This came across my screen from one of my usual food news sources. Albeit it one that usually provides the lowdown on improbable hacks, goofy challenges and other fringe absurdities. But I do think this idea has real potential…
I don’t know why someone never thought of frying in parchment paper before…
How many times have you been tempted to try a new recipe or prep technique – but dismiss it as too much trouble, once you discover it calls for setting up a deep frying station? Or are you a single, or one half of a ‘couple’ household that only cooks for two? Or would you simply prefer to control your food’s contact with hot oil on your terms?
I may have found the ultimate solution to frying for one.
Whatever the situation, a Tik Toker who posts heavily on food issues has shared a new technique that lets you get a real deep-fat scald on small or medium sized servings. And you can use it to authentically crispy-fry anything you would normally have to process through a couple of quarts / litres of dangerous boiling oil.
What’s even better is, it’s a lot cheaper, ingredients-wise, and a true easy-clean option to the traditional deep frying protocols.
What you do
It’s easy:
- Just line a shallow pan with parchment paper. Fill no more than half way up to the rim with your fave frying oil.
- Prepare foods for frying as you normally would.
- Add food pieces a few at a time in a single layer, not touching each other. Cook to the same doneness as you normally would.
- Manipulate foods gently with a pair of metal tongs.
- Allow to drain on a pad made from several sheets of folded paper towels to remove unwanted extra oil.
DOs and DON’Ts
- DO observe the usual cautions about handling hot oil.
- DO cook strongly-flavoured foods last so as not to spread their essences to more delicate foods.
- DO cook foods that contain known allergens last, or their own oil, in a clean pot to ensure no cross-contamination takes place.
- DO expect it to take a little longer for foods to cook completely and brown/crisp up as desired.
- DO allow the pan to cool to room temperature before pouring off the used oil and cleaning.
Caution:
- DON’T turn the frying temp up too high. This is a good general rule, of course, but it’s even more important using this method. The parchment paper will scorch or burn at anything over about 400 F.
- DON’T cycle foods through the pan too quickly. It will take longer for the oil to come back up to proper frying temp after cooking a batch than if you were using a larger pot and a larger volume of oil.
- DON”T make the mistake of thinking a small pan with less oil is less dangerous that a traditional big pot. Burns are burns. Small ones can disable and disfigure just as badly as larger ones.
AND… DON’T let the DON’Ts deter you. Give it a try!
~ Maggie J.