and have smoke points above 400°F: peanut, pure (not extra virgin) olive, canola, and high-oleic sunflower or safflower oil.
GET THE HEAT RIGHT. Perhaps the most common mistake novice fryers make is frying at the wrong temperature. When the heat isn’t high enough, foods cook too slowly, absorbing more oil every minute—and they usually turn out heavy and greasy. Likewise, excessively high cooking temperatures burn the coating before the food is cooked through. For best results, be fussy about making sure your skillet or oven is properly preheated to the cooking temperatures specified in recipes before you start.
USE EVEN-SIZED PIECES. Cutting foods into equal-sized pieces ensures that they’ll cook evenly and be ready at the same time. (This last point is important, since you won’t want to wait to eat your piece.) Small thin pieces can be cooked at higher temperatures, while larger pieces need a lower temperature so that the center is cooked before the outside overcooks.
COAT WITH CARE. Foods headed for the fryer are almost always coated with something—usually batter or breading—to protect them from coming in direct contact with the hot oil. A food scientist would tell you this helps prevent splattering and keeps in much of the food’s natural moisture, but your taste buds tell you the real purpose: to create an irresistibly crunchy, crispy crust. Even without a deep fryer, you can use those same principles to create your own lighter, crunchy coating.
You’re half way to frying nirvana if the coating you choose to dredge the food in is crunchy to begin with. Try cracker or cornflake crumbs, panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs, which are coarser than traditional bread crumbs), melba toast, crackers, pretzels, or even tortilla or kettle-style potato chips. Grind them to crumbs in a food processor or blender; just be sure not to grind them too finely or you’ll lose that all-important crunch factor. In general, finer crumbs work best on small, delicate items like fish fillets, while coarser crumbs are better suited for larger items like chicken pieces or cutlets. For extra flavor with oven-frying, you can toast bread crumbs or panko with a drizzle of oil in a skillet for a minute or two—or give them a misting of nonstick spray just before they go into the oven.
Most foods will need a little coating of something sticky first, to help those crunchy crumbs adhere. While it’s traditional to give foods a dip in beaten egg, using egg white instead produces a lighter, almost crisp coating with less pronounced “eggy” flavor (beat in a teaspoon or two of water to the egg mixture for easy-coating consistency). You could also coat the food first with a thin layer of a condiment that contains a bit of richness and flavor, like mayonnaise, a creamy salad dressing, or mustard blended with a little oil. Then dunk the morsel in your chosen crumbs, pressing gently to make sure they stick to every nook and cranny.
GIVE THEM ROOM. Although it might mean you have to cook in batches, don’t crowd the frying pan or baking sheet. There should be plenty of air around the pieces, or the food will steam rather than brown, and that hoped-for crunchy crust will be pale and soggy.
With a little conscientious cooking, your perfectly “fried” morsels will emerge tender within and crunchy without—and best of all, you’ll enjoy them guiltlessly, leaving your fear of frying behind.
Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken
SERVES 6Using Melba toast gives a classic crunchy coating, but substituting pretzel crumbs is an interesting, kid-friendly variation. If you have even half an hour to spare, take the time to soak the chicken in buttermilk first—it really does make the meat more tender and juicy. Add a tablespoon of hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco) to the buttermilk for a little extra zing.
1 cup buttermilk (optional)
1 (3½- to 4-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces, skin removed
1 (5-ounce) box Melba toast rounds, or 8 ounces (about 8) pretzels, preferably unsalted
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
¹⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Nonstick cooking spray, preferably olive oil–flavored
For optional buttermilk soak: Pour buttermilk into a large zip-close freezer bag. Add chicken and seal, squeezing out the air, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. Remove chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Discard buttermilk.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and spray it with nonstick spray. Break Melba toast or pretzels into pieces and pulse in a food processor to coarse crumbs. Place crumbs in a wide shallow bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
In large shallow bowl, combine mustard, thyme, garlic, cayenne, and remaining tablespoon of the oil. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat, then dredge each in the crumb mixture, pressing with your fingers to help the crumbs adhere. Place on wire rack and let stand 10 minutes to firm up coating. Spray chicken pieces with nonstick spray and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each piece registers 160°F, 40 to 50 minutes.
11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
