Does adding alcohol to dough prevent it from soaking oil when deep-frying?
Some culinary books and, for example, this Wikipedia article, state that adding alcohol (usually spirit) to dough, it will prevent the dough from soaking oil when you deep-fry it. Does it really work? And if so, why?
Best Answer
Yes, it is probably true to a small degree, but irrelevant.
In any deep fried food, the rapid expansion of water as it vaporizes pushes the oil away from the surface of the food, preventing it from immediately penetrating during the entire frying period.
While alcohol may not have the same 1700 (IIRC) ratio of expansion in volume that water does when it goes from a liquid to a vapor, it will still offer some of the same effect.
The thing is, most oil that penetrates deep fried foods does so after the food is removed from the oil bath, as it cools. Alcohol in the dough would not prevent this.
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Quick Answer about "Does adding alcohol to dough prevent it from soaking oil when deep-frying?"
The thing is, most oil that penetrates deep fried foods does so after the food is removed from the oil bath, as it cools. Alcohol in the dough would not prevent this.How can we reduce oil absorption in deep fryer?
How to minimize the absorption of oil while deep fryingHow do you reduce oil uptake in fried products?
Coating has been used as one of the techniques to modify product surface. From the literature reviewed, soy protein isolate, methylcellulose, whey protein isolate and wheat gluten protein isolate showed to be the best materials for coating, depending on the substrate which can reduce oil uptake by 35\u201340%.Why is vodka in fry batter?
Because vodka is more volatile than water, it evaporates more quickly, which dries out the batter faster and more violently. That creates larger bubbles and even more surface area, in turn resulting in a much crispier crust.Does dough absorb oil?
Rubbing a teaspoon of the neutral-flavored fat onto the countertop works just as well as flour does to minimize sticking, and the dough readily absorbs excess oil without any negative effect on its consistency when either raw or baked.10 Deep Frying Mistakes most home cooks make
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