Frying is an ancient and most popular cooking techniques of all time. Frying is a cooking technique where the food is cooked in oil or another fat by transferring heat that works by both conduction (direct contact) and convection (natural movement of molecules in a fluid). Frying uses dry heat, unlike other cooking techniques. Fried foods are incomparably delicious and crispy, and frying oil transfers heat much faster than other techniques, which are probably the two most convincing reasons for its worldwide popularity.
Depending on the food ingredients and the kind of oil or fat being used for frying, about 180 to 190 degrees Celsius needs to be maintained to cook thoroughly and get the traditional golden crisp crust.
I have listed down the five most popular ways of frying, discover which frying technique goes best with your food ingredients.
SHALLOW FRY
In this method, the food is partially submerged in oil, and the food is cooked halfway on one side and then flipped. Not much oil is required in this method. Thus, oil is conserved. You need to be conscious as the burning of food is more accessible in this method because of the direct heat from the pan. Macadamia oil is great for shallow frying as it has a high smoke point of about 210 to 234 degrees Celsius. Olive oil is a good substitute for Macadamia oil for shallow frying. Shallow frying requires a fair amount of skill to get the job done right.
Shallow frying is typically used for cooking fish, veggies, eggs, small portions of meat or steaks, patties, or chicken breasts.
DEEP FRYING
The food is submerged into oil at high temperatures in this method of frying. This is the most popular frying method, and it gives a perfect golden-brown crispy crust to the food. This requires a pressure fryer, vacuum fryer, or even a frying pan is ideal for getting the best result. Deep frying cooks the food faster than shallow frying. The temperature of the oil should remain high uniformly through the cooking process. We recommend using vegetable oil or sunflower oil for this method as it has a relatively high smoke point.
Some deep-fried popular dishes are French fries, fish and chips, tempura chicken, calamari, and many more.
STIR FRY
This is a frying technique where the food ingredients are placed in a very hot wok or a pan with a slight amount of oil and are stirred constantly. This is a quick and easy way of frying which produces delicious dishes. Stir-frying is also a speedy method of cooking. Peanut oil is recommended in stir-frying because it has a high smoke point of about 230 degrees Celsius.
Stir-frying is traditionally a Chinese cooking method, and you can make excellent noodles using this technique.
SAUTEE
Sautee or pan fry is the most used technique in home cooking. This requires frying the food in a pan with little oil and on medium to high heat. This is a primary cooking method and forms the basis of many dishes. It helps to get the desired golden-brown color and enhances the flavors. The ingredients need to be moved to and fro with a spoon while sauteing. Coconut oil and olive oil (extra virgin) are appropriate for sauteing food ingredients.
Opinions and garlic are the most sauteed ingredients. But fish, meats, slices of bacon, eggs, and other tender vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers are also sauteed.
TRIPLE COOK FRY
Triple cook frying includes one round of steaming and two rounds of frying, and it requires a fair amount of time to refrigerate the food in between the cooking process. This method requires a little skill and a little patience, and it takes quite a long time. This might not be a healthy way of cooking, but it definitely is the tastiest. Recommended oil for triple cook frying is Grapeseed oil or peanut oil.
Triple cook frying is famous for making the tastiest chips.
There are a lot of factors on which frying depends. To get the best result, these factors need to be considered and implemented while frying. The three most important factors are:
EQUIPMENT
Each of the above-discussed methods is associated with a particular utensil. Some of the frying utensils are sautee pans, stainless steel, aluminum, and heavy-cast iron skillets, deep fryers, wok, crepe pans, and griddles. We often overlook this factor, but the right utensil should be used as it affects the cooking process. Another essential of equipment for frying is a frying thermometer. This is required to check the oil temperature.
OILS AND FATS
The oil or fat should be fresh and clean. The flavor of the oil should not overpower the food. Monosaturated vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, butter, ghee, lard as well as duck, chicken, and goose fats are also used for frying. Good flavors and safest trying can be achieved by using the oils or fats one time only. If the process of frying is long, then it should be changed as it begins to darken and deteriorate. Thus, oil or fat for frying is suggested to choose carefully. Choosing oil with proper smoke is crucial.
TEMPERATURE AND HEAT
If frying oil I too hot, the food will burn. If frying oil is too cold, the food will absorb too much fat and become greasy. Maintaining the optimum temperature can be challenging because every now and then then the oil picks up food particles then breaks down, and loses its ability to absorb heat. Different oils have different smoke points—the more the smoke point, the faster the cooking. Thus, maintain proper oil temperature is an important tip to get the best-fried foods.
With a bit of skill and the above basic knowledge, you can master these frying techniques and make some delicious crispy restaurant-like foods.