Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
632
Panfrying large quantities of the cuts mentioned is often too time-consuming to be practical.
For this reason, oven frying is substituted. With this method, meat is placed in wellgreased,
shallow pans with or without additional fat dribbled over it. Meats may be dredged
in seasoned flour or crumbs and cooked at temperatures ranging from 375°F to 400°F (190°C
to 204°C). The pan is left uncovered, and no liquid is added. Fricasseeing is browning in fat,
then simmering in fat.
Deep-Fat Frying
Deep-fat frying is not a primary method of cooking meats but rather is usually the initial step for
browning meats that will be finished by another method. For example, round steaks or pork chops
may be browned in deep fat and then finished in the oven. Meats should be coated or breaded
before deep-fat frying; the fat temperature should be kept at 350°F (177°C), high enough to avoid
overabsorption of fat and yet low enough to produce a tender product and avoid breakdown of
the fat. Meat that is to be deep-fat fried should be free of excessive moisture and loose particles of
breading. Moisture will cause the fat to spatter or bubble and will speed fat breakdown.
When meat is deep-fat fried, uniformly sized pieces should be loaded into the fryer basket
and lowered slowly into the hot fat. The fryer should not be overloaded because this will reduce
the fat temperature and increase the amount of fat absorbed into the meat (particularly important
when frying frozen meat). The meat should be cooked until the outside is properly browned
or until the cut is completely done. Cutting into a sample piece from the batch should check the
degree of doneness. When the meat is removed from the fat, the fryer basket should be lifted and
allowed to drain over the dryer kettle and care taken to avoid shaking excess crumbs from the
coating into the fat. Because salt hastens the deterioration of fat, the meat should be salted after
its removal from the fryer basket. Additional fat should be added during the cooking process to
maintain the correct frying level and extend the life of the fat. The fat should be brought up to
proper cooking temperature before more meat is fried. Frying fat should be filtered at least once
daily—more often if the fryer is used extensively or if breaded foods are cooked in it.
Frying
Fats used for frying (deep fat or pan) should have a high smoke point (the temperature at which
fat begins to break down, indicated by smoking). Fat is used in panfrying to keep the particles
of food from sticking to the pan. In deep-fat frying, foods are submerged in a vat of fat and are
totally surrounded by the cooking medium. Fat used for deep frying should be kept clean and
handled carefully. It should be filtered after each use and kept covered in a cool place. Fresh fat
may be added periodically. Kettles should be washed and dried. Fat that bubbles excessively
before food is added or that produces a gummy substance that collects on the frying basket and
heating elements should be discarded.
Use and Smoke Point of Fats
The quality of fat used for cooking influences the results of the cooked product. The fat chosen
should have a high smoke point and little or no flavor. Each time the fat is heated, the
smoke point is lowered. The use of high temperatures, especially holding fats at high temperatures,
reduces the life of the fat. Shortenings and vegetable oils that do not contain an emulsifier
have the highest smoke points. The best temperature for deep-fat frying is 350°F to 375°F
(177°C to 190°C). The highest temperature that should be used is 390°F (199°C). Olive oil,
butter, and margarine are not suitable for frying because of their low smoke points. Table 19.6
shows the smoke points of various fats.
Fats used in preparing baked items should be free of strong flavors or odors and should
combine readily with ingredients in the flour mixture. These fats include the following:
• Lard: used for making pastries and some southern-style biscuits
• Vegetable shortening: used for cakes
• Other shortenings: may be used for baking and panfrying