Chicken Wings and Deep Frying

[Eel O'Brian]

We bought a deep fryer today. I don't eat a ton of fried foods, but I love some chicken wings. I like mine "naked" (no breading). For those of you who do up your own wings, what's the optimum temp/time for cooking up batches of 6? I did 10 mins at 375, but I think I may have overcooked them a bit. Also want to make my own fries and onion rings, because fuck cooking fries and onion rings in the oven. Any good recipes, tips, etc for deep frying?

[huckleberry]

10 minutes is too long but 375 is the right temp. We set a timer for 6 and then base it on color past that.  Might be a good idea to test the temperature of your deep fryer too - most of the ones I have seen have terrible internal thermometers.


As for fries - just cut the potatoes and then wash the starch off. Then soak them in water to help pull out more of the starch (this will help make them crispier). Just make sure they are patted dry before deep frying. Fry to a golden brown and season immediately.

[Mupepe]

I do wingettes/baby wings for 6 minutes at 375 and the large wings for 8 minutes at 375.

fries I do for 5 minutes at 375 with the above advice but I also like to soak mine in ice water to get them really cold. I've found that helps with getting a crispy texture

[Eel O'Brian]

Thanks for the fries tips, mine never got golden. Yeah, I was reading all kinds of times for wings, anywhere from 8-15 minutes, so I split the difference. I think 7-8 mins is probably optimum for the fryer we bought.

We decided to do a fried food blowout tonight, so we made chicken wings, beer-battered onion straws, shoestring fries, and sweet battered banana pieces. Wings were a bit overcooked, but the skin was crispy. I thought the onion straws were too greasy, so next time I'm going with a traditional cornmeal batter. Fries came out okay, but I never got the brown I was looking for, so I'll follow both of your advice next time. Bananas sprinkled with powdered sugar were fuck awesome.

All that fried shit made me lightheaded, though, so it's gonna be a once a week thing from now on

[Mupepe]

Now that I'm carb back loading I do fries 5 nights a week

to be honest, if you can find a decent brand of frozen fries (I buy mine from trader Joes) the difference between them is minimal. The frozen are just a lot less of a hassle. Fresh is of course better, its just not worth it to me when you factor in time.

[huckleberry]

malt vinegar + home cooked french fries   

[Human Snorenado]

NSA surveillance of Eel cooking tonight

[Dickie Dee]

Have you tried double frying the fries?

[CrystalGemini]

DUDE.  Do fish and chips next!


Or any whole fish.  Like fry it till the bones are crispy enough to eat (like a chip).  Any flat fish or small fish works well.

[CrystalGemini]

HOLY CRAP.  You know what else you should do?  Filipino food: lechon kawali (pork belly), crispy fried pata (pig knuckles), lumpia (I'm not a huge fan but white people love the stuff)...etc.

[CrystalGemini]

And then make BEIGNETS.

 

[parallax]

DUDE.  Do fish and chips next!
Or any whole fish.  Like fry it till the bones are crispy enough to eat (like a chip).  Any flat fish or small fish works well.
(Image removed from quote.)

damn, that makes me want some fried sandabs.

[CrystalGemini]

AND if you're adventurous, deep fried pig intestines are seriously one of my favorite foods in the world.



LOVE deep fried tofu straight out of the oil.  It burns but it's so goooood...

Especially with some chili sauce.

[Positive Touch]

DAMMIT crystal, youre making me look into deep fryers when i am way to broke to get one right now. plus its not even 9 yet and im craving some delicious cruncy meat fuuuuuuuu

[tehjaybo]

If you don't have a deep fryer, you can just use a deep pot and pour in oil.  That's what we do.  Throw in some battered chicken, whip up a packet of General Tso's sauce mix, add rice and

Also, get some of those pre-cooked meatballs from the freezer section and thaw, batter, and deep fry.   

[Positive Touch]

wait do you just put a little oil in? or do you need enough to submerge the meat in?

[Eel O'Brian]

i think i'll try some of that filipino food

[Eel O'Brian]

Have you tried double frying the fries?

i read about that, will try it next time

i also read double frying wings helps lock in the moisture

[Barry Egan]

those pig intestines look unreal...gotta find some place in the city that will serve me a batch.

[parallax]

those pig intestines look unreal...gotta find some place in the city that will serve me a batch.

cant fuck with pig intestines. chitlins smell has ruined that.

[CrystalGemini]

those pig intestines look unreal...gotta find some place in the city that will serve me a batch.

Which city?

cant fuck with pig intestines. chitlins smell has ruined that.

Overall my experiences with pig intestines fried Chinese style have not been nearly as stinky as American style braised(?) chitlins.  Also depends on how well they clean it obviously.

