Request: Deep frying recipes, ideas, hints and tips!

[freemotion]

I have to admit that I haven't deep-fried in years (decades), not since I stopped using veg oils. I made some sweet potato fries recently in tallow, and I have to say.....WOW!!! Tallow is amazing! It doesn't splatter like veg oil, doesn't break down, doesn't oxidize, doesn't interfere with the flavor of the food being fried, etc. I'd read this, but to experience it.....deep frying is not the messy, expensive, unhealthy proposition it used to be.

So, this means I am new to deep frying. I plan on straining my tallow and keeping it going for a while, storing it on the porch (cold) for the winter, and will fry something maybe once a week.

My restaurant strategy used to be to order fried foods, since I didn't make them at home and I rarely ate out. I no longer have this policy, because of what I know about the fats they use. So now I am willing to deep fry at home, since I don't have to buy a lot of oil for one meal, then toss it. Besides the health concerns.

I need some ideas as to what to make. I remember a breaded chicken nugget that my mom made on rare occasions when I was a kid....sesame seeds in the thick batter. I will make that soon.

I need more ideas. What comes out good? What veggies can be fried unbattered? Battered? How does one make fried pies? Can these be made with meat and used as a main dish?

C'mon, all you Southerners!

eta: Could use some tips on determining proper heat of the oil without a thermometer, at least until I get a chance to go buy one....

 

[BarredBuff]

Deep fried brocoli is heavenly

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

How does one make fried pies?

i love you, man... fried pies.. wheeee!! i'm definitely coming over


i'm workin' on my lard right now. whooot!

no tips just showing my enthusiasm...

 

[Wannabefree]

Fried okra, fried squash, fried apple pie, fried chicken, fried oreos, french fries, fried fish, fried fried fried....gotta love it!! I am SOOO Southern. I can't go 3 days without something fried. Catfish is the best, and of course you have to fry hushpuppies and french fries with that. NOW I'm hungry!!! So what exactly do ya want a recipe for? I'm sure I have one or ten


Fried pies, you just do regular homemade pie crust rounds, put filling in the middle, fold them over, and pinch the edges together and fry in butter, flipping in the middle of cooking time, usually about 5 minutes per pie, and they are DELISH!!!!

 

[Javamama]

Onion rings/straws and hush puppies would be first on my list. Actually I am making hush puppies tonight. I wish I had some tallow or lard. It's on my list...

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

When making french fries, cut the potatoes, then place in a colander and rinse well.
Then dry them with a towel.
This will give a crispy fry, and prevent the starch from getting into the fat.

 

[patandchickens]

I remember a breaded chicken nugget that my mom made on rare occasions when I was a kid....sesame seeds in the thick batter. I will make that soon.

That was the first thing I remember making in 7th grade home ec class... it became a mainstay in our family for a while, under the name of "Chicken Thingers" which I am pretty sure is not what the home ec teacher would have called it. Very very tasty I have the recipe if you need it, although it sounds like you have yours.

I need more ideas. What comes out good?

Eggrolls. Tempura anything. Squid (in light breading or batter). Hey free, make deep-fried cheese sticks!

eta: Could use some tips on determining proper heat of the oil without a thermometer, at least until I get a chance to go buy one....

What I do is stick a clean dry bamboo (has to be bamboo) chopstick into the oil and observe how the bubbles come up from the end of it. You want them coming up in a vigorous stream of many bubbles but not going berzerk, for my purposes; I do not know how this maps onto thermometer numbers. Trial and error, or buy a thermometer and compare for a while til you get a feel for it. IMHO the bamboo chopstick is the best method.

You can also toss a small cube (like 1") of fresh bread in and see how long it takes to brown; or flip a big drop of batter in and see what it does. I have hardly ever done the former; the latter I've done sometimes when I've been "between" good cooking chopsticks and had nothing else useful. Again it takes a bit of experience to judge, although I think if you google or read older cookbooks you can probably get someone's guidelines on how many seconds/minutes it takes an X size cube of bread to brown at each temperature.

I hardly ever deep-fry anymore though, b/c it goes through so much oil if you don't reuse it and if you DO strain and reuse it it takes so much fridge space

GOod luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[BarredBuff]

Fried okra, fried squash, fried apple pie, fried chicken, fried oreos, french fries, fried fish, fried fried fried....gotta love it!! I am SOOO Southern. I can't go 3 days without something fried. Catfish is the best, and of course you have to fry hushpuppies and french fries with that. NOW I'm hungry!!! So what exactly do ya want a recipe for? I'm sure I have one or ten


Fried pies, you just do regular homemade pie crust rounds, put filling in the middle, fold them over, and pinch the edges together and fry in butter, flipping in the middle of cooking time, usually about 5 minutes per pie, and they are DELISH!!!!

I cant beleive I left those out!! Fried okra, fried chicken, fried catfish are all favorites of mine!! Plus fried mushrooms (the dry land fish, nothing else)!!

My mom makes okra by dipping it in egg and then dipping it in Kentucky Colonel. Same thing with the chicken and mushrooms.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I found lard!!! The butcher in the next town over opened back up woohoo!

To check the temp when frying in veggie oils, flick a tiny drop of water into your oil. When it popped & sizzled away, the oil was the right temp. I don't know if this would work with tallow. Thoughts?

What veggies can be fried unbattered?

Potatoes, sweet potatoes (CHIPS!), okra, cauliflower, brocoli, green tomatoes, banana chips. Probably more of them.

Battered?

All of 'em Really though, onion rings, fries, any type of seafood, peppers stuffed with cheese, squash, zuchinni, eggplant (fried in cornmeal batter, they are similar to catfish fillets), cheese, hushpuppies, corn on the cob, scotch eggs.

How does one make fried pies? Can these be made with meat and used as a main dish?

You already got the method from Wannabefree, and YES they are lovely as a main dish. Think of your chicken pot pie recipe & put it inside a pie crust. Nom!
Oh, and if you use your kosher dogs, put a stick through the middle & dip them in a thick cornmeal batter, you get corndogs!

I miss breads...

 

[BarredBuff]

I forgot Fried Green Tomatoes!! You cant forget that!! Ithink you dip it in Egg then in flour or cornmeal.