For seasoning vegetables, butter, marga¬
rine, bacon fat, salt pork or ham drippings,
chicken fat, and olive and other vegetable
oils are used according to preference and cost.
In this country it is customary to "butter”
vegetables, though margarine may be the fat
used, while in Italy the richness and flavor
would come from olive oil. Meat fats,
chicken fat, butter, and margarine are used
in many sauces.
For Frying. There are two general types
of frying. In one, the food is cooked in shal¬
low fat; this is referred to as frying or pan¬
frying. It is also called sauteing when only
enough fat is used to prevent sticking. In the
other type of frying, the food is cooked by
immersing it in fat. This is called deep-fat
frying. The advantages of these methods of
cooking are that practically no food nutri¬
ents are lost and flavor is developed by
browning.
Good flavor is desirable when fat is used
as a cooking medium, but of greater impor¬
tance is the amount of heat which the fat can
stand before it smokes. When fat smokes it
is breaking down chemically. If the heating
is continued at the smoking temperature the
glycerol (glycerin) is decomposed to form
acrolein, a substance irritating to the nostrils.
If acrolein is absorbed by a food cooked in
the fat, it is also irritating to the digestive
tract.
In both pan-frying and deep-fat frying the
object should be to cook the food through
and brown the outside, with the minimum
absorption of fat. There are several factors
affecting the amount of fat absorbed. Among
them are these: (1) the temperature of the
fat, (2) the length of time the food is in the
fat, (3) the amount of surface exposed, and
(4) the nature of the material being fried.
The temperature of the fat should be high
enough to cook the outside of the food so
quickly as to prevent fat absorption but not
so high as to bring about decomposition of
the fat. The longer the food is in the fat and
the greater the amount of exposed surface,
the greater the fat absorption. The use of
coatings such as egg, or batter containing
egg, lessens the amount of fat absorbed. In
such products as doughnuts, decreased sugar,
liquid, and leavening decrease the absorption
of fat during frying.
The temperature for frying depends upon
the size of the pieces and the condition of the
food to be fried, that is, whether it has been
precooked or is uncooked. When cooked
foods are fried it is necessary only to heat
through and brown them. In the case of
croquettes made from left-overs a higher
temperature can be used than with uncooked
food.
With doughnuts and uncooked food prod¬
ucts coated with egg or batter, a lower frying
temperature is necessary to cook the food
through before it becomes too brown. The
lower temperature may be used without
undue fat absorption if the coated foods are
permitted to dry somewhat before being im¬
mersed in the fat.
No food needs a deep-fat frying tempera¬
ture higher than 385° F. and most foods can
be fried successfully at temperatures consid¬
erably below this. It will be seen by studying
the smoke point of various fats (p. 138),
that hydrogenated fats, compounds, high-
quality lard, and vegetable oils, with the ex¬
ception of olive oil, may be heated sufficiently
high for deep-fat frying. Flavor and cost of
these fats, therefore, are the main points to be
considered in making a choice.
Page 136
Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
For seasoning vegetables, butter, margarine, bacon fat, salt pork or ham drippings, chicken fat, and olive and other vegetable oils are used according to preference and cost. In this country it is customary to "butter” vegetables, though margarine may be the fat used, while in Italy the richness and flavor would come from olive oil. Meat fats, chicken fat, butter, and margarine are used in many sauces.
For Frying. There are two general types of frying. In one, the food is cooked in shallow fat; this is referred to as frying or pan¬ frying. It is also called sauteing when only enough fat is used to prevent sticking. In the other type of frying, the food is cooked by immersing it in fat. This is called deep-fat frying. The advantages of these methods of cooking are that practically no food nutrients are lost and flavor is developed by browning.
Good flavor is desirable when fat is used as a cooking medium, but of greater impor¬ tance is the amount of heat which the fat can stand before it smokes. When fat smokes it is breaking down chemically. If the heating is continued at the smoking temperature the glycerol (glycerin) is decomposed to form acrolein, a substance irritating to the nostrils. If acrolein is absorbed by a food cooked in the fat, it is also irritating to the digestive tract.
In both pan-frying and deep-fat frying the object should be to cook the food through and brown the outside, with the minimum absorption of fat. There are several factors affecting the amount of fat absorbed. Among them are these: (1) the temperature of the fat, (2) the length of time the food is in the fat, (3) the amount of surface exposed, and (4) the nature of the material being fried.
The temperature of the fat should be high enough to cook the outside of the food so quickly as to prevent fat absorption but not so high as to bring about decomposition of
the fat. The longer the food is in the fat and the greater the amount of exposed surface, the greater the fat absorption. The use of coatings such as egg, or batter containing egg, lessens the amount of fat absorbed. In such products as doughnuts, decreased sugar, liquid, and leavening decrease the absorption of fat during frying.
The temperature for frying depends upon the size of the pieces and the condition of the food to be fried, that is, whether it has been precooked or is uncooked. When cooked foods are fried it is necessary only to heat through and brown them. In the case of croquettes made from left-overs a higher temperature can be used than with uncooked food.
With doughnuts and uncooked food prod¬ ucts coated with egg or batter, a lower frying temperature is necessary to cook the food through before it becomes too brown. The lower temperature may be used without undue fat absorption if the coated foods are permitted to dry somewhat before being im¬ mersed in the fat.
No food needs a deep-fat frying tempera¬ ture higher than 385° F. and most foods can be fried successfully at temperatures consid¬ erably below this. It will be seen by studying the smoke point of various fats (p. 138), that hydrogenated fats, compounds, highquality lard, and vegetable oils, with the ex¬ ception of olive oil, may be heated sufficiently high for deep-fat frying. Flavor and cost of these fats, therefore, are the main points to be considered in making a choice.