Thanks so much for the comments and compliments, everyone. You all make it such a pleasure to come to this site and post.
Sorry for no pix; I didn't even think of it. The family was waiting for their food and I was eager to see just how quick the frying step would be. I was pretty happy with the results.
I was aiming for 400°F, Polarbear777 , but figured starting at 390° was close enough, and, similar to your results, that first batch fried up in 3 minutes compared with your 1 to 2 minutes. I didn't really want to wait until the oil got back up to 400° for the subsequent batches, so thought I'd see how they turned out when fried at the lower (290°) temps. Frying times were a bit longer but the batter was just as crispy, so the oil was hot enough to fry without the pieces taking on extra oil. Can't say I saw much difference between pieces in taste or moistness. I don't know how long it would take for the oil to get back up to 400° between batches. Maybe I'll check on that next time.
Frozen Smoke , I looked at a frying setup like you have, but the type of frying that I do doesn't require 4 gallons of cooking oil--at most I use a couple of quarts. So for my minimal needs, your setup is overkill. But if I ever start frying food for a huge crowd, I'm going to follow in your footsteps. It sure sounds like a sweet setup. I like the fact that the crumbs fall to a cooler area so they don't burn and the oil doesn't get flavored by burned bits. Nice.
I looked long and hard at standalone fryers but try to keep the one trick ponies to a minimum in my kitchen and on my cooking deck, so Meathead's solution was perfect for what I do.
Kathryn
Sorry for no pix; I didn't even think of it. The family was waiting for their food and I was eager to see just how quick the frying step would be. I was pretty happy with the results.
I was aiming for 400°F, Polarbear777 , but figured starting at 390° was close enough, and, similar to your results, that first batch fried up in 3 minutes compared with your 1 to 2 minutes. I didn't really want to wait until the oil got back up to 400° for the subsequent batches, so thought I'd see how they turned out when fried at the lower (290°) temps. Frying times were a bit longer but the batter was just as crispy, so the oil was hot enough to fry without the pieces taking on extra oil. Can't say I saw much difference between pieces in taste or moistness. I don't know how long it would take for the oil to get back up to 400° between batches. Maybe I'll check on that next time.
Frozen Smoke , I looked at a frying setup like you have, but the type of frying that I do doesn't require 4 gallons of cooking oil--at most I use a couple of quarts. So for my minimal needs, your setup is overkill. But if I ever start frying food for a huge crowd, I'm going to follow in your footsteps. It sure sounds like a sweet setup. I like the fact that the crumbs fall to a cooler area so they don't burn and the oil doesn't get flavored by burned bits. Nice.
I looked long and hard at standalone fryers but try to keep the one trick ponies to a minimum in my kitchen and on my cooking deck, so Meathead's solution was perfect for what I do.
Kathryn
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