6
Crispy Chinese batter
• 75g cornflour
• 5ml vegetable oil
• 10g baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch salt
• water
Mix the egg, cornflour, salt and oil with enough cold water to form a creamy base on which to add either
egg and breadcrumbs or batter.
FRYING TIMES
Use these times purely as a guide.
Cook meat, poultry, and derivatives (mince, burgers, etc.) till the juices run clear. Cook fish till the flesh is
opaque throughout. Chips (french fries) and other vegetables should be crisp.
Chips (french fries)
•
Use a chipping potato, like King Edward, Cara, Maris Piper, Romano or Desirée.
•
Peel, cut, rinse, drain, and dry thoroughly. Don't put more than two layers of chips in the basket at a
time. For best results, cook in two stages:
Stage 1 – fry for 5-10 minutes (depending on quantity) at 170°C. When the chips reach pale gold, and the
outside is firm, lift the basket out of the oil, and leave the chips to drain and cool
Stage 2 – fry for 2-4 minutes at 190°C. When golden brown and crisp, remove from the oil, and drain in a
colander lined with kitchen towel.
Frozen chips (french fries)
Follow the instructions on the package.
Other vegetables
Many vegetables may be deep fried – onion rings, mushrooms, cauliflower florets. They can be cooked
from fresh or frozen, and should be coated.
FROZEN FOOD
•
Frozen food cools oil quickly, so fry a single layer at a time.
•
Shake off excess ice or water before adding the food to the oil.
•
Keep the pieces apart, or they'll stick together.
•
Use the highest temperature setting, and lower the basket slowly into the oil to reduce foaming.
•
When cooking pre-packed foods, follow any guidelines on the package or label.
Fish – frozen
You may fry pre-coated fish – follow the directions on the package.
Type
Temperature (ºC)
Time (mins)
Plaice
190
5 - 6
Fillets
170
10 - 15
Goujons
190
3
Scampi
170
3 - 5
Fish cakes - small
170
3
Fish cakes - medium/large
170
4 - 5
Whitebait
190
2 - 3
Fish – fresh
Fish has a high water content. Dry with paper towel, and coat before frying. Use whole, or cut into fillets,
cutlets or goujons.
