Monday, May 13, 2013

My friend in the garden.


You could say I cooked on Sunday.   If you were being polite.

I executed Smitten Kitchen's batter-dipped fried chicken recipe exactly as written and I had the exact same results she did--blackened chicken.  My first batch turned black and started smoking as soon as it hit the oil.  My second and third batches were less black--more of a darkish brown with occasional dark speckles.  And because I had to shorten the cooking time, they were all raw in the middle.

Maybe Minnie don't burn no fried chicken--but I do.

Only later, when I went back and re-read her blog, did I realize I had the same problem she did.  A cheap, grocery store candy thermometer that misreported the temperature of the oil.  Next time I "fry" I'll go back to my old technique of tossing a little batter into the oil to see how fast it browns.  We don't need no stinking candy thermometers.

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