Deep fat fryers are needed in order to facilitate the frying process of foods in vegetable fat. Try french fries, for example, in an ordinary skillet. Perhaps you will succeed, but it will not work like it did at McDonald's or other establishments specializing in the preparation of fried potatoes. And we can bet your dish will burn!
Deep fryer
Before you begin to study this topic in detail, you should first understand what is deep-frying and what dishes can be prepared using this method.
Different dictionaries give their definition of the concept of "deep fat", but we will focus on the cookbook. It says that deep fat is hot fat or oil in which culinary products or products are fried. It is absolutely logical that the question further arises of where it is possible to process products in deep fat. In a deep pan? Yes. In a heat resistant pan? Yes. But the best thing for deep frying in boiling oil is a special invention - a deep fryer. What can you cook in it? You know, literally everything! Starting with fish, meat and ending with vegetables, fruits.
Using a deep fat fryer for cooking adds unique flavor and texture to products. The stereotype that kitchen know-how prepares harmful and fatty dishes is a thing of the past. Today, it’s quite easy to create a complete meal low in calories and fat. But more on that later.
The cooking process in the deep fat fryer is simple, but it requires some attention and concentration. Otherwise, you can easily overcook the food. Buying a deep fat fryer will add many new dishes to your diet. And even if you strictly care about your health, you can easily prepare healthy and tasty options for treats according to your favorite recipes. A little practice, patience - and you will easily answer the question of what can be cooked in a deep fryer.
Deep fryers: cook in oil or without it?
Having a little understanding of the issue of frying, we move on to the following points. We have to find out how safe modern deep fat fryers are, or how to prepare deep-fried dishes without crippling ourselves and others? Let's start in order.
Today, the home appliance market is replete with all kinds of new products, and recent advances in technology allow us to highlight a number of advantages of modern appliances for frying in oil. Firstly, all elements of combines are now made of stainless steel, which makes them more reliable and durable. Secondly, there are double deep fryers. Due to the presence of two compartments in them, they allow you to cook several dishes at once, and the smells do not mix at the same time. These deep fryers are suitable for all types of frying. And deep-fried cooking turns into a real pleasure.
But still the best gift for the hostess will be an air fryer. This is one of the latest innovations. And its feature is that it allows you to cook your favorite dishes with virtually no oil. This becomes possible due to the circulation of hot air, which envelops the products from all sides, evenly baking them until they are ready.
Six easy steps to safe deep fat
Now let's touch on the issue of safety in the kitchen while cooking deep-fried foods. First of all, you need to be careful. Drops of hot oil sometimes behave unpredictably and can get on the skin.
As mentioned above, frying is cooking by completely immersing it in hot oil. The process is unsafe, so many people avoid it due to caution. But there are several simple recommendations, observing which, you will not doubt whether it is worth cooking in deep fat. A great helper is the deep fryer. What can be cooked in it, we will tell later, but for now we will describe some rules.
So...
1. The deep fryer must be in good condition, not wet. Important! No matter how strange it sounds, put a fire extinguisher near the desktop, in case of emergency.
2. The right one is to choose a quality deep-frying oil. Peanut or rapeseed are best suited. They have a high melting point, so they will not allow your food to burn, and the room will not be filled with smoke.
3. Make sure that you pour the oil in cold, completely dry dishes, and fill it exactly half, maximum 2/3. Remember that when lowering food into the deep fat, the oil level will still rise.
4. Food in deep fat should be lowered carefully, in small batches, in order to prevent splashing. In addition, overfilling the pan will lower the temperature of the oil, and the food will be too greasy.
5. You need to get cooked foods with a slotted spoon or special tongs, and then immediately put them on a paper towel that absorbs excess fat.
6. And finally, after frying, the oil should be allowed to cool, then carefully pour it into a container with a tight-fitting lid and discard (in exceptional cases, this fat can be used up to three times).
Which oil should I choose?
It is important to know not only what can be cooked in the deep fryer, but also on which oil it is more appropriate to do this. When choosing it, it is worth paying attention not so much to taste as to utility. Different varieties of this product are known, we will consider the main ones that are found in our stores:
1. Olive . Just say that it does not fit. This is the worst deep-frying oil since it has a relatively low decay temperature (191 ° C). Despite its refined taste, it is suitable only for dressing salads, and of the hot types of cooking - for stewing.
2. Peanut butter. It has a neutral taste, affordable, and it makes excellent deep-fried dishes. French fries will be crispy, and the turkey will be remembered for a long time. This type of fat is often used in Chinese restaurants, specifically for frying. High heat on fire eliminates all peanut proteins, which makes it safe for those who are allergic to this nut. And in combination with balsamic vinegar, it exudes a pleasant aroma.
3. Sesame oil. It has a nutty flavor, refined is better for deep fat. Often it is not worth using, since it has a high content of polyunsaturated fats (41%), which turn into carcinogens. In addition, it is expensive enough to fry in such quantities.
4. Sunflower or vegetable. Familiar to everyone, we fry it most often. This oil is neutral in taste, can withstand high temperatures, but contains harmful fats for our body. Abuse is not worth it.
5. Ghee . It has a unique aroma and can turn a dish prepared in it into a culinary extravaganza, but do not forget that it promotes the formation of cholesterol and increases the level of LDL (low density lipoproteins). That is, problems with the cardiovascular system are provided to you.
6. Almond oil is a good option for cooking in a deep fat fryer. It is considered one of the most beneficial for health. Does not contain trans fats, cholesterol. It has a high smoke formation temperature of 216 ° C, is a source of phytosterols, as well as vitamins E and K. Its mild nutty flavor enhances the taste of deep-fried foods.
