Comments on How do I fry donuts safely?
Parent
How do I fry donuts safely?
A handful of mishaps and a couple of oil burns has made me rather gun-shy about deep frying anything bigger than a cashew. This is especially true for something with water in it, like dough. (I have also tried a countertop "donut maker," but it makes donut-shaped cakes, not donuts.)
How do I get doughnuts into and out of hot oil without splattering? Do I need to accept the splattering and just dress sufficiently protectively?
Post
Disclaimer: I don't personally deep-fry anything either, but my relatives do.
Proper hardware is essential for this task. Standalone deep fryers suitable for use in a home kitchen can be found fairly easily for under $100. Even cheaper, one can look for a "deep fryer pot" (make sure a strainer basket is included) which is basically the same configuration but round (for a stove element) and without its own heating or controls.
There are four important features of this equipment that provide safety against splattering:
-
The oil is in a high-walled container which keeps any splattering directed upwards (and, in particular, prevents it from getting out onto the surrounding countertop, your clothes etc.).
-
The food goes into a separate basket first which is then lowered into the oil, giving much greater control.
-
The basket has a long handle - so as you lower it, your hands are well out of the aforementioned splatter path.
-
The whole setup has a lid or cover which can be set once the food is in place.
Although the strainer basket also allows oil to drain away from the food, this is not a safety feature. The food (and the metal mesh of the basket) will still be quite hot when retrieved from the oil. After allowing the basket to drain fully, holding the basket in one hand, use long-handled tongs (ideally with an insulated handle, but metal grippers - exposing food with hot oil on it to plastic or silicone is not a good idea even if no visible melting occurs) with the other hand to retrieve food and set it on a plate.
Aside from that, common sense will help a lot here - e.g. don't lean over the boiling oil to look at the food while it's cooking. Protective equipment isn't a bad idea, either, but it shouldn't be necessary (except maybe gloves; strainer basket handles aren't that long) with a proper deep-frying setup. It does help to avoid deep-frying food with a high water content - especially don't deep-fry frozen food; it will have dangerous ice crystals on the surface.
If you're still concerned, it's easy to look up videos of how the pros (restaurant chefs with commercial equipment) do it.
1 comment thread
0 comment threads