Best way to hold deep-fried foods?
If I'm deep-frying foods and want to hold batches of them so I can serve a large amount all at once, or even prepare a couple hours ahead, what's the best way to hold them until ready to serve?
Should I put them on wire racks above a drip pan, or should I place them on paper towels? Or even in a paper cone?
Should I keep them warm or should I let them cool and reheat them in a very hot oven (450F)?
Or does it depend on the type of food, its shape, or the batter?
What I'm looking for here is someone who's done some comparison testing between different methods of holding over deep-fried foods. Some example foods: garlic & pepper shrimp, tempura vegetables, latkes, felafel, and french fries.
Best Answer
The method I used in the past (which might not be the best way) is to lightly fry the food initially, drain it of all oils, and put it in the refridgerator until it is almost time to serve the large amount of food. Then you can finish deep frying the batches. The initial frying will dramatically reduce the time it takes to refry each batch. I found this was the best solution for myself as I was able to serve hot and (almost)fresh out of the deep fryer food to a large group of people at lot faster. I think the result is way better than if you had to store the fully deep fried food for 2 hours and had to reheat it up somehow.
Pictures about "Best way to hold deep-fried foods?"
Quick Answer about "Best way to hold deep-fried foods?"
The best way to keep fried foods crispy? Just place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. If you're frying multiple batches, throw the whole setup into a low oven to keep everything warm as you keep frying and adding to the rack.How do you store deep fried food at home?
How To Store Fried Food ProperlyWhat is the best way to store fried food?
To keep fried foods crisp, drain as much oil as you can from the foods. Store fried foods in an airtight container on a paper towel to help soak up any excess oil. Do not put fried foods in the refrigerator before they are completely cooled, as the condensation will make the coating soggy.How do you keep fried food warm for a party?
If you are trying to keep batches of pancakes, waffles, fritters, or any deep-fried items warm, place them in a single layer on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to prevent them from getting soggy or soft. You may also want to loosely cover with foil to prevent the outside from browning any further.How do you hold fried chicken for service?
For those that are holding fried chicken at 145\xb0F, try holding instead somewhere in the range of 165-185\xb0F. By holding at a higher temperature, operators can increase the overall holding time of that item. For those that are holding fried chicken at 145oF, try holding instead somewhere in the range of 165-185oF.10 Deep Frying Mistakes most home cooks make
More answers regarding best way to hold deep-fried foods?
Answer 2
I haven't tested all of the methods you mentioned, but from my experience, there is some variation depending on the type of fried food you're making.
For latkes and falafel, I find that they turn out best if I fry them, place on a wire rack over drip tray or on a layer of paper towels, let excess oil run off for a few minutes, and then transfer to a low oven (100-150 F) to stay warm while I cook the rest. This works well for batches of dozens, but it probably not streamlined enough if you're making them by the hundreds (though it might work if you had help). Additionally, it depends on your hold time; I wouldn't do this if I needed to hold them for more than 45-60 minutes.
For vegetables (pakora is what I'm familiar with, which is similar to tempura but made with gram flour), I'd go with Jay's method. I actually double-fry them even if serving/consuming them immediately because I like that the second fry makes the veggies crispier, but par-frying, holding, and refrying is effective and scales well.
I would stay away from any method that lets the fully cooked food cool completely, so reheating in a hot oven is out. The only food I've managed to hold that way and not have it result in a gross consistency is a cornmeal-battered fried cod. Anything else retains a pretty unappealing mushiness.
Answer 3
The best and freshest/crisp method, would be the one Jay describes. Par-fry, refrigerate, and fry or bake to proper doneness. Freezing before frying is good only if you need your product to set correctly, i.e. breading mac n' cheese balls.
The only way to serve a large quantity hot and crisp all at once is to invest in mulitple friers. Otherwise, batch cooking is you're only option. That's why restaurants have designated fry cooks. Sorry, It's time consuming.
Answer 4
I prefer to pat them quickly on a paper towel to absorb excess oil and then put them on a wire rack over a sheet pan in the oven on it's lowest setting to stay warm. I think the answer to your question really depends on what your cooking though. The batter IMO makes a big difference. If your working with breading i think it generally stays fairly crisp in a low oven for a while but for something that is more batter-like (i.e. frito misto, tempura, fried fish) i find that it gets soggy no matter what I do to keep it warm since the point of a batter is to get as many bubbles as possible to make it airy and crispy.
Answer 5
I usually fry ahead (I don't like the mess or the smell), then let it cool. When guests start to arrive I warm up on plate at 225 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes and remove. Comes out fine. I don't believe in serving fried food piping hot. Hope this helps.
Answer 6
When I serve tempura for a large crowd I deep fry a few hours in advance, drain on paper towel on top of newspaper. When guests arrive I warm up tempura for 5 minutes in an air fryer and it comes out crisp. A convection oven should do the trick too.
Answer 7
Well, the absolute best way to keep deep fried foods is to deep freeze them BEFORE you deep fry them, than unfreeze and deep-fry away as you wish.
Out of my personal experience, you can't freeze or refrigerate deep fried foods after they have been fried - they loose their crisp or even become inedible. deep fried foods should be eaten straight after they have been fried! there's nothing more disappointing than eating a dry falafel ball (dry, cuz it was deep fried 2 hours ago...) or a shrimp tempura with rubber-like texture to it.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: ready made, Darya Sannikova, Farhad Ibrahimzade, Enric Cruz López