AGO.SET 2014
IV
the inside and the leakage of water.
Before you form the crust and less
oil will be absorbed by the food. It is
the so-called Maillard reaction that
triggers above 140 ° C.
They are few, but important, the
devices that make the difference
between a good fried crispy and light
and one dripping with fat, flabby and
indigestible.
The oils to be used between taste
and health
“There are two secrets to a good fry
- says Danilo Angè, chef, consultant
and trainer - the fats used and the
temperature of the fat, which varies
depending on what is fried. Normally
we use the fats that have a smoke
point [the temperature at which the
oil begins to decompose, ed] higher.
How lard: considered unhealthy by
doctors and dietitians, gives a good
fragrance. The extra virgin olive
oils among the most stable, is well
accepted by nutritionists but has
two problems: a high cost especially
for a certain type of food and also
the taste, which affects the final
preparation and that depends on the
cultivar. A light oil or Taggiasca del
Garda can be fine for everything; one
of the more intense flavor can marry
such as artichokes, but not shrimp. If
you do not want interference of taste,
there are seed oils, peanut, hazelnut,
which is also quite expensive, and
rice, very good, or even soy, which
I personally do not like it when it
warms gives off a fishy odor. Then
there is the mix of different seeds,
stable, because specially designed for
frying, such as palm and sunflower”.
By molecular cuisine comes a
curiosity; frying with glucose.
Purchased powder (among other
things it also costs a little) must be
dissolved in a little water to melt
between 160 and 190 ° C: ideal
temperature for frying. The slight
sweetish taste, which remains on the
crust so formed, can be used to affect
a bittersweet or avoided by wrapping
the food in a casing vegetable (eg a
leaf vegetable).
Re-use, re-use but how?
Fats and oils subjected to thermal
treatments undergo a complex
series of chemical transformations,
developing substances harmful to
health, such as acrolein. In addition
to temperature, which must remain
below the smoke point, these
changes are related to prolonged use.
But how many times can you reuse
oil? According to Angè there is no
absolute rule. “It depends on how
much and what is fried, the amount
and time of frying. If you fry it with
a batter or breading oil degrades
faster. However, there is a machine
with a probe inserted in the oil,
alerts you when it is degraded. That’s
an investment that I recommend to
those who fries a lot. “Moreover, as
noted by the circular of the Ministry
of Health, “an oil much used you may
already recognize by the browning,
viscosity and tendency to produce
smoke during frying.”
Special equipment
A “side effect” of the fry at the
restaurant is the effect of “fast-food
fry”, the smell of fried food that
is rampant in the room and scares
the customers. “To avoid this, there
are some things, - says Angè -. Use
aromatic oils and have a little suction
system efficiently, first of all. Then
there is a new deep fryer with a
lid that only passes the steam and
reduces 70% the escape of odors. A
timer controls the firing, but some
cooks consider it inconvenient to
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