Splattering Hot Oil

[Varmint]

I've fried a lot of food in my life. Chicken, fries, hush puppies, Moon Pies , but when I fried some chicken livers on Saturday, I had more pops, splatters, and explosions than I've had with any other food. The livers were put in seasoned flour, milk/egg wash, then bread crumbs. The oil was at 350. The reaction was volcanic. I have the ruined clothes and the burns on my face (just missed my eyes) to prove it.

Are some foods just nastier to fry, or was this just a strange occurence?

[Dana]

I'm sure some SSB will weigh in here shortly, but I think it has a lot to do with how much water is in the food you're frying. I never really thought about chicken livers having a lot of water, but I bet they do.

[Kevin72]

It seems to me that food not just with high water content but also with fatty deposits seem to spit and pop alot. Soft-shelled crabs are notorious apparently. I was also searing some pork spare rib meat in a layer of oil for a stew once and they practically exploded, showering fat everywhere.

[eunny jang]

I always thought it was the surface water content - the reason why they tell you to dry soaked potato batons for fries very well. When breading for deep-frying, I try to get every last spot and crevice of egg wash well-coated with crumbs to create an impenetrable crust the minute it hits the oil. Otherwise, bubble bubble toil and trouble.

Are you okay, Varmint??

[slbunge]

Interesting. The bulk of the liver's weight should be blood (e.g. high water content) and the tissue is quite porous by design. That must be a bad combination in the fryer. The hot oil must be able to penetrate the surface and come in contact with the water molecules. With pan frying you probably get sizzle wherever there is contact with the oil but since far less of the surface is exposed to hot oil, no volcano.

Was the volcanic response immediate and short lasting or did it seem to last all the way until they were cooked.

Also, forgiving the ruined clothes and painful (I assume) burns, were they tasty?

[spaghetttti]

Dean, I feel your pain -- it's happened to me a lot. This may be blasphemous, but I (ever so slightly) parboil my chicken livers before seasoning, dredging and frying. Pops and splattering are at a minimum.

I like to treat those pops on my face and hands with egg whites, how did you treat yours?

[Varmint]

I like to treat those pops on my face and hands with egg whites, how did you treat yours?

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With another glass of wine. The burns weren't bad -- so scars. Damn, I thought I was going to get that "GI Joe Look" after all, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

The livers were fine, but I'm not a huge fan of chicken livers. Something to have once in awhile, but not something I'm willing to risk my skin over!

[Mabelline]

My worst burn, despite 20-odd years of welding with hot molten steel for cryin' out loud, was a "popper" from chicken-fried steak that landed smooth in the middle of the arch of my foot. I still wear that warwound; at the time, I healed it with Bagbalm and a sock on my foot. That shit hurts!!! Does not stop hurting, and is a very good reason for some good scotch. Hope you're felling better today, Varmint.

[fifi]

I had this fascinating experience and reported on it over in the Carnitas thread. I recall that we concluded that superheated steam had developed in the chunks. That obviously didn't happen here but I am thinking that the livers must have had some "pockets" near enough to the surface to rapidly heat and pop. (I really don't like to think about a liver with "pockets" ) Do chicken livers always do that?

[Jason Perlow]

Potato latkes. They splatter like crazy.

[Mabelline]

fifi, I read about your carnitas experience, and I feel your pain. I am kind of suspecting these products that pull this on an unsuspecting soul are the ones you'd never think of. The 'Sinkers'. The sneaky ones that you you consider all-dried...Hell, I always let my chicken-fry air dry to prevent just that. Mebbe it's the critters getting their last revenge Older, smarter folks than me would say"Did you thank the animal for providing the food?" As I get older, I start using more of their beliefs. And my skin is proportionately thinner now.

Edited November 8, 2004 by Mabelline (log)

[phifly04]

Without a doubt my all time hated food to fry? the dreaded Soft Shell Crab lol still wearing battle scars from having these nemesis on the menu Dave s

[McDuff]

Without a doubt my all time hated food to fry?  the dreaded Soft Shell Crab lol still wearing battle scars from having these nemesis on the menu      Dave s

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try the damn things with green peppercorns in the pan with them. I fry nothing at home without a screen over the pan now.

[lambfries]

Soft-shelled crabs are notorious apparently.

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Not fun. I have the scars to prove it.

[cjs]

nasty little escargo! I still remember them for being notorious for exploding the exact moment I reached up to pull them out of the salamander! Also fried oysters.

[Malawry]

Nothing tops the soft-shell, in my experience. All those little legs popping steam...

Varm, sorry about your livers. I have some in the freezer I've been meaning to cook sometime soon and now I'm insecure about getting them in the heat.

[RETREVR]

Ever toss a few Icecubes in a deep fryer?

[rgruby]

This might be an excellent question to ask Harold McGee in his Q & A going on right now.

I've already posed a question, so if somebody else would ask him this, I'd definitely be interested in knowing the answer.

Thanks,

Geoff Ruby

[Malawry]

Ever toss a few Icecubes in a deep fryer?

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Have you??

[spaghetttti]

Why would you?

Edited November 10, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[RETREVR]

Ever toss a few Icecubes in a deep fryer?

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Have you??

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Don't try this at home. Toss one in there the next time you go to Wendys.