THE KITCHEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7329, 15 February 1902, Page 3

THE KITCHEN.

The Art of Frying in Deep Fat. In the first place, the fat must be prepared for frying purposes. The pieces of fat trimmed off when making stew should be saved for this, but where these are not available, buy about 61b of suet and fat; this can generally be had at from 3d to 4d a pound, and as, when once prepared, it can be used over and over again, this initial outlay is not as formidable as at first r sight it may appear. , Cut it into inches about an inch long, . removing any skin or red bits ; place in a large old iron saucepan and cover with water. Put on the lidand boil for an hour, then remove the lid and allow the water to boil until it has all evaporated. This will be easy to discover, as the fat will, cease bubbling, and will become perfectly still. Care must be taken not to let the fat get overheated at this . point. It must be stirred frequently during the whole process to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. By using water in melting down fat it becomes whiter, and more good is extracted ; when it is ready it will look quite clear. Take off the" saucepan, let the fat cool a little, -and then strain it. If poured off while hot it would probably melt any soldered strainer and possibly crack an , earthenware pan. Any fat, whether cooked or uncooked, I may be rendered down in this wa/, but if ; oopked fat is -used, also, it should be put in* , later, and not with the raw fat. Beef and mutton fat, as well as the trimmings from cutlets, etc., can all be used. After fat has been used a few times, it is well, when it cools, but before it cakes, to pour some cold water on it ; this will clarify it, and the impurities will sink to the bottom, and can then be easily scraped off. Now that the fat is ready, there are a few rules to b& observed in frying. The first and most important is that the fat should be at the right temperature, that is about 345deg. Unless this point is attended to, failure will be the inevitable result. When people say that what is fried in deep fat is "greasy" their censure should fall on the cook, not on the method. Ther* is absolutely no greasiness when the fat is of the proper degree ot heat. Any suspicion of this -unpleasant quality shows that ft was not hot enough. It is, however, ea*y to test whether the fat is hot enough or not. It must .be quite still — it only bubbles when comparatively cool— and makes no noise. A thin blue vapour rises, and can be seen against the light; when this appears, the fat is ready, but . when it turns to smoke the fat is burning. : There must be sufficient fat to cover I whatever is beingifried. Too ,many fillets, rissoles, fritters, aigrettes, etc., should not be fried at once. Four or five at a time is best. If more are put in the pan they will reduce the heat of the' fat considerably. Fish, vegetables, etc., should be dry; for instance, potato chips must be dried in a cloth before they are dropped\in, otherwise they will be flabby, and nothing will remedy this. Fish should be egged and crumbed or rubbed with flour if it is. not . coated with batter. A frying basket is useful, but not essential ; it is not used for '. fritters and aigrettes, but for rissoles, cro- . quettes, fillets of fish, parsley, etc. It is convenient, as. they can all be lifted in and '• : out of the fat simultaneously, thus ensuring ; ; their being equally done, j Anything fried in batter, such as fritters, ; ; must be turned over with a skewer when • the under side is a pale golden colour, as 1 j they become so light that they rise to the ! top. ' i Care must be. taken to drain everything : on kitchen paper before frying it. Fried parsley is always used as a garnish for fried ; iish and rissoles. When drained, sprinkle ' . it with a little salt. Sweets and savouries, ■ fish and flesh can all be fried in the same I fat, provided it is hot enough before they ' ( are put in to cook. When this is observed ! ! no disagreeable taste will be communicated \ ' from ane to the other, but where it is disi regarded the results are lamentable. i The test of good frying is crispness and ■ freedom from grease.