Vegetable oil stays in the background so you can taste other flavors.
You can safely and effectively deep-fry foods in a home kitchen using purified vegetable oil. The deep-fry cooking method surrounds raw foods in a hot oil bath to heat and crisp them to a golden brown. Frying oils with unfiltered particulate matter or a strong taste can alter the final flavor of the foods they cook. Refined vegetable oils have an ultra-mild flavor and high purity level that is ideal for cooking multiple deep-fryer batches.
Instructions
1. Remove the lid from a heavy Dutch oven. Place it on a stove burner set to medium heat. Pour vegetable oil into the pot until it is half full or approximately 3½-inches deep.
2. Lower a candy thermometer into the vegetable oil. Clip the thermometer to the side of the pot if possible. Cover the pot with a splatter screen.
3. Lift off the splatter screen when the oil temperature rises above 355 degrees Fahrenheit. Decrease the heat of the burner to stabilize the oil temperature at 360 degrees. Stir the oil gently with the metal spoon or spider to increase the accuracy of temperature readings.
4. Spread out sheets of thick paper towels in double layers next to the pot of hot vegetable oil. Hold the splatter screen between your body and the pot as you gently lower the raw food into the oil. Add one raw piece at a time to avoid crowding the pot and lowering the oil temperature below 350 degrees.
5. Turn the frying pieces in the oil to keep them from sticking to each other or the sides of the Dutch oven. Remove cooked pieces onto the stacked paper towels when they are evenly browned. Adjust the burner heat to maintain temperatures within 10 degrees of 350 degrees.
6. Season the fried foods with salt or spices and serve while they are still hot. Turn off the heat after the last portion is fried. Cover the pot with the splatter screen while the vegetable oil gradually cools to below 100 degrees.
7. Line a metal mesh strainer with a double-thickness of cheesecloth. Nest the lined strainer into a large clean metal coffee can. Pour the warm vegetable oil through the cheesecloth to remove all the small food particles.
8. Cover the coffee can of strained vegetable oil with the lid. Place the oil in the refrigerator. Reuse the filtered vegetable oil two or three more times for frying. Discard the oil if there is any noticeable flavor change.
Tags: splatter screen, below degrees, Cover with, Cover with splatter, Dutch oven, paper towels, with splatter
