jacob burton's blog

Although most people are pretty familiar with the process of deep frying, here are some tips to make it a little easier, allowing you to end up with a better finished product.

• Although deep frying is an incredibly versatile technique, it is used mainly for poultry and chicken because it keeps these products from drying out while allowing them to achieve a nice, crispy exterior.
• Cooking temperatures range from 300 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a lower frying temperature for items that take a little longer to cook such as frying chicken at 325 degrees. Also, potato chips are usually fried at about 300-310 degrees F to allow enough time for all the water to be fried out of them before they become burnt.
• Fast food joints use special pressure cookers that raise the internal boiling temperature of water to 250 degrees F (which is usually 212 degrees F at sea level). The higher boiling point allows the food to cook without as much moisture loss, ultimately resulting in a juicier finished product.
• When frying fish, first salt with a little bit of kosher salt and then dredge in flour. The salt will bring a protein rich fluid to the surface of the fish which will allow for better adhesion to the flour. The flour will give the fish a nice protective coating, keeping the flesh from becoming fibrous and chewy. It will also allow for even and thorough browning.
• When making batters for deep frying, use a flour that has a lower gluten content such as cake flour. Too much gluten can produce a tough, bready coating. However, gluten also aids the clingy properties of your batter so you don’t want your flour to be completely gluten free.
• When using all purpose flour (AP) for batters, the addition of cornstarch and corn meal can be added to the lessen the negative effects of gluten in the flour.
• When breading items with bread crumbs, first dredge the product in flour, then dip in egg, and then coat with bread crumbs. The flour will allow for the adhesion of the egg, and the egg will allow for the easy adhesion of the bread crumbs. Panko bread crumbs are a favorite among chefs.

For more information on proper frying technique, listen to SCS 8| Frying, Confit & Deep Fat Poaching.

In SCS Episode 8, one of the main techniques that we discussed was confit. One thing we discussed is that when making duck confit, true duck fat is always preferable. Not only does the fat give great flavor to your duck, but its also an extremely versatile cooking medium that can be used for slow poaching, sauté ing or even frying.

When butchering a whole duck, save all the skin trimmings especially the large pieces that are taken from the neck and the flaps of skin at the opening of the cavity. Don’t forget to trim all the skin off of the back of the duck.

If you’re not breaking down the whole duck, try and sweet talk a local butcher into saving the skin for you. If all this sounds like too much of a pain, you can simply buy good quality duck fat online. I've never done this so I can't recommend one company over another, but I'm sure you can do a quick Google or Amazon search.

• Place all your duck skin trimmings in the bottom of an appropriate sized pot and add a couple tablespoons of water. The steam from the water will help the initial release of duck.
• Place the pot on the lowest setting on your stove top and cover with a lid. Make sure you keep a small crack in the lid for the steam to escape so that it doesn’t condense back down into your duck fat.
• Let the fat render out on the stove for about 2-3 hours depending on how low you have your flame. Be sure to give the fat a good stir with some tongs about every 1/2 hour.
• Once the fat is rendered out, strain it through a strainer and allow to cool.
• Once cooled, store the fat in an airtight, light resistant container in your refrigerator for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 6 months.
• By the way, don’t throw that duck skin away after you have rendered out the fat. Instead, spread them out on a sheet pan and bake until they become golden brown and crispy.
• These duck “cracklins” can be eaten like chips, chopped and tossed into a salad like bacon bits, or used to make cracklin’ corn bread. The possibilities are endless.

Further Information
 

• SCS 8| Frying, Confit & Deep Fat Poaching (Audio Lecture)
• CKS 31| Breaking Down A Whole Duck (Video)
• HCC 1| How To Make Duck Confit Part 1 (Video)
• CT 1| Pan Roasting Duck Breast (Video)

A well seasoned cast iron pan is one of the most jealously guarded tools in a kitchen. Back before teflon pans were invented, these were the original non-stick pans that people used to cook eggs and other delicate items. Also, nothing really gives you a better seared crust than a good cast iron skillet.

To Season Your Cast Iron Pan

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

• If the pan is new, scrub with soapy water and dry thoroughly.

• Place a table spoon of vegetable shortening or vegetable oil in the center of the pan.

• Place the pan in the oven and allow the shortening to melt.

• Once the shortening melts, rub it all around the inside of the pan with a paper towel.

• Place pan back in oven, upside down, and back for about an hour.

• Turn off the oven and let the pan cool down inside.

• Wipe off any excess fat with a clean paper towel and store.

• To clean your cast iron pan, after you are done using it, add some kosher salt and a little oil and scrub. Do not use soap or water. Wipe clean with a paper towel.

Update: This article was written a while back and is a method that's worked for me in the past. Yet we live in an ever changing culinary landscape. As more research is done, new techniques and methods are developed. Case in point, this great article by Sheryl Canter, Chemistry Of Cast Ironed Seasoning: A Science-Based-How-To

This was originally shared by Wisconsin Limey in This Forum Thread