On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 315

surface In shallow-fat frying, pieces of meat are cooked in enough melted fat or oil to bathe the bottom and sides of the meat; in deep-fat frying, there’s enough oil to immerse the meat completely Heat is transferred from the pan to the meat by way of convection currents in the fat or oil These materials are less efficient than both metal and water at transferring heat, and yet more than twice as efficient as an oven This thermal moderation, together with the ability to contact the meat evenly and intimately, makes fat frying an especially versatile technique It’s used primarily for poultry and fish, everything from thin fillets and chicken breasts to whole 15 lb/7 kg turkeys, which take something over an hour to cook (compared to two or three hours in the oven) The usual cooking temperature ranges between 300 and 350ºF/150 and 175ºC The oil starts out near 350º, cools when the meat is introduced and its moisture begins to boil and bubble away, then heats up again as moisture flow slows and the burner heat catches up The temperature is high enough to dehydrate, brown, and crisp the surface, while the gradual movement of heat into the meat gives the cook a reasonable window of time in which to stop the cooking while the meat is still moist The Keys to Crisp Skin One of the special pleasures of a wellcooked bird is its crisp, rich skin The skin of birds and other animals is mainly water (about 50%), fat (40%), and connectivetissue collagen (3%) In order to crisp the skin, the cook must dissolve the leathery collagen into tender gelatin in the skin’s water, and then vaporize the water out of the skin The high heat of a hot oven or frying pan does this most effectively; slow cooking at a low oven temperature can desiccate the skin while its collagen is ... wellcooked bird is its crisp, rich skin The skin of birds and other animals is mainly water (about 50%), fat (4 0%), and connectivetissue collagen (3 %) In order to crisp the skin, the cook must dissolve the leathery collagen... gradual movement of heat into the meat gives the cook a reasonable window of time in which to stop the cooking while the meat is still moist The Keys to Crisp Skin One of the special pleasures of a wellcooked bird is its crisp, rich skin...then heats up again as moisture flow slows and the burner heat catches up The temperature is high enough to dehydrate, brown, and crisp the surface, while the gradual movement of heat into the meat gives