5/19/10

1 Healthy Frying and a Winner!

Frying?  Healthy?  Huh?  Yes, it is possible!

These very words were written in a Cooking Light magazine at a friend's house.

Now, they are not advocating that you dump the salad, veggies and fruits, but there are some tips that you can use to help you fry a healthier way.

First, you need to choose a "heart healthy" oil:

1.  Peanut Oil
2.  Soybean Oil
3. Canola

These oils are low in saturated fat and have a high "smoke point" meaning that they can reach a high temperature before they begin to smoke.  I like canola oil.

Tips on Reusing Oil:

Keep your oil clean by filtering it with coffee liners.  I like to use a large coffe liner nested in a strainer.  Strain oil into a GLASS container.  (I used milk jugs until they began to leak.  Ughhh.)
Store filtered oil in the fridge.  Keep oil used for potatoes/breads separate from oils used for meat.

Potato oil can be reused up to 10 times,
Chicken oil up to 5 times,
Fish and Onion....well...I don't reuse those.  Stinky foods = stinky oil.

Next, you need to coat your ingredients:

1.  Use breading that has no/low sugar in it to reduce burning.
2.  All purpose flour absorbs oil, so use it sparingly or in combination with cornmeal.
3.  Use batter that has leavening (baking soda) or carbonated drinks (club soda) as they reduce the oil absorption as well.

Next, maintain your temperature as you fry:

1.  Use a deep, heavy bottomed pot that will hold at least 4" of oil.
2.  Use a clip thermometer that reaches at least 375ºF.
3.  Temperature drops when you add food.  Fry in small batches.
4.  Keep foods in oil separated; they should be able to move about freely.

Oil that is too hot will burn the outside while leaving the inside raw or doughy.
Oil that is too cool will leave your food soggy and greasy.

Last, drain your fried foods:

1.  Use a slotted spoon, skimmer or basket to place food into and out of the fryer.
2.  Place food on layered paper towels to absorb excess oil.

So, there you have it.  A healthier way to fry your favorite foods.  Choose your oil, coat your foods, maintain the temperature, and drain on a paper towel.



Some of my favorite fried foods:

Fried Ravioli

Chicken Nuggets

Onion Straws

Lisa's Doughnuts

General Tsao's Chicken

Scones

Oh, and we have a winner for the "It's May, Let's Have a Giveaway"......sponsored by AllBarStools.com ~

Thank you ALL for commenting, entering, following this blog and making this the BEST giveaway so far ~

Drum roll....


Comment 35!

Okay....gotta go over the comments.....scrolling, scrolling....

It's CMJHawaii, who said, "I'm a follower."  This reader selected the marble rolling pin and marble board.

Congratulations, CMJ!  Contact me at friedalovesbread@gmail.com to claim your prize!





1 comment:

  1. Fantastic tips! I have a glass jar of oil that I've saved... but I didn't put it in the fridge! Guess I'll have to start over. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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