oven. This expansion brings lightness and crispness to
fried foods.- Protein coagulation. Cooking in hot oil precipitates the
rapid coagulation of proteins. Just as proteins set in a loaf
of bread or a pancake, giving it more structure and
rigidity, so do they set in the batter or breading coating a
piece of fried food. It’s this protein matrix—usually
comprised of gluten in a flour-based batter, or egg
proteins in a basic breading—that gives rigid structure to
fried foods, transforming the batter or coating into a firm
solid. - Browning and caramelization. The Maillard reaction—
the complex string of chemical reactions that gives flavor
and color to well-browned foods—as well as
caramelization—the similar reaction that occurs when
sugars are heated—take place rapidly at normal frying
temperatures. This is what gives fried foods their enticing
golden brown color and delicious flavor. - Oil absorption. As water is forced out of food through
evaporation, it leaves spaces behind. What moves in to
take the place of that water? The only thing that can: oil
from the fryer. It’s an inevitable part of frying, essential to
the flavor of the finished food. And, despite what many
books may tell you, frying at higher temperatures will not
reduce the amount of oil your food absorbs (quite the
opposite, in fact, see here).
Seem complicated? It’s not. The beautiful thing about deep-
frying is that once you’ve got the right amount of oil heated
to the right temperature, all of these things happen on their