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Cooking encyclopedia Techniques

Deep-frying

Cooking fully submerged in hot fat, usually 160–190 °C.

160–190 °C (320–374 °F)

What it is

Use a deep, heavy pan filled no more than halfway, and a thermometer. Fry in small batches, let the fat recover between them, and drain on a rack rather than on paper, which steams the underside soft.

Why it works

Hot oil transfers heat far faster than air and boils the water at the food's surface outward. That escaping steam is what keeps oil out; a properly fried food is not greasy, because the pressure of its own evaporation holds the fat at bay. When the oil is too cool there is not enough steam, and the food absorbs it instead.

When to use it

Battered and crumbed foods, chips, fritters, doughnuts, dumplings, whole small fish.

What goes wrong

Oil too cool, which gives greasy food; oil too hot, which colours the crust before the inside cooks; too much food at once; a wet surface, which spits violently.

More on this shelf

  • Blanching Brief cooking in heavily boiling water, usually followed by cooling.
  • Blooming spices Heating spices briefly in fat or a dry pan to release their aroma before they meet anything else.
  • Braising Browning, then cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot.
  • Deglazing Dissolving the browned residue in a pan with liquid, to turn it into sauce.
  • Emulsifying Dispersing fat and water into each other so they behave as one smooth sauce.
  • Grilling Cooking over or under direct radiant heat, close to the source.
  • Poaching Cooking submerged in liquid held below a simmer, around 70–85 °C.
  • Reducing Simmering a liquid uncovered to evaporate water and concentrate what is left.
  • Resting meat Leaving cooked meat off the heat before cutting it.
  • Roasting Cooking in dry oven heat, uncovered, so the surface browns while the inside cooks.
  • Sautéing Cooking small or thin pieces quickly in a little fat over fairly high heat, moving them often.
  • Searing Cooking a surface hard and fast to brown it, before or after the inside is cooked.