Some of the most inviting Chinese foods like dim sum are deep-fried. Deep-frying is used to produce crisp-textured food. There are several types of deep frying. Raw ingredients might be lightly or thickly coated with cornstarch before being deep fried; or not being coated at all. Different methods produce different levels of crispness and tenderness on the inside and outside.

The commonest way of preparing deep-frying dishes is to cut the material into medium-sized pieces (or make slashes in case of fish desired to be served whole), soak in prepared seasoning or batter for a while, and fry in hot deep oil with the ingredient fully submerged. Peanut oil is recommended for its high smoking point or critical point, so are canola and corn oil. They can be reused for a couple of times. Butter and margarine are not suitable for deep-frying because they contain water and burn easily. Discard frying oils that have darkened in color, that flow more slowly than they did originally, or that foam to the top of the pot when you put the food in. Lard has become unpopular due to health reasons although it gives very interesting flavor to the dish. Read the rest of this entry »