Deep Fry Temperatures

I'm looking for some good general information on deep frying. I'd love a good food type/temperature/time chart much as has been created for sous vide cooking.

I'd also like to know if there are home deep fry devices that can get beyond a claimed 375 degrees. Last night I tried to deep fry some chicken legs that I'd cooked sous vide. I was using a Sunbeam deep fryer I'd inherited a few years ago. It was maybe 10 years old but had never been used. I set it for its max temperature, 375.

The legs were hot out of the sous vide pouch at 160 degrees. I dried them thoroughly and put them in a the fryer. Even though they were hot to begin with, they never really browned. I wish I'd thought to check the temperature of the oil but that didn't occur to me till after I'd cleaned the machine.

Should I consign this machine to the trash and use my pressure cooker pot or another deep pot for deep frying? And again, is there a general way to know what temperature to use for various food types?

Thanks,

Art

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Comments

Johan_Edstrom_5586

This is difficult in a home kitchen. The problem as it has been explained to me is really that home friers do not have the Umph necessary being on 110/120V, they don't retemp fast enough nor can they handle enough volume of oil. They aren't necessarily that exact either. I was recommended here if possible to just use a pot on an induction stove, that works just fantastic.

Tim_Sutherland_52834

I use a Lodge 9Qt cast iron Dutch oven, filled with a gallon of peanut oil and placed on the induction cooktop. By mistake I had the oil just starting to smoke (~450°F/230°C) because I had the burner too high and turned my back for a minute. This setup is better than any 110/120v stand alone deep fryer.

ejf12009

That's a lot of oil. Do you filter and reuse?

Cheryl_71360

I had the same situation as you a while back. The unit I had never would get over 375F and that just wouldn't work for my homemade pig skins. I stick with my cast iron for shallow frying and SS for deep frying. This really works for me because I don't always need a giant pot of oil to deep fry in so I can choose my size. I strain my oil through paper towels and a sieve to get it really clean so I can reuse it several times. Peanut oil is quite expensive so it's definitely worth taking the time to strain it.

Brendan_Lee_56950

You should always filter and reuse. Old oil fries so much better than new oil

Paul_3019

A wok is good for deep frying.

Tim_Sutherland_52834

Yes filter and reuse. You need a lot of oil so the temp does not drop too much when putting food in. The old oil also browns the food better.

If I'm going to fry a bunch of seafood, the oil usually is not after that as the seafood flavour can get in the oil.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

I use slightly less, but filter and store in one of these.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3LJDE0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

tshewman

Cheryl, you are the first I've seen post on straining through paper towels. I presumed this was common. It really is an inexpensive efficient method for deep fry oil (IMHO). Navigating the pour from the cast iron pan was previously a challenge, but I find using binder clips over a jar or measuring cup works well.

Cheryl_71360

Yea, it sure is a good way. There's no way you're gonna get the tiny bits out. If I use three towels and let it strain through slowly I get super clean oil. I guess great minds think alike!!

tshewman

Or fools seldom differ. ;-)

ejf12009

What is your filtering process?

ejf12009

Does using more oil also limit production of funky flavors? I notice that if I eg fry some sous vide steaks at high temperature the oil smells a little off afterwards.

bkeene12

You and I must of owned the same piece of crap deep fryer. I ended up tossing mine and got a Tramontina Deep Fry pot- it works SOOO much better.

Just be sure to strain your oil regularly as Cheryl recommends below. Oh yeah, one more good tip- if you make the sous vide fried chicken, when you go to clean up your oil- save that roux at the bottom (yes roux). You can get it a nice dark brown right there in the pot, add some green peppers, onions and celery and make a bad ass creole/cajun with some andouille and shrimp. I am assuming everyone has a handle on everything else that needs to go in the pot but you get the idea- it was quite tasty.

Cheryl_71360

I think that's called fond.

bkeene12

I am not sure how this gunk would be classified. The part I am referring to is the copious amount of cooked flour resting on the bottom of the deep fry pot when you pour off the oil to clean it... not necessarily what is stuck to the bottom of the pot itself.

Unlike a roux, which would be cooked flour exclusively, this mixture is inevitably going to have the good bits of flavor that were squeezed out of the chicken during deep frying. That said, I am not really sure if it is a fond or a roux so perhaps we will call it "fondroux".

allan.balliett

Jesus, is there a container nearly as effective as this one but costs a lot less? Thanks, Johan, for showing me how little I know!

allan.balliett

Bobby - Are you able to keep your oil hot enough on those little burners?

bkeene12

They're modded- each is pushing 15000 BTUs. The gas company LOVES me!