Dear eGulleters, Thanksgiving is now over, for which I give thanks. My thoughts can now turn from highly technical subjects (like “how do I make something dry and tasteless into something moist and flavorful using only an oven?”) to more practical matters - like deep-frying! Deep frying is a mysterious black art for those of us who are unfamiliar with it. There is very little practical information on the internet about it. My Google searches returned plenty of information on deep-frying turkeys, but to my mind starting there is the equivalent of a reverse slam-dunk before you learn how to do a lay-up. My beloved Cook’s Illustrated mentions it fleetingly from time to time before returning to standard fare (“Nine Course Meal in 30 Minutes”, etc). My first experiments in home deep frying actually did take place over this year’s Thanksgiving, a holiday which is otherwise linked in my memory with dessicated turkey and sad, broken sauces. My fiancee and I made homemade doughnuts and some potato skin crisps. Strangely, after I fried my potato skin crisps (which were very tasty), I sniffed the oil and it had an unmistakable fishy flavor. But there was no sniffable fishiness before I fried the potato skins. Let’s discuss! 1) What’s the best oil for deep-frying, anyway? People say peanut oil – but where and how does one buy gallons of this stuff (especially in New York)? 2) And why does it sometimes turn fishy? What can one do to prevent this? 3) How many times do you reuse the oil before you pitch it? 4) How can you pitch it in a planet-friendly fashion? 5) What are your favorite things to deep-fry? 6) Any tips, tricks, etc to avoid blowing up the house and to encourage optimal fryage? Thanks, TK
