Science: How to Make the Best Crispy Fried Food by Being Smart About Batters
Buy Cook’s Science today:
The Science of Good Cooking:
We take a closer look at the purpose of batters on fried foods. What do they do, and how do they work?
Related Recipe: Thick-Cut Sweet Potato Fries
Each week, the cast of America’s Test Kitchen brings the recipes, testings, and tastings from Cook’s Illustrated magazine to life on our public television series. With more than 2 million viewers per episode, we are the most-watched cooking show on public television.
More than 1.3 million home cooks rely on Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country magazines to provide trusted recipes that work, honest ratings of equipment and supermarket ingredients, and kitchen tips.
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America’s Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
I wonder if you can get nitrogenated water and if that might taste better/ smoother than CO2.
Ok. Great video, but where are the instructions and ingredients for making this wonderful looking batter?
currently frying some south indian potato right now its too late for me to fix my sins but i will enjoy it anyway 😀
This raises something I used to get on my soapbox about, but since nobody around me really cares, I don't mention it anymore. I have never took my family that shun fried food because they believe that it is absolutely terrible for you, and dritz or oozes oil all over the place. I have tried to explain to them that one food is properly fried, when the oil temperature is allowed to come back up after a batch of food is cooked, as long as the food is not overcooked fried food actually contains very little oil on the surface or in the coating. The reason a lot of fast food french fries and fried chicken are greasy is because the fry cook is in a hurry to meet deadlines, and often does not let the frying oil come back up to temperature before putting in the next batch. I fry at home quite a bit. Or at least more than most people. And I only lose a couple tablespoons of oil each time I finish a fry session.
That spacey music has got to go!
Very informative. Thanks Dan.
Science
So what'a the answer? Adding water? I have been using water for my batter all the while. My food is crispy but when you leave your food for 2 to 3 hours, it is not that crispy any more. I'm looking for solution on this.
any comment about gluten coagulating each other making batter more chewy not crispy?
You are the Chuck Bartowski of Food Science #Chuck
I don't think Dan has aged in five years
Thanks for the videos….actually gives us a detailed explanation but in a simple well-rounded form that the average person will understand
Thank you sooooo much
Thank you, now i can do the equivalent of bear bater with soda water 😚
I don't use achohal.
does this guys voice give anyone else a headache or is it just me?
If starches makes it crunchy.. How they always tell you to push sliced potatoes in the water to "wash off the starch"?
Crispy chicken ribs use potatoe starch add spice to your taste deep fry at 180c to 190c dont need batter but tastes like batter and healthier
Yet, that's not how the colonel does it. He just briefly soaks his chicken in 2-1 beaten eggs with milk mixture, and then dredges his soaked chicken in plain flour with his poultry seasoning and southern barbeque spies.
So, what causes my batter to fall off in patches from my country fried steak?
Whenever I encounter a cooking dilemma, I think of this channel.
can you compare the crispness of using different kinds of flour too?
Batters often contain bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate) or substitute self raising flour in order to generate the carbon dioxide to help with making bubbles.
thanks, Thai Lopez!
I wondered why pubs in the UK sell beer battered cod – now I know – thanks!
Not that informative. Why does flour, potato, and corn starch differ in consistency? Why do some ingredients need flour beforehand? Why is it important to season flour with salt? How does one produce air in batters? How does one tell if the consistency is good for different types of batter? Why is a corndog so different from tempura? :3 It's important. I've seen fellow employees ruin a good tempura batter by adding too much flour or not having enough air.
why is Will Graham teaching me how to fry things?
Eyy chocolate log. The only good thing to eat during Passover.
Is there any secret to making a batter that won't get mushy in the fridge the next day?
Very enlightening! Thank you so much for the video(s)!
for perfect crisp, add rice flour (and baking soda could help too).
add baking powder or soda in batter and see the magic
science behind cooking is great..
Great videos! More!!
DO COOKING SCIENCE MORE!
How do I put the crispness back into my cannoli shells? They were crispy when I took them out of the oil. I thoroughly cooled them before putting into an airtight container. After two days, they are not crisp…
I am so happy I found this channel
more videos like this! knowing the why behind the steps really does equip people to make more informed cooking desicions vs gut instinct
i taught him well.
Awww. Look at you senior editor!
Awesome!
I love how you said "This. Is the science of good cooking". Sound so cool lol