Chef's Tips

Chef's Do's and Don'ts of Frying

Practical advice for producing fantastically fried food each and every time.

Despite being regularly criticised in the media as the major factor in the rise of obesity levels, deep fried food does not have to be unhealthy or tasteless. It can be a delicious way to cook food, if done correctly. However, too often, a lack of understanding and knowledge results in soggy, fatty and greasy offerings.

With Falcon, you don't just buy equipment, you also get the knowledge and expertise of our development chef to help you get the best out of your equipment. In this article he offers his do's and don'ts on frying:

Before you start. ensure:

• The fryer is clean.
• The fryer is dry. Water and oil is a dangerous mix and the resulting steam can burn.
• The fryer has the appropriate amount of oil. All Falcon fryers have guide marks (C and H) to let you know exactly how much oil is required.
• The food is not wet - always dry food prior to deep frying
• You use good quality cooking oil. The old adage of you get back what you put in is especially true in frying
• Oil must be fresh and clean.
• Always preheat oil correctly before frying.

DO:

• Skim and filter oil regularly to remove debris and impurities from the oil. Falcon offers a range of fryers with built-in filtration which makes filtering oil fast and effortless. 
• Keep oil covered if not frying. This prevents oxidisation, where the quality of the oil starts to breakdown.
• If frying without a basket always fry 'away' from you to avoid splashback.
• Always wear protective clothing, in particular it's essential to have long sleeves.
• Always allow oil to recover to desired temperature when batch frying. Waiting that extra minute to allow the oil to reach the appropriate temperature will be rewarded by the speed of cooking and quality of the fried food.
• Use correct oil temperature for each product.
• Cold oil must be filled to min or cold mark level, not more.
• Ensure the fryer tank/s are cleaned and thoroughly dried before refilling with oil.
• Filter the oil as regularly as possible.
• Follow user guidelines as to cleaning and operating.
• After service, let oil cool down, drop and filter oil.

DON'T

• Overfill the fryer (or basket) with food. This lowers the temperature too much, causing the food to go greasy.
• Fry at too high a temperature as the food won't cook, the barrier will burn instead, leaving the food inside still raw.
• Do not fry continuously at maximum temperature.
• Leave the fryer on when not needed as this wastes valuable energy and oil.

Getting the best food quality from your frying method

• Use fresh and chilled foods, opposed to directly from freezer
• Ensure only the best quality ingredients are used
• Where possible, only use fresh
• Take care to adjust the frying temperature to suit the food product
• Do not fry below 150°C - 160°C as this is not desirable
• It is not good practise to fry at maximum temperature either
• Let oil drain off when frying is complete, then drain of absorbent paper before serving

By following these simple points you can soon be serving up fantastic fried food that will have your customers coming back for more.

For advice on the best fryer to choose, please visit our Buying Guide section, where you will find an article on Choosing the Right Fryer for your Business.