Fried foods?

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » January 24, 2005, 5:39 pm

Reading a bit about fried foods today, the consensus seems to be that they're very bad for you no matter what the ingredients are, or how you fry them.

Anyone know if that's true? Likely won't cut down my consumption, once or twice a month at most. Usually not even that. I don't eat any fast food at all for that matter, nasty stuff.

Fried grouper sandwiches are great, I don't really care for chicken, fries and most of the regular fried suspects.

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » January 25, 2005, 5:05 pm

Yes, fried food is less healthy by default.

Chidoro · Post by **Chidoro** » January 25, 2005, 5:11 pm

Yeah, pretty much, but you can get around it. I like to call this my unfried fried chicken but you can replace the chicken with most any filet fish that will hold together when you're preparing. Grouper is a good one as is halibut(little expensive but a great fish):

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 oz buttermilk
3/4 cup cornflake crumbs
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast(s), four 4-oz pieces

Preheat oven to 365ºF. Lightly coat an 8 X 8 X 2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Combine flour, salt and cayenne pepper together in a medium-size bowl. Place buttermilk and corn flakes crumbs in 2 separate shallow bowls.

Roll chicken breast halves in flour mixture and evenly coat each side. Next dip chicken into buttermilk and then corn flakes crumbs.

Place coated chicken breasts in prepared baking dish. Bake until chicken is tender and no longer pink, about 20 minutes (there is no need to flip the chicken during baking). Yields 1 breast per serving

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » January 25, 2005, 8:35 pm

Eat smart, but eat good, excercise and take care of your body as far as fruits and veggies and you'll be A O K,

Fried Kalamata Olives

Buttermilk soak the olives for 20 mins then bread in rice flour and deep fry till crisy, fuckin yum

Firecracker Onions

Slice thin 1 red onion (like slicer thing) and soak the onion in buttermilk, habanero hot sauce, dash chili spice and salt and pepper for 30 mins, bread and deep fry, drink beer!

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » January 26, 2005, 3:30 pm

refresh my memory. What does buttermilk soaking do? I've heard it before!

Xatrei · Post by **Xatrei** » January 26, 2005, 5:44 pm

When making good fried chicken, a long soak in buttermilk allows the acids in buttermilk allow otherwise bland factory chickens to absorb a lot of the flavors and tang carried by other chemicals in buttermilk (or other seasonings added to the soaking liquid). The same holds true for most other stuff that you would soak in buttermilk prior to frying.

Since buttermilk is also nice and viscous, it also helps whatever you're using to coat the chicken to adhere far better than just milk or milk & egg will do. It adds more flavor, too.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » January 27, 2005, 3:54 am

Well done Xat. Ya know, I rarely fry anything except for some tilapia/cod/halibut/etc. Sometimes I will soak the fish in milk for an hour or so to get rid of some of the gamey smell that some fish have naturally.

I hadn't thought of using buttermilk for chicken prep in years. Good Southern cooking, damn skippy. I think I may bust out the cast iron pan and fry up some chicken this weekend (or sturgeon, should fishing go well Saturday).

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » January 27, 2005, 1:22 pm

Canelek wrote: Sometimes I will soak the fish in milk for an hour or so to get rid of some of the gamey smell that some fish have naturally.

Ok, that is what I heard about soaking stuff in buttermilk before.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » January 27, 2005, 3:06 pm

Broiling in milk works pretty good on strong tasting fish as well. Some tarragon on top and enough milk to some 1/2 way up the steaks\fillets in a shallow metal pan.