As a mother, cooking is one of the chores that take so much of your time and energy but is needed to be done because eating is an integral part of your family's routine. Frying may also be the cooking method you usually do to save time and cook your kids' favorite fried chicken, and unconsciously, you might have made a frying mistake.
Frying is very easy, heat the pan, add the desired amount of oil, wait for it to heat, then put the food you want to cook, and that's it.
But did you know that there is more to frying than that? Here are seven major frying mistakes you might have made without any idea that you have committed them.
1. Using the wrong cooking oil
When people fry, the heart and soul are not the meat but the oil you will utilize to make that flesh crunchy. Gourmandize notes that a cooking oil must have a high smoke point to enable the food to fry without the oil burning.
They add that refined peanut oil is widely used due to its ability to withstand high temperatures and its delicate flavor that does not overwhelm the food's taste.
2. Overcrowding
If you are a working mom or dad or just don't have the luxury of time due to other chores in the house, putting how much fits in the frying pan will save your time. But according to MSN, that is not ideal.
Gourmandize notes in MSN that when deep frying in a pot, the oil is dropping its temperature, and keeping it stable, they recommend that there should be a bit of space between them to cook them equally when frying.
3. High Temperature
Taste of Home shares that the temperature should also be monitored so that burning food and turning them into waste is prevented. They also note that if the temperature is very high, the food might cook quickly on the outside but still raw on the inside, and we don't want that.
4. Adding Salt
You might have been adding salt to your breading if you are going to fry chicken, you must stop that. Gourmandize points out that the salt draws out the water content and make the breading wet, which will cause splattering of the oil.
5. Wrong pot
Of course, you can't cook without the pot. MSN furthers that a deep fryer will work, but a large heavy-bottomed pot will also do the trick as it can distribute the heat evenly. They add that skillet and low-sided pans are not ideal because the oil can overflow and splatter at you at any moment.
6. Leftover oil
Taste of Home notes that using the leftover oil should not be practiced to pose a danger in the kitchen. They emphasize that apart from making the food greasier, it heightens a grease fire's risk because it can easily flame up.
7. Covering the food
Once finished, you might cover your fried chicken. You should not do that. According to Gourmandize, if you cover them, it will create moisture stripping away the crispiness you worked hard for. They recommend placing them in a paper towel to remove the excess oil and serve it immediately to savor its fresh taste.
Omit these seven frying mistakes so that you can proudly say that you are a frying master. Frying is one of the most convenient ways of cooking and doing it the right way can make your dish taste more special.
WATCH: The Science of Fried Chicken from ChefSteps
