Anybody who’s been to culinary school will be well acquainted the basic, classic French method for breading fried foods. But we’ve stumbled across a new procedure for ‘breading’. And I think it has all the earmarks of a winner!
If you’re a dedicated hone cook, you can probably set up a traditional breading station in your sleep. but I’ve stumbled across a new technique with some alt-ingredients that may open your eyes to a whole new world of crispy crusts!
Subtle differences…
The new approach I’m presenting today has a few key differences from the traditional method which will disclose along the way.
But suffice it to say, by way of introduction, that we’re going to essentially coat your chosen food twice; once with a batter of sorts, and secondarily with a crumb component.
What you need
Your traditional breading station has three trays: Flour, Egg and Crumbs. But today’s update adds a component and offers some clear advantages over the old, familiar process.
- salt (to taste),
- 6 tbsp. / 70 ml of corn flour, Divided
- 3 eggs,
- bread crumbs or ground oatmeal/bran, (etc., as desired)
- oil for frying
Bet you can’t see where we’re going yet…
Procedure
- Vigorously mix the eggs with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of oil in a bowl.
- Place 3 tbsp. corn flour in a separate bowl, add egg mixture and mix well with a fork or whisk.
- Coat a piece of the food you want to fry in this batter.
- Then, while batter is still wet, dredge the food in breadcrumbs, corn meal, oatmeal, or bran.
- Fry the food on both sides until it is cooked through and the crust is golden brown.
Alt-Hack…
Dredge the batter layer with dry corn flour, gently knocking of any excess. Fry as directed above. This should produce a fool-proof pogo-style coating…
My take
Using the batter-followed-by-crumbs method, you get a really crispy coating which won’t fall off the food during handling or serving. And it won’t stick to a properly-prepared pan while cooking, either.
The source recipe for this technique suggests you experiment with different flavours in the batter which complement the food you’re cooking. And try other ground, crunchy outer-layer ingredients that strike your fancy…
Before you know it, you’ll have your own custom ‘secret’ coating for everything you fry!
~ Maggie J.