Cooking encyclopedia When it goes wrong
The oil was too cool, or the pan was too full, which is the same thing.
160โ190 ยฐC (320โ374 ยฐF)
Get the oil back to temperature between batches and fry less at a time. Drain on a rack, not on paper.
A properly fried surface keeps oil out by boiling its own moisture outward. Below about 160 ยฐC there is not enough of that outward pressure, so oil moves in instead. A full pan drops the temperature the moment the food lands, and takes a long time to recover.
Chips, fritters, crumbed cutlets, doughnuts, spring rolls.
Frying without a thermometer; adding cold food straight from the fridge; draining on paper, which traps steam and softens the underside.
Meridian cooking encyclopedia โ Watchman Productions