Cooking Tips: Deep Frying
- Use a deep heavy saucepan (3 to 4 quarts size) if an electric fryer is not available. Never deep fry in an ordinary frying pan; the oil may spill over.
- Oil should be enough to cover the food and to allow it to move freely but should not exceed half the depth of the pan to prevent spilling over when it bubbles when adding cold food.
- A wire basket is useful in frying a small items (meat balls, French fries, etc.), and even for browning, for ease of loading and unloading to and from the pan. Remove bits of food in the oil because they lower the burning temperature.
- Be sure fat is preheated to the recommended temperature before the food is added so that the heat, not the oil, penetrates the food. A frying thermometer is helpful to know the exact oil temperature. If it is not available, do a simple temperature test by dropping a 1” cube of bread into the hot oil. At 370ºF which is satisfactory temperature for frying most foods, the bread will brown between 50 – 60 seconds; at 390ºF it will take from 20 – 25 seconds. Adjust heat to keep an even temperature.
- Refresh deep frying oil used for fish by frying a 1-inch slice of ginger in it at 350ºF until brown and discard ginger.
