Improving Your Batter Will Lead To The Fried Food Of Your Dreams
Naturally, many of us salivate at the thought of fried foods. Do you know why it is so tempting and irresistible? SciShow shows that different cooking oils, greasy flavor, and crispy batter all have a part in making fried foods hard to resist (per YouTube). And in the United States, many adore a serving of crispy fried chicken. Statista reports that almost 179 million Americans ate frozen fried chicken in 2020, and that number will only get bigger. That figure is expected to jump to about 184 million in the next couple of years.
One of the best things about fried foods is the crispy batter. It's common knowledge that most foods require some form of protection from hot frying oil, so they're commonly dipped in batter before the frying process. Batter keeps the food from drying out and retains its moisture (via Nola.com). If you want that delicious cut of meat to be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, you'll want to coat it in batter. It also helps ensure a flavorful crust in the process.
There are different ways to concoct batters, but most of them consist of starch and a liquid, such as beaten eggs, beer, milk, or water (per Live Strong). However, you can improve your batter with a few easy steps, and it may lead to the fried food of your dreams.
Improve your batter with rice or cornmeal flour
We'll admit it; Fried foods may not always be healthy for us. They're high in trans fats, may contain a harmful substance called acrylamide, and might increase our risk of disease, such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes (per HealthLine). Luckily, there are some hacks that we can all use to make our fried foods a bit healthier — while staying tasty as ever.
For example, we can improve our batter so that it's as healthy as possible. Times Of India reports that it's best if we all start avoiding refined flour. Instead, we should choose flour without gluten, such as cornmeal flour or rice flour. These two flour types have a similar flavor profile, but the nutritional value will be significantly improved. And if you want a really crispy batter that will remain so for a long time, What To Cook Today recommends mixing all-purpose flour, rice flour, and baking powder. It's not as healthy as the batter made only with rice flour, but those who like their fried foods extra crispy can try it out.
You can also use fresh oil, add baking soda that will reduce oil absorption, or use healthier oils, such as olive oil and mustard oil. In the end, you don't have to abide by all of these tips. Just improving the batter with one of these steps can be enough for a healthier approach to fried foods.