How to make an extra crispy breading for deep frying

[cteavin]

I'm thawing fish to make a favorite fish fry for tomorrow. The breading is made with besen, yogurt, water and selected spices. You can add egg but my teacher told me that it dries out the breading and his secret to make the coating for the fish crispy was to add a few tablespoons of rice flour.

This got me thinking, what are techniques for making the breading in fried foods crispy and what is the science behind it?

When I was in India I'd go by some street venders and eat crunchy fried vegetable snacks but the same snacks down the road, fresh out of the frier, were soft by comparison. Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japan says extra crispy but it's oily and soft. I suspect temperature has something to do with it but I wonder what ingredients make the better, crispier batter.

Any thoughts out there?

[HungryC]

Cream meal (an extra-fine cornmeal, though not quite as fine as cornflour) makes an excellent crispy coating for fried seafood.

[Norm Matthews]

Make sure the oil is around 325-350 degrees before you start deep frying. Try using half corn starch and half flour. A sticky batter using egg is also good.

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2  tsp.  salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. corn starch

[Edward J]

If you're brave enough, try deep frying in pure cocoa butter. Results are outstanding.

[cteavin]

If you're brave enough, try deep frying in pure cocoa butter. Results are outstanding.

It's not bravery, it's being willing to drain the coffers. To what temperature can you take cocoa butter?

As a boy, my mother used to use lard to try in and the results were sublime. A crispy crust has to do with the fat, the temperature, and the ingredients in the coating, but which are the best for producing a superior crunch?

[runwestierun]

There is an excellent table in Modernist Cuisine comparing batter ingredients and crispiness.

[Will]

Apparently, rice bran oil is good for tempura. I got a big bottle for ~ $10 at the Japanese market.

[TheTInCook]

I think besan tends to be naturally non crispy. I make some nice puffy vegetable pokara, and they lost their crispness in a couple of minutes.

[cteavin]

There is an excellent table in Modernist Cuisine comparing batter ingredients and crispiness.

I don't suppose you'd be willing to quote the top three?

[deepfryerdan]

When frying chicken I like to coat the seasoned chicken in self rising flour, dip the piece in an egg+milk solution, and finish them up with all-purpose flour, crushed unsalted saltine, and pepper mixture. Fry at 350 until golden brown.

[Kayakado]

I got a idea from an ATK recipe for goat cheese rounds. To achieve the extra crispy coating they wanted they used crushed melba toast. I've been using it with good results on fish and other coated fried items.

[David A. Goldfarb]

My grandmother made fried chicken with cornflake crumbs (which could be purchased in that form). Other crushed things that are crunchy to begin with like matzo meal or cracker crumbs also make really crispy breading.

[deepfryerdan]

My grandmother made fried chicken with cornflake crumbs (which could be purchased in that form). Other crushed things that are crunchy to begin with like matzo meal or cracker crumbs also make really crispy breading.

I have heard of the cornflake crumb breading. I haven't tried it yet but its definitely on my list.

[OliverB]

crushed potato chips work quite nicely as well :-)

[cteavin]

Well, I tried something really unusual -- and it worked!

I had left over idly batter and I fried a piece. Crunchy, but it had a slightly sour taste from the fermentation. I soaked the beans, added and equal amount of powdered parboiled rice and used that with some spices. It was almost too crunchy.

I don't fry foods often, but I will be coming back around to play with this one over the summer. If anyone else gives it a shot, let us know.

[nikkib]

Japanese panko breadcrumbs all the way....

[Blether]

I suppose it bears repeating, that "Japanese panko" are simply breadcrumbs.

Yes, they make a super-crisp coating, but they're not magic.

[nickrey]

Magic? No. But Panko are surely the best breadcrumbs I've come across for frying.

[Blether]

That's interesting. Do you think they're better than fresh-or-slightly-stale bread, crumbed at home ? Because I don't find that at all, and the commercial panko are quite a bit more expensive than grinding up bread ends and leftovers.

[antdad]

When flour, egg and crumbing just repeat the process.

[nickrey]

That's interesting. Do you think they're better than fresh-or-slightly-stale bread, crumbed at home ? Because I don't find that at all, and the commercial panko are quite a bit more expensive than grinding up bread ends and leftovers.

Perhaps it's a personal operator error with making home-made breadcrumbs but yes I do think they're better.

[nikkib]

I never have bread in the house fresh or stale so buying breadcrumbs is one 'shortcut' I always take and I find panko better than other brands.

[Blether]

I'll take your experience at face value, Nick - maybe it's so long since the few times I ever used the commercial stuff at home that I'm missing something.

I do know that if I go out and buy CBP bread for it, rather than whatever random mix of white & wholewheat home-baked I have on hand, I can't tell the difference (I have plenty recent experience, eating out, with panko-fried-stuff). For my taste, I don't think the CBP crumb is superior to properly-risen crumb. There is a difference in the resulting coating, but both can give great crispness.

[threestars]

Lots of good stuff to try on.