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Frying ends up soggy, what am I doing wrong?

 
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ericthebikeman



Joined: 21 Apr 2006
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:33 pm    Post subject: Frying ends up soggy, what am I doing wrong? Reply with quote

I'm totally frustrated with deep frying. Anything I deep fry starts out nice and crisp then becomes soggy within a minute on the drainage rack. I check the oil temp before dropping things and run the burner on high to maintain the heat, naturally there is a little drop but not enough to be concerned about, most things I do call for 350F. I usually have the oil at least 3-4 inches deep to help with the heat retention.

I've tried paper towels 3-4 deep on a paper plate, on a sheet with upside down cooling rack or on a bare cooling rack with little if any affect on the end product. The first batch is just as soggy as the last so towel saturation isn't a factor.

I've been using canola in a heavy wok if that matters. I do use an enameled cast iron dutch oven on occasion but that doesn't seem to help at all.
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 1:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not sure if this will help, but you can try preheating an oven at the lowest setting (170°F to 200°F) and setting up your dripping rack/pan in there. Transfer the fried food there to drip.
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Leonessa



Joined: 22 Apr 2006
Posts: 11
Location: Europe

PostPosted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 3:20 pm    Post subject: Re: Frying ends up soggy, what am I doing wrong? Reply with quote

ericthebikeman wrote:
I'm totally frustrated with deep frying. Anything I deep fry starts out nice and crisp then becomes soggy within a minute on the drainage rack. I check the oil temp before dropping things and run the burner on high to maintain the heat, naturally there is a little drop but not enough to be concerned about, most things I do call for 350F. I usually have the oil at least 3-4 inches deep to help with the heat retention.

I've tried paper towels 3-4 deep on a paper plate, on a sheet with upside down cooling rack or on a bare cooling rack with little if any affect on the end product. The first batch is just as soggy as the last so towel saturation isn't a factor.

I've been using canola in a heavy wok if that matters. I do use an enameled cast iron dutch oven on occasion but that doesn't seem to help at all.



Are you putting salt on the hot food? Seems that the sprinkling of salt on the hot food pulls the moisture to the surface...try putting the salt if you use it into the eggs if breading. I actually don't use salt at all when frying...use lots of herbs and spices. Good luck. Chu's idea is good!
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amby



Joined: 22 May 2006
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are you sure your oil is really hot? I'm a fan of Alton Brown "Good Eats" on the Food Network. He says each oil has a different smoking point. Use the right oil for the temperature you need for a given recipe.

Most importantly, your food must sizzle in order to stay non- greasy or limp. That sizzle is the steam escaping ( which is what prevents the oil from entering your food). As soon as it stops, take it out, because then the reverse will be true. Low temp oil, or cooking past the sizzle allows oil to soak in, and takes away the crispness.
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werty-AS-A-GUEST
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:25 am    Post subject: Deep Fry Reply with quote

answer to question :
1) Deep fry has a lower Temp limit , below which it
can't get the water out of food fast enough .
Since oil transfers heat slow ( compared with steam*)
you may stir food as it hits the oil .

2) As the water leaves , it takes lots of heat with
it and cools the food , plus oil transfers heat slower
than water or air cooking .
* Nothing raises temp like steam .

3) I cook my yellow onions ( no hurry) til water
is out (in teflon pans & bit of oil )
and then get serious with high heat after
ALL the water is out . Less frustrating .

It won't convert til all the water is out
and wont get flavor til cooked at higher than
boiling temperatures .
I sometimes add lots of salt , no harm ,flavor still
there .

I have experimented with dilute NaOH and HCL .
HCL seems to lesson flavor and can turn cell walls
to sauce ! .
dilute Sodium Hydroxide ( NaOH aka Lye )
does nothing .
NaOH would , if for some reason your food was too tart .
Tart is acid and if it's Citric , Sod Hydroxide "salts"
it . Flavor is OK .
I'm in Thailand . Chem's are easy .

Without a pH meter :
Dilute 2 to 1 , do it again in another bottle ,
keep diluting 2 to 1 5 or 6 times .
Taste . Now back track to make your stock
Stock can be stronger , it matters not for you wont need
to taste it , only measure it into pan .
It eats aluminum pans .



BTW
Meat juice and fully cooked flour /fully cooked
Mexican Masa Harina is what i like the best .
M' Tamales ( pork, red MILD chile) are good .

