Frying: Oil, Heat and Crisp Batter

Fried food is greasy when the oil is too cool, and burnt outside and raw within when it is too hot. Nearly everything about frying well comes down to keeping the oil at the right temperature.

The oil

For deep and shallow frying use an oil with a high smoke point and little flavour: sunflower, groundnut or rapeseed. Extra virgin olive oil and butter burn at frying heat; clarified butter or ghee does not.

Never fill a pan more than a third full with oil, and never leave hot oil unattended. If oil catches fire, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp tea towel. Never use water.

Temperature

170 to 180°C suits most deep frying. A thermometer is best. Without one, a cube of bread should turn golden in about 30 seconds.

Fry in small batches. Each batch cools the oil, and a crowded pan cools it so much that the food soaks up oil instead of crisping. Let the oil come back to heat between batches.

Chips are fried twice: first at a lower heat, about 140°C, until cooked through but pale, then at 180°C until golden and crisp.

Batter and crumbs

For a light, crisp batter, keep it cold and barely mixed: a few lumps are fine. Ice-cold sparkling water or beer adds bubbles, and part cornflour or rice flour makes it crisper still.

Make batter just before using it. Left to stand, it develops gluten and fries up heavy.

For crumbs that stay on, dry the food, then flour, egg and crumbs in turn, using one hand for the dry stages and the other for the egg. Panko crumbs give the crunchiest coat.

Keeping it crisp

Drain fried food on a wire rack rather than on kitchen paper. Food sitting on paper steams on its underside and goes soft.

Salt it the moment it comes out of the oil, while the surface is still slightly oily and the salt will stick. Keep batches warm in a low oven, on a rack, uncovered.