How to keep breading on the meat

[Suzanne F]

On the Schnitzel thread, achevres asks how to keep the breading from coming off when the breaded item is cut after cooking. We're talking mostly about breading "a l'anglaise," that is, flour then egg then crumbs.

I can think of four ways, three of which require action before cooking, and one after:

First, the cause of breading falling off is steam that builds up between the food and the crust, so make sure that the food is DRY before you flour it. If there is juice exuding from the food, blot it off. This may seem counter-intuitive, but a piece of meat or fish has enough internal moisture to hold onto the flour, which holds on the egg, which holds on the crumbs.

Second, I don't like to put water in my egg wash for that reason. No added water = less steam. I prefer plain egg, or if HWOE is in anti-cholesterol scare mode, an "egg product" like Egg Beaters. Not my choice, but I love him.

Third: as Marlene said in the schnitzel thread, let the breaded food sit in the fridge for a while before you cook it. Uncovered. This gives it a chance to dry some more. I don't go with freezing, because that just encourages the food to give up moisture once it hits the hot pan. (Croquettes are a different story.)

And finally: after cooking, rush that stuff right out onto peoples' plates! The longer it sits, the more likely it is to collect steam under the breading.

So remember, steam is the enemy of crunchy fried breaded foods.

Edited October 15, 2004 by Suzanne F (log)

[irodguy]

All good points. Just one added point:

Make sure you have good coverage on your egg wash. It's typical that people will break a single egg and call it egg wash. You need enough to thoroughly cover your meat ... If you don't have egg wash coverage your breading will not stick properly.

The other issue is people who leave to much flour on after the initial flour dredging. Make sure you have good flour coverage, but not clumps of flour. This will again lead to food becoming "de-breaded"

[achevres]

Thanks Suzanne! Here is my original question:

How do you keep the breading stuck to the meat? I have done flour-egg-crumbs and just egg-crumbs and also corstarch-egg-cornstarch (for a lemon chicken recipe) and the breading always separates when the meat is cut into. I have had improvement by partially freezing the coated meat--but not complete success. Should I freeze completely? Commercial breaded meats, like chicken fingers, do not have this problem. Does anyone know the the trick?

I'll add that I always use whole egg (but of course) and that the type of crumbs have not made much difference. Panko is (are?) my new favorite.

[Suzanne F]

Thanks for the "full coverage" reminder, irodguy. Yes, indeed.

For the record, egg whites by themselves also work. And -- purists, look away lest I shock you : mayonnaise, without the flour undercoat, also works.

[Mayhaw Man]

So does a nice even coating of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Especially on seafood like fish filets or shrimp. The effect is very nice, and not overwhelming at all. Try it some time.

[eunny jang]

Sesame oil mixed with wasabi is good for Asian-ish foods.

A quick note in addition to Suzanne's excellent primer above: I always season every "step" of a bound breading - flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. I think a lot of people forget to do this, but I like to think it helps (in a subtle way) with flavor coherence.

[irodguy]

Many restaurants let breaded meats sit in the walk in over night. In practice one to two hours in your fridge should be fine.

The only reason for a freeze is when doing things like a Potato encrusted chicken/fish etc. Many moons ago in a country far far away when I worked as a chef we used to do a herb potato encrusted chicken. We would throw them into the freezer over night. We would prepare them by a stint in the deep fryer and then into the oven.

[fiftydollars]

For the record, egg whites by themselves also work. And -- purists, look away lest I shock you  : mayonnaise, without the flour undercoat, also works.

←

Good point! I had forgotten about the egg white coating my mother used to put on her chile rellenos.

I'll have to try the mayonnaise... it sounds interesting.

[Suzanne F]

I did the mayonnaise thing tonight on a couple of shoulder pork chops (inspired somewhat by the thread that inspired this one), and it worked quite well. But I learned something. Usually I'll just spread one side with mayo, place the food mayo-side down on the crumbs, pat it down, spread mayo on the naked side, flip it, and pat down again. Tonight after spreading the mayo on the first chop, I sprinkled on a spice rub before plopping it on the crumbs. The crumbs didn't adhere nearly as well as they normally do. So when I did the second chop, after sprinkling the spices, I smeared them into the mayo. That worked just fine.

Then browned the chops on top of the stove in just a little oil, finished cooking them in the oven. A LOT of fat melted out/off, so I'm not concerned that using mayo adds any extra fat that stays with the dish.

[naguere]

For extra crunchy, complete coating. After flour, egg, breadcrumbs, pass it through the egg and breadcrumbs again., and of course, rest for some time in a cool place.

[Jinmyo]

So does a nice even coating of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Especially on seafood like fish filets or shrimp. The effect is very nice, and not overwhelming at all. Try it some time.

←

True. (Though overpowering for many kinds of fish and for very large and expensive shrimp.)

[hannahcooks]

I added a little oil to the egg wash the last time I made chicken fingers (per Cook's Illustrated- flour, egg+oil+s+p wash, followed by panko) and I was amazed at how well the breading adhered- it formed a perfect coating.

[scott123]

I haven't seen the schnitzel thread, but if you leave the meat uncovered in your fridge, it helps to:

A. Put it on a paper towel

B. Flip it after half of the duration has passed.

I do this with all my steaks. It's my own kind of 'dry' aging. Jeffrey Steingarten talks about doing it with a fan for weeks, but I do mine for just a day or two. I'm very happy with the browning I get.

[helenjp]

I added a little oil to the egg wash

Interesting! I was mulling to myself on the earlier comment about not adding water to egg wash. I add a very little milk to the egg, and find that it helps the egg adhere to the meat. Maybe the fat content? I'll be interested to try oil.

[Marco_Polo]

My Korean grandmother had a good tip for making fried jon (just flour and egg, no breadcrumb): when mixing the eggs for the egg wash, use your hands to mix the eggs vigorously, not a fork or a whisk, which add too much air. The air is what causes steam which in turn causes the coating to lift.

[achevres]

These are all great tips. Thanks to everyone. I can't make them again until next week, but this this is what I have so far (all attempts to take moisture and air out of the coating):

1. Dry the meat extra well

2. Season every step (meat, flour, egg, crumbs)

3. A little oil in the egg wash, no whipping air into the egg, no skimping on eggs

4. Dry the coated meat in the fridge, on paper towels and uncovered and dry both sides.

5. A lot of us like panko crumbs

How long should I dry coated meat in the fridge?