Deep fat recipes
What dishes can I cook with a deep fat fryer? In order to answer this question, we turn to recipes. I don’t want to dwell on the banal and traveled options, so we’ll take the usual deep-frying products, but try to make original and rare dishes from them.
Potato (roses)
It would seem that an everyday product, unremarkable, but! How much can it be transformed if deep-fried.
We will need:
- Potato (not young).
- Skewers or toothpicks.
- Oil for frying.
Cooking
We cut the future rose petals as thin as possible. We make them practically transparent. It is more convenient to chop potatoes on a special grater (1 mm). Also, we cut a few pieces with cubes - this is for the central buds around which the petals will curl. Further, all the ingredients, including toothpicks, are soaked for 2-3 hours in cold water, so that they are more "accommodating." Then we begin to fold the buds, adhering to the rule: one petal clockwise, the next - against it. Constantly unfold the petals, as if a rose had blossomed. Each twisted component is fixed with a toothpick. Then we put the "semi-finished roses" on a paper napkin, give time to soak in excess moisture and fry. We lower each rose with the bud down and make sure that it is baked evenly from all sides, for this we periodically turn it over. We take out the finished product on a napkin, let the excess fat drain. Sprinkle with salt. Serve hot.
Deep Fried Chicken
Dishes in the deep fryer, recipes of which can be found in cookbooks, in magazines, most often talk about cooking options for chicken. Among them, the most famous are: fried chicken wings in sweet and sour sauce, deep-fried breast , Buffalo chicken legs, nuggets. A similar method can also bake whole chicken.
In deep fat, meatballs are often fried in Kiev. This recipe is unique in that it is made with the addition of green oil (composition: butter, dill and parsley, hot red pepper). Sometimes, after frying in a deep fryer, cutlets languish for some time in the oven. But here everyone decides for himself whether it is worth doing, as chicken meat risks being overdried.
The main recipes from poultry are listed above, but if they are deep-fried, they can turn into non-standard, and most importantly, tasty dishes of the daily or festive menu.
Seafood & Deep Fry
A lot of products can be cooked in the deep fat fryer; seafood is no exception. Especially good in it is fish of different varieties or shrimp. We turn to one of the most delicious recipes - shrimp "Buffalo" with tartar sauce.
Ingredients:
- Flour - 1 tbsp.
- Light beer - 1 tbsp.
- French mustard - 2 tsp.
- Pickled cucumbers - 1 tbsp. l
- shallots - 1 tbsp. l
- Parsley - 1 tbsp. l
- Mayonnaise - 2/3 Art.
- Cayenne pepper or Buffalo sauce - 3 tbsp. l
- King prawns - 700 g.
- Peanut or vegetable oil for deep fat.
First prepare the sauce. For him we mix: mayonnaise, a portion of spicy Buffalo sauce, mustard, cucumbers, shallots and parsley. We remove the brew in the refrigerator.
Next, prepare the batter: pour the flour into a large bowl, pour the beer, the remaining hot sauce, bring to a homogeneous mass and add the shrimp, then mix everything thoroughly again.
While seafood is soaked in batter, heat the oil in a deep fryer. Then we put a few things into it with a slotted spoon. Fry until golden brown for two to three minutes. We move the finished dish on a paper towel, leave it for a while. Serve warm with cooked tartar sauce.
How to make deep-fried bacon?
A lot of dishes help create a deep fryer. What else can I cook? You probably would never have thought, but it’s very good to fry bacon in it. This product is fat, which often makes different dishes. But, nevertheless, the bacon is also deep-fried. It turns out to be very appetizing and unusual in this version. This is done as follows: we heat the oil to room temperature and begin to lay the pieces of fat strictly one at a time, since it will be instantly and intensively fried. We also take it out individually and immediately put it on a paper towel in order to remove all unnecessary fat. This method is well suited if you need to fry a large amount of bacon and, most importantly, do it quickly.
Dough Products
The amazing thing - the know-how of our time - is a deep fryer! What else can be cooked in it, if not for dough products? Who said that pies, donuts, brushwood and other goodies can only be fried in the oven or in the notorious frying pan? Who! Unknown But this man was deeply mistaken! It is the dough products in the deep fryer that turn out to be especially tasty and surprisingly crispy.
One of the best dishes is donuts in maple syrup. We are in a hurry to share this recipe with you. For cooking, we need:
- Flour - 2 ½ tbsp.
- Milk - 3 cups.
- Yeast - 2 tbsp. l
- Warm water - ¼ Art.
- Eggs - 3 pcs.
- Sugar - 1 tbsp.
- Cinnamon - 3 tbsp. l
- Vanillin - 2 tsp.
Dissolve the yeast in water with sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Sift flour, cinnamon, knead smooth dough. It should be a little sticky. Next, let him “rest” for about forty-five minutes.
To form donuts, use special devices or blind them yourself. The delicacy should be fried to a slightly brown color and on both sides. After cooking, put the donuts on a paper towel. Serve with powdered sugar or maple syrup.
Whatever recipes for the deep fat fryer you choose, remember that it is necessary to observe several basic rules: do not forget about safety, use only fresh products and it is advisable not to use deep-frying oil more than once.
Finally…
So what is a deep fat fryer? What can be prepared and produced in this wonderful technique? Contrary to the majority opinion, in boiling oil you can cook not only famous potatoes, but also other products: vegetables, poultry, meat, fish, pastry dishes and even some fruits. In other words, this type of kitchen utensil is suitable for everything that can be fried. And these are whites, pies, pasties, donuts, brushwood, meatballs, seafood and much, much more.
If you like to cook, do it with pleasure, a lot and often, if you like to receive guests and treat them with unusual dishes, then the deep fryer is a very useful thing for you! She will become a real lifesaver and a faithful friend in your kitchen.
Enjoy fried foods, but don't forget about health. Bon appetit to all!