Deep Frying
By:
Allrecipes Staff
A fun way to cook many treats like french fries, potato chips, doughnuts, and hush puppies.
Deep-frying is a delicious way to cook, and done properly, deep-fried foods do not have to be heavy and greasy. This cooking method can be a very dangerous process because of the extreme temperatures and potential for burns. We cannot stress enough you should be very careful when deep-frying.
We are making red onion hush puppies to highlight this method.
1. When deep-frying, it is best to use neutrally flavored oil like safflower or peanut oil. Vegetable shortening and lard also work well. Extra-virgin olive oil and butter have very low smoking points, which mean they will burn at a much lower temperature--making whatever you are frying taste scorched and bitter. Use enough oil so there is enough fat to cover whatever items you intend to fry.
2. Place the pot or pan of oil over a high heat. Heating a large amount of oil can take a long period of time. Deep-frying should be done with the oil at 365 degrees F (185 degrees C); use a candy thermometer or large-dial thermometer that can hook onto the pot. Oils will begin to burn between 400 and 450 degrees F (200 and 225 degrees C) and will catch fire at around 500 degrees F (250 degrees C), so it is very important to monitor the temperature of the oil. Once the oil has reached the desired temperature, reduce the heat to low. If you notice the temperature on the thermometer begins to drop, turn the stove up a small amount until the temperature has crawled back up to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
3. To avoid splashing hot oil when dropping the hush puppy batter into the oil, use a long spoon and place the batter into the oil carefully. If you were to drop the batter into the oil from a distance, the splash would be dangerous. The closer to the surface of the oil you can get before dropping the items into the oil without burning yourself, the safer deep-frying will be.
4. The oil will begin to bubble dramatically when the hush puppy batter is placed into it. Once the first hush puppy dropped into the oil has a golden brown exterior, test to see if it has cooked all the way through. If it is golden brown on the outside but undercooked on the inside, reduce the oil's heat to about 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and begin again.
5. Once you have determined the oil is at the proper temperature and you are indeed making delicious, properly cooked food, add more of your batter to the oil. Be careful not to crowd the oil with too much batter: crowding will cause the oil's temperature to drop dramatically, which will result in a greasy product. Crowding will also increase the likelihood that the fried bits and pieces will stick to each other.
6. Once the hush puppies are golden brown, use a slotted metal spoon or spatula to remove the cooked items and let them drain on paper towels or cooling racks.
7. Now is the time to season! Season while the fried items are still hot and fresh out of the fryer. (If you're making doughnuts, it's time to roll them in sugar.)
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