- Sep 25, 2020
- 246
- 194
I fired the fryer up. The machine works fine. It's easy to use. It holds a temperature perfectly when the food goes in. The hot gas coming out of the chimney is not as dangerous as I thought it would be. It cools a lot going through the oil. The thermometer was pretty accurate.
I fried two thighs, 4 wings, and two drumsticks. Then I made hush puppies.
The hush puppies fried up perfectly, but the recipe I took from Southern Living was not good. Not enough salt. No sugar in the batter. Not enough onions. Way too much flour. Next time, I'll go 3:1, meal to flour. I'm not sure flour is needed at all.
The chicken gave me trouble.
1. It stuck to the baskets. I guess I'll have to lower each piece into the fryer separately instead of putting them in the baskets and lowering them all at once.
2. I started at 350 because I thought the temperature would drop, but it did not, so the oil was too hot. The chicken got too brown. I turned the heat down to almost nothing, but it takes a long time for this machine to cool. Next time I'll shoot for 325 or 300.
3. The skin turned dark brown. I soaked the chicken in orange juice for acid, and this always worked in the past. I guess the ferocious heat of the fryer caramelized the sugar. Not sure. I'll use something else next time.
The fryer will save me work. That's for sure. I'm leaving the oil in it and sealing the bugs out with foil. No cleanup to speak of except for the kitchen mess.
Bayou Classic says to put the machine far from structures. That must be because it has no thermostat, and it can overheat and burn up. I plan to keep it near the house, because the alternative is to put it near the pool where kids can run into it at full speed.
I think I need to learn to cut up a chicken neatly, because the chicken pieces they sell here are huge and not suited for frying. I can get smaller pieces if I buy whole birds.
Sadly, the Louana oil I saw selling for $13 per gallon was nasty canola, so I spent considerably more for peanut oil.
I fried two thighs, 4 wings, and two drumsticks. Then I made hush puppies.
The hush puppies fried up perfectly, but the recipe I took from Southern Living was not good. Not enough salt. No sugar in the batter. Not enough onions. Way too much flour. Next time, I'll go 3:1, meal to flour. I'm not sure flour is needed at all.
The chicken gave me trouble.
1. It stuck to the baskets. I guess I'll have to lower each piece into the fryer separately instead of putting them in the baskets and lowering them all at once.
2. I started at 350 because I thought the temperature would drop, but it did not, so the oil was too hot. The chicken got too brown. I turned the heat down to almost nothing, but it takes a long time for this machine to cool. Next time I'll shoot for 325 or 300.
3. The skin turned dark brown. I soaked the chicken in orange juice for acid, and this always worked in the past. I guess the ferocious heat of the fryer caramelized the sugar. Not sure. I'll use something else next time.
The fryer will save me work. That's for sure. I'm leaving the oil in it and sealing the bugs out with foil. No cleanup to speak of except for the kitchen mess.
Bayou Classic says to put the machine far from structures. That must be because it has no thermostat, and it can overheat and burn up. I plan to keep it near the house, because the alternative is to put it near the pool where kids can run into it at full speed.
I think I need to learn to cut up a chicken neatly, because the chicken pieces they sell here are huge and not suited for frying. I can get smaller pieces if I buy whole birds.
Sadly, the Louana oil I saw selling for $13 per gallon was nasty canola, so I spent considerably more for peanut oil.