My oppinions . Some spices must be roasted .
Some spices are hype ( color ) .
People who use very HOT peppers have a congenital
malabsorption thing in small intestine , can't absord carbs
well .
Brain says "need a jump start" , cause the glucose
absorp' is poor .
I absorb carbs well , so my brain says dont need
hot peppers .
Carbs taste good ! , makes lots of sugar . Italian pasta ,
Mexican corn dishes , sour dough bread .

The biggest sin in cooking is raw flour taste .
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werty



Joined: 19 Jun 2006
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:39 am    Post subject: bake turkey for 3 hours ..... Reply with quote

Water takes heat from the turkey , slows
the cooking . Can''t be helped .

But if you stuff turkey it will cook slower
than if it is hollow . This you CAN do .
Esthetically pleasing , but i'd starve in that time .

I love turkey , it doesn't taste
"a bit like chicken" to me .

I dont listen to "Lard is bad for you".
Its hype , it's too much eating anything
that destroys arteries . A healthy human
converts fat to carbs and burns it as glucose .
Choles' and amino acids are created from carbs .

I sometimes go 5 days with a few peanuts
and some OJ , feels great except for a slight fullness
in head the first day .
ITs from your "habit" mind complaining
about the 3 meals a day stuff ...
get rid of habits ...
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werty



Joined: 19 Jun 2006
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Water in a deep oil fry is very unlikely ,
the oil would boil the water violently , expelling some oil
ultimately taking all the water out because water reacts violently
at all oil temp's .
Are you cooking the food in oil for more than 2 minutes ?


The secret to oil cooking and retaining moisture is to
get the time but secondly the oil temp , just right . No need to
remove water prior .
_________________________________
BTW
In the list of easy methods of cooking
1) water is easiest ,
2) oil is second ,
3) baking is 3rd and
4) frying in a pan is the most difficult to control the result .

--- When you see a famous chef with an open fry pan , It wont taste ,
its for camera only .
---- Boiling is always 208 ( if you live about 3000MSL )
How nice ! No thermometer req'd .
----- Oil is next , many chefs find it easy to estimate the temp
and never insert a probe . I just look at the food in deep frying .
Baking is next , look for browning , and if it is fully cooked
but not browned , broil it for 3 minutes .
an open fry pan is why poor people can't produce anything good
tasting . I spent 5 years in Thailand . It looks good only .
They must over oil food . The oil evens out the cooking .
Just before i left T' , i bought a big glass bowl fitted with a cover
that had a heating element and a small fan to keep the heating element from burning a hole in the lid ! ( and evens out the heat ).
This element can broil ! unlike the other products sold in T' .
I tried to show the Thai person this , but he did not understand
the diff' . I said if you cycle the heater on/off frequently , it will
not have a chance to "glow" and brown the food , and if you allow
the control to cycle it , it will brown the food nicely .
A good oven can cycle the upper broil heater but just below
a red glow and it will simply even out the heat , turn it on fully
and you get food browning . 500 watt low cost Chineese Halogen
lamps ( HarborFright $3 ) will work as broilers in your home made oven ( im a DIY) .
But there is question about Quartz absortion from splatered food .
It wont poison food , mb just shorten lamp life ! It does blacken the bulb but when lit up it gets white hot ! I did not keep my Thai made
oven long enuf to see it fail .

BTW bulbs operated at a lower voltage to broil food ( 117VAC is for
light , 90VAC is for broiling ) should last 100 times longer !
I saw a modern oven with fan .
I don't think it is absolutely needed . I think if you have good location of
broiler and baking heaters , fans arent needed .
BTW get a $30 HarborFright I.R. temp probe . Goes to 400F ?
It is small unit , you point at anything and is very accurate . Has a
lazer pointer also .


BLOG ! Uncooked flour in food is still the #1 compaint .
Taco Bell will fold you up a burrito in this uncooked stuff .
Fortunetly Mexicans use corn which has not bad taste if you under
cook it .

I dont eat so called Mexican food with Flour , only Corn "masa harina tastes good to me .
Corn has far more possible glucose than wheat flour .
I think this is why ppl like these foods more is for the higher G' .
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try putting a good amount of cornstarch in your batter. This seems to help quite a bit in the crispiness area. Let the food stay in the oil long enough to cook properly.

Kurt
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