Thomas Keller's Favorite Frying Oil
BBC says fried chicken has been a U.S. staple for centuries.
Mary Randolph's 1824 recipe is the first recorded evidence of the meal, though it certainly existed in the American South in the 17th century.
Her fried chicken was floured, salted, & cooked in fat. Though it's still feasible to cook using lard, the bubbling bath that turns wet batter into crispy coating is usually filled with oil.
Each type of cooking oil has pros & cons for frying. Thomas Keller just uses one oil to make his crispy fried chicken.
MasterClass proposes using peanut oil to fry chicken. Peanut oil's high smoke point is arguably its biggest asset. Oklahoma State University says that oil's smoke point is the temperature before it breaks down & smokes.
Extra virgin olive oil smokes at 375°F. Peanut oil smokes at 450°F. High-temperature oils help the chicken's outside to get crunchy while preventing oil from seeping into the meat, according to Oklahoma State University.
Peanut oil's taste makes it ideal for frying. Peanut oil is moderate, according to the Peanut Institute. It also has a unique advantage over other oils. Peanut oil doesn't absorb the flavour of the food it cooks, so you can cook crispy chicken with other fried meals.
Peanut oil offers certain health benefits, albeit you shouldn't drink it. One tablespoon of peanut oil includes 11% of your daily vitamin E, an immune-boosting antioxidant.
Peanut oil's polyunsaturated fats reduce blood sugar.Some restaurants use peanut oil. Chick-fil-A Senior Culinary Lead Jodie Worrell said all of the chain's chicken was fried in peanut oil (via Chick-fil-A).
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