According to home economist Susie Theodorou there's no need to be nervous of deep-frying. Follow her simple tips and the results will always be crisp and light. All you will need is a large
pan - at least 20cm-deep - a perforated flat spoon and some bread to act as a thermometer.
Step 1
Water makes hot oil spit so ensure the food being fried is as dry as possible. Pat it dry with a kitchen towel, or put dry fiddly items - such as the pak choi used in Sybil Kapoor's 'crispy seaweed' - in a low oven.
Step 2
Fill your pan about 1/3 full with oil.
If the oil is any deeper, it can bubble over when the food is added. Gently heat the oil to 180-185°C. You can test the temperature of the oil with a cook's thermometer, but the best way is to drop in a piece of bread. At 180°C, it will sizzle gently and turn golden brown in 30 seconds.
Step 3
Gently add the food to the oil with a perforated spoon. The food will lower the temperature slightly, so make sure you don't crowd the pan or it will fall too much and the food will not seal quickly. This means it will soak up oil, giving greasy and unpalatable results. When it is cooked, scoop the food out of the oil using the perforated spoon. Tip it onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up excess oil.
Step 4
Allow the oil to cool completely at room temperature. When it is cold, put a sieve over a jug and line with muslin or kitchen paper. Strain the oil through the sieve then pour into a bottle or kilner jar. Close tightly and store in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator. This can then be reused.
Choosing your oil
For deep-frying, use an oil with a high smoking point - that is, one that can be heated to a high temperature without burning. Oils heated beyond their smoking point won't taste good and also begin to break down and release toxins.
- Groundnut oil is extremely good and gives a lovely flavour.
- Vegetable oils are a healthy choice, as they are high in polyunsaturated fats.
- Grapeseed oil has one of the lowest levels of saturated fat of any oil, smokes very little and gives a good crisp finish.
- I would never use olive, sesame or walnut oils for deep-frying as they have lower burning points. They won't allow the food to seal quickly and may smoke.
Susie's Expert Tips
- 180-185°C is a good temperature for most foods, but check individual recipes. Chips, for instance, are often fried twice; once at a lower temperature to cook the inside, then higher to crisp the outside.
- If the oil smokes and a bread cube turns brown almost instantly, the temperature will be around 195-200°C. This is too hot to cook anything. Turn off the heat and leave the oil to cool slowly then start to heat again gently.
- Do not salt fried food until just before serving because the salt will penetrate the outside layer and soften it.
- If fried food needs to sit around for
a while before serving, keep it warm
in a low oven (140°C/gas 1).
- The type of food fried determines how often you can re-use your oil. After frying fish, always discard the oil. Milder foods, such as vegetables, will not taint the oil so much. To eliminate odours or flavours from used oil, fry a peeled, roughly chopped potato in the oil first.