Wet vs Dry Fry Coatings

[Nunya Bidnits]

For pan or deep frying...

Since it's been a topic here lately, do you prefer wet or dry coatings?

Sometimes I like a full breaded coating, as for panko breaded shrimp, using
a combination of dry tempura mix, wet tempura batter (not too thick) and
panko, respectively, in three steps.

But yeah, it will be... bready. The panko adds a lot of crunch. But
sometimes that's too much breading, too thick, and without the puffiness of
the tempura it can get really heavy with more tendency to take on oil. And
then there's the issue of getting the food cooked through before the panko
overcrisps, so some foods should be warm to start with, chicken wings for
example. Also I find a much thinner wet coating is often preferable, as for
pan fried chicken, where all I want is a dry dredge in flour, then in milk,
then in flour again.

Or on the dry side, good fried chicken can be had by just seasoning it (I
always season the meat, not the coating) and dredging it in flour or cracker
meal.

Generally the rule is dry coating before wet to make sure it adheres.

Except that's not always true. Notbob posted about his catfish using a
Louisiana commercial coating. I've used it before myself. They tell you to
dredge WET fish in the coating and it works great. I've more or less
concluded that the dry before wet rule isn't hard and fast for seafood,
especially if it doesn't sit around.

And finally I find letting coated fry foods sit around after coating is
usually a bad idea. Dry coatings will get wet, especially if there is salt
seasoning the food underneath. Wet coatings will get sludgy and tend to
slide off, or take on shapes from whatever it is sitting on. All my
observations are based on a quick drop into the cooking oil after prepping.
I get universally better results than when I let the coated food sit around.
However I have never used the freezer to set a coating. (I have used it to
set filled pastry to be deep fried.)

MartyB

[Janet Bostwick]

On Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:29:31 -0500, "Nunya Bidnits"
<nunyab...@eternal-september.invalid> wrote:

>For pan or deep frying...
>
>Since it's been a topic here lately, do you prefer wet or dry coatings?

snip
I don't care for panko coatings. It is too crunchy/sharp and
interferes with the taste and mouth feel of the food item. I think
panko goes best with deep-fried vegetables like zucchini. I don't
think I would like it on something like deep-fried mushrooms.
I like the flour coatings best for meats.
Janet US
>
>MartyB

[Mark Thorson]

Nunya Bidnits wrote:
>
> For pan or deep frying...
>
> Since it's been a topic here lately, do you prefer wet or dry coatings?

I've tried both, and dry is always best
for a light coating. I've never had good
results from a wet coating, though I suppose
that would be best when you want a thick
coating like for onion rings. My attempts
at onion rings have all been disasters.

[Bregs]

On Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:29:31 -0500, Nunya Bidnits wrote:

> Generally the rule is dry coating before wet to make sure it adheres.

Blah, blah,blah, blah...all that "expertise" and the end results remain:


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[Travis McGee]

I occasionally make Scotch eggs. After encasing the eggs in sausage, the
recipe calls for them to be rolled first in flour, then in an egg wash,
and finally in dry bread crumbs (sometimes I use cracker crumbs).
Instead of deep-frying I bake them. It works fine, but I have always
wondered why the flour is used first; from this thread I assume it's
because it makes the rest adhere better.

[tert in seattle]

I got stuck at "encasing the eggs in sausage"

[Travis McGee]

These go well with honey mustard, and are pretty good cold.
Scotch Eggs

Gourmet | March 1991

Epicurious Recipe Reviews

yield: Makes 4 Scotch eggs, serving 4

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1 1/4 pounds bulk country-style or herbed sausage

1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

(I add 1/2 tsp each onion and garlic powder to the sausage)

4 hard-boiled large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 raw large eggs, beaten lightly

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

vegetable oil for deep-frying the eggs

In a large bowl combine well the sausage, the sage, the thyme, and the
cayenne, divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, and flatten each
portion into a thin round. Enclose each hard-boiled egg completely in 1
of the sausage rounds, patting the sausage into place. Dredge the
sausage-coated eggs in the flour, shaking off the excess, dip them in
the raw eggs, letting the excess drip off, and roll them gently in the
bread crumbs, coating them well. In a deep fryer heat 2 1/2 inches of
the oil to 350°F. and in it fry the Scotch eggs, 2 at a time, turning
them and transferring them to paper towels to drain with a slotted spoon
as they are done, for 10 minutes. (instead, I bake them, 45 minutes at
350 degrees)

[koko]

On Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:29:31 -0500, "Nunya Bidnits"

<nunyab...@eternal-september.invalid> wrote:

>For pan or deep frying...
>
>Since it's been a topic here lately, do you prefer wet or dry coatings?

Depends on what I'm frying

koko

--

Food is our common ground, a universal experience
James Beard

[tert in seattle]

> the oil to 350?F. and in it fry the Scotch eggs, 2 at a time, turning

> them and transferring them to paper towels to drain with a slotted spoon
> as they are done, for 10 minutes. (instead, I bake them, 45 minutes at
> 350 degrees)

aha ok gotcha thanks

[Ophelia]

"Travis McGee" <nob...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:yyY%v.343837$DX.2...@fx06.iad...

Yes! It is the only way I can get crumbs to stick.

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

[Ophelia]

"tert in seattle" <te...@ftupet.com> wrote in message
news:slrnm411i...@ftupet.ftupet.com...

<g> they are very popular but I don't like them much. They are too stodgy
for me:)

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

[Nunya Bidnits]

Seems like that is begging for some kind of sauce. Hollandaise? Or to be
more decadent, sausage gravy?

Now if someone could pull off scotch eggs with a soft yolk, I'd buy stock in
their company.

MartyB

[koko]

Here, you can do it yourself. Good luck ;-)

http://www.rocketandsquash.com/scotch-egg-success/

[Nunya Bidnits]

That looks tedious at best but they did pull it off quite well. Good for
them! Maybe I'll try it one day when I'm feeling masochistic.

MartyB