[CrystalGemini]

If you don't have a deep fryer, you can just use a deep pot and pour in oil.  That's what we do.  Throw in some battered chicken, whip up a packet of General Tso's sauce mix, add rice and

Also, get some of those pre-cooked meatballs from the freezer section and thaw, batter, and deep fry.   

I usually use a wok - it saves a lot of oil and take less time to heat up due to the shape.  It's a pretty great multi-purpose cooking vessel.

[Barry Egan]

those pig intestines look unreal...gotta find some place in the city that will serve me a batch.

Which city?

NYC

[Brehvolution]

We used to have one. It was called a Fry Daddy. We would have Fry Daddy Fridays where we would raid the frozen food section for wings, onion rings, breaded mushrooms, fries, etc...

Plantain chips are excellent. Buy a plantain and slice it up. Looks like a banana but tastes almost like a potato.

[Mupepe]

Let the plantain age until it starts to turn brown/black and then pan fry long slices of it.  Put some powdered sugar on it too.  Delicious!  The older they get, the sweeter they get.

[CrystalGemini]

those pig intestines look unreal...gotta find some place in the city that will serve me a batch.

Which city?

NYC

Oh....  Sorry I can't help you. 

[Eel O'Brian]

made these krispy kreme knockoffs tonight



i'm going to die

[brawndolicious]

oh m'lawd, you have to eat them all before they get stale too.

BTW, does filipino food taste a lot like cajun? It looks pretty similar.

[CrystalGemini]

BTW, does filipino food taste a lot like cajun? It looks pretty similar.

Seriously not AT ALL - see below for reference pics.  Not a whole lot of strong seasonings or hot spice like with cajun food.  Santa Cruz is a horrible place to get "ethnic" food but if you're ever in the East Bay I really like Dampa in Castro Valley.

Bulalo (beef marrow soup)


Buttered Garlic Shrimp


Ginataang Hipon (shrimp and eggplant in coconut milk)


Different types of grilled/steamed fish, etc, etc:

[etiolate]

RE BANNANERS: I don't deep fry my bananas/plantains, but I fry them in a mix of bourbon. white wine and butter, then toss some thai chili peppers in.

[Eel O'Brian]

Tonight we did chicken wings again, and I tried the double-fry method. PERFECT. Fry all your wings the first time for 8 minutes at 250. This poaches the meat and breaks down the fat in the skin. Drain and let them rest on some paper towels. Bring your oil back up to 375-400 (our fryer only goes up to 375).  When the oil is hot enough, fry each batch again for 2-4 minutes until skin is golden brown, then toss in your sauce. Crispy skin, moist and tender inside.

[Human Snorenado]

huh huh... you said "moist"

[Mupepe]

I did fries again last night.  I grabbed a bag from Trader Joe's.  4 minutes at 375 made perfect fucking fries.  crispy as fuck outside and soft as hell inside.  Even after sitting out for 30-40 minutes it was able to maintain that.  Loved it.

[Steve Contra]

Fish and chips is always one of things I order and then 2 minutes in I think "why the fuck did I order this shit, fish and chips are terrible".  It's the absolute nadir of cuisine, taking good fish and frying it and pairing it with other greasy shit.  I've done it like 10 times now. :'(

[Steve Contra]

Nope, they're terrible.  Shit pub food for unrepentant fatties.  It's one of the reasons British food has the stereotype of being so terrible.

[Mupepe]

yeah.  burgers and chips is where it's at.  Uncultured swine.

[Dickie Dee]

Fish and chips is always one of things I order and then 2 minutes in I think "why the fuck did I order this shit, fish and chips are terrible".  It's the absolute nadir of cuisine, taking good fish and frying it and pairing it with other greasy shit.  I've done it like 10 times now. :'(

but the tartar sauce

[chronovore]

Fish and chips is always one of things I order and then 2 minutes in I think "why the fuck did I order this shit, fish and chips are terrible".  It's the absolute nadir of cuisine, taking good fish and frying it and pairing it with other greasy shit.  I've done it like 10 times now. :'(

but the tartar sauce

No, fish n chips are malt vinegar, not tartar sauce.

Heathen.

[Dickie Dee]

Eschaton knows what's up

[Positive Touch]

stop trying to do it at home and just to to long john silvers. thats the real deal. make sure you get the one with the fish AND the chicken too

[Cerveza mas fina]

Eschaton knows what's up

drizzle the malt vinegar on lightly, dip in tartar. Is there some other way of doing this?

It depends really. If you get your fish and chips from the local chipper how baby jesus intended then you will only get vinegar.

If you eat fish and chips in a restaurant you might get tartar sauce.

[CrystalGemini]

Can't believe I just thought of this: deep fried fish roe.  I usually make it pan fried but I bet deep fried would be awesome too!