Regardless if you are attempting to deep fry vegetables, meat, or pastries, you have to think about a few items to ensure that your gourmet creation is preserved in the deep fat frying process.
First and most important would be the proper deep fat frying equipment. Whether you use a genuine deep fat fryer or a deep fry pan, the oil you have will determine either help or hurt you. You need an oil that does not burn quickly, but burns at a higher temperature. Not considering this will cause the food to get a burned and unsavory flavor. Oils that work best for deep fat frying are:
* Vegetable, including shortening and lard
* Safflower
* Canola
* Peanut Oil - be careful of this option to ensure none of your guests have allergies to nuts
Choices of oil to avoid include butter or olive oil. In all cases, you ought to ensure your oil is hot once you submerge your food - it must crisp up immediately trapping all of the moisture and juices inside!
Next, consider the food you're to deep fat fry. General rule of thumb is if your food is wet, your batter needs to be dry. If the food is dry, your batter needs to be wet. Simple, right? Yes and no - in instances like zucchini, the food is extremely wet and it is good to pat down your surfaces before you apply the batter. This helps the stick factor and you should see a reduced amount of flake off during the deep fat frying process. If your food is dry and you need to use a dry rub or batter, this can easily be resolved by adding water or egg to help the mixture adhere to the surface.
Lastly, what's the staple of all batter recipes? Below I'm showing you a tried and tested recipe that works largely for vegetable and meat frying.
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c water
1 slightly beaten egg
Stir your dry ingredients first than fold in your wet ingredients.
Now those of you that like a little spark of something in their batter, some good additions to this batter include paprika, finely chopped peppers, garlic or onion powder. Rule of thumb is to add a 1/4-1/2 tsp of your addition to taste. Also, get creative with your wet ingredients by substituting beer for water. Open your pantry and add those flavors you enjoy! In all cases, bon appetite!
Also visit my buyers' guide to Deep Fat Fryers at www.deepfatfryercentral.com
