For success on the festival of oil, fry, fry again
Safety tips for stovetop deep-frying
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Print1. Use a deep pot or saucepan, not a skillet or frying pan. A pot that comes with a basket insert is preferable.
2. Face the pot’s handle away from the edge of the stove to reduce the chances of your knocking over a pot of hot oil. If possible, place the pot of oil on a back burner.
3. To reduce the chances of spatters or oil bubbling over, do not fill the pot or saucepan with oil more than halfway.
4. Heat the oil on a medium flame. Do not raise the flame.
5. Always use a long-handled, slotted utensil to submerge or retrieve food from hot oil. Wear pot mitts when touching this utensil.
6. Never submerge frozen, ice cold, or wet foods into hot oil as they may cause flare-ups.
7. To drain fried foods, lay down paper towels a reasonable distance from the flame so they do not catch fire.
8. Keep small children away from the stove when you are deep frying foods.
9. If the oil in the pot sputters or boils up, turn off the flame. Do not use that oil again.
10. When you are finished deep frying, turn off the flame and let the oil cool to room temperature before discarding it, preferably in a bottle or can with a top.
More on: For success on the festival of oil, fry, fry again
Several Chanukahs ago my husband came home with an electric deep fryer large enough to accommodate a 12-pound turkey. I’d heard of suburban folks frying turkeys in their garages, but because we live in a Manhattan apartment I was less than thrilled with the gigantic appliance — which I had no room to store.
That first Chanukah, however, I acquiesced to deep-frying a turkey, which turned out to be more delicious than you can imagine. The bird was moist on the inside and crisp on the outside, an achievement that anyone who has roasted a turkey can tell you is no easy feat. Surprisingly the bird didn’t taste greasy.
Better yet, the preparation time was reduced from several hours to 45 minutes.
