Tips for Pan-Frying

* I use canola oil and extra virgin olive oil (evoo) together for pan-frying.
Canola oil for the higher cooking temperature (burnt oil is not a good thing) and evoo for the flavor.

* When frying, the food needs only to visit the oil for a short while, not move in together. You don’t want the food to stay too long in the oil because then it soaks a lot of oil and you will end up with oily food (not a good thing either).

If you see that the food takes forever to fry, turn the heat up a bit and see how it goes. Adjust heat as you go along.

* Don’t overcrowd the pan with food/batter since it will lower the temperature too much which will end up with the food taking forever to fry, and then it will soak up more oil (and we have already covered that).

* If you don’t want the fried food to stick to the pan, 1) make sure the oil is hot enough by testing it with a little piece/batter in the oil. It should sizzle. 2) You can use a Teflon coated skillet, 3) or use stainless steel but don’t be tempted to turn the food over before it is done/browned. Take a pick by lifting the edge to see if it looks browned and releases easily from the bottom of the pan.


See recipe: Leftovers: Mashed potatoes turned into Light-as-a-feather potato pancakes