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Fry, To

There are two kinds of frying--wet frying and dry frying. A familiar example of the former is seen in the frying of fish, and of the latter in the frying of ham or bacon. To fry fish is to boil it in hot fat, and this operation is too frequently badly performed by those who engage in it, owing to ignorance on their part with regard to two or three points which require close attention. When well done it is a satisfactory mode of cooking not only fish but small portions of meat and poultry, and is generally well liked. When despatch is necessary, it is the most convenient method, as by its means heat can be made to act on food most expeditiously. The fat for frying, whether dripping, skimmings of saucepans, oil, lard, or butter, should be sweet, clean, fresh, and free from salt. The latter qualification is desirable, because salt keeps whatever is fried in it from browning properly. Fresh sweet dripping and the clarified skimmings of saucepans are to be preferred to any other fat for frying. Lard is not so good, because it leaves the appearance of fat on whatever is cooked in it, and this does not look well. Butter heats very quickly, and so there is danger of burning when it is used; it also requires a slow fire, but is not so objectionable if it is clarified before being put into the pan. Oil, which is often spoken of as the best thing for this purpose, is certainly very good, but it requires great care and experience. It should be heated gently over a slow fire, as it has a tendency to rise quickly and boil over, and it must have at least twentyfive minutes' heating before it is ready for use. All fat after being used for frying should be allowed to cool for a few minutes, and then should be strained through a gravy-strainer into a clean earthenware jar. The same fat may, with care, be used several times. When it acquires a dark brown burnt colour it is no longer fit for use. Care should be taken that fat which has been once used for fish should be kept exclusively for that purpose, and not used for anything else. The fire under the frying-pan must be clear, brisk, and free from smoke and flame. A mixture of cinders and coke make a fire most suited for this purpose. A handful of salt thrown upon it will help to make it clear. There ought properly to be two frying-pans for use in each kitchen--and one of these should be kept exclusively for fish. A proper frying-kettle is deep, and is made with a wire drainer fitting into it, which can be lifted in and out by handles. When this is not at hand, an ordinary iron stewpan may be used instead. Dry frying--that is, frying with a small quantity of dripping or butter--is done in a shallow frying-pan. Whatever kind of pan is used, however, the cook should see that it is perfectly clean, and free from damp and dust. It should never be more than half-filled with fat, for fear it should rise too high in the pan, and boil over. One great secret of success in frying is, to allow the fat to attain the proper degree of heat before placing whatever is to be cooked in it. For ordinary purposes the temperature should reach 345 deg. Fahrenheit. Fat is of the proper temperature when it ceases hissing, and is still. In order to be quite certain on this point, hold a small piece of bread in the pan for five or six seconds. If, when it is taken out, it is crisp and brown, put in immediately what you wish to cook; if the bread is burnt, the fat is too hot; if it is pale and soft, it is not hot enough. All fish which is to be fried requires a certain amount of preparation. After being washed and gutted, it must be well dried. To ensure this, it should first be patted all over with a soft cloth, and afterwards dredged with flour. The preparation should then be finished in one of two ways. The first is to dip the fish into an egg, which has been well beaten for three or four minutes, and mixed with a tea-spoonful of oil and a tea-spoonful of cold water, and then to cover it all over with bread-crumbs made from stale bread, which has been finely grated. The second is to dip it into a batter made of flour and water of the consistency of thick cream; this batter is improved by the addition of a beaten egg, though it is very good without. For inexperienced cooks the latter plan is much the best. It is well to have at hand some light brown bread-raspings, such as are used for hams. After drying, flouring, egging, and bread-crumbing the fish, sprinkle a few of these crumbs lightly over the top, and press them down with the fingers. They will ensure the appearance being good; and, if after cooking, any spot is deficient, sprinkle a few more on that place. The fat in which fish rissoles, croquettes, patties, cutlets, and all similar articles are fried, should be sufficiently deep to cover them entirely, so that they may truly be said to be boiled in hot fat. The time required for frying depends upon the nature of the article and the depth of the fat, so that no rule can be given. By experience the cook will soon be able to tell when it is done enough. Lastly, it must be remembered, that all fried dishes, when served without sauce, should be dried thoroughly before being sent to table. To accomplish this, wrap them in blotting-paper, or place them on a reversed sieve, or in a cloth before the fire, and turn them two or three times, so that each side may be equally dried.

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