When fresh from the fryer, fried foods have a crispy crunch, but as they cool, steam is released, which can make the crust soggy. Then you may want to know how to keep fried food crispy.
Luckily, there are some tricks you can use to handle fried food in order to help maintain the crunchy goodness.
Here are the fundamental lessons I’ve picked up over the years. When used properly, fried food can be kept reasonably crisp for a long time.
Table of Contents
How to Keep Fried Food Crispy?
Here are three ways to keep fried food crispy.
Protect Fried Food from Moisture
Moisture is the enemy of fried food. If you put fried food in a closed container, the heat will produce moisture, which will turn your crisp onion rings into a soggy mess that no one wants to buy and eat.
You must find a way to control the moisture in the air if your foodservice business is situated in a region with high humidity levels. There are other things you can do besides obviously not storing food in a sealed container.
The Carter-Hoffman Crisp n’ Hold Stations provide air circulation that passes over and through the fried food items, wicking moisture out of the air as it does so.
Keeping your fried chicken or hash browns crispy while removing moisture from the air is made possible by this gentle airflow.
Avoid a Temperature Drop
When your fried foods come out of grease, the food can be very hot. But after a while, it cools down and gets drenched.
Keep the food hot at all times; do not allow it to cool off first. The food doesn’t get as hot as it does right after it comes out of the oil, but if you have heat lamps you might notice a difference.
Furthermore, you cannot regulate the temperature when using a heat lamp. Employees who came into contact with the hot metal may have suffered burns.
Use the Right Kind of Oil and Keep It Clean
To fry your food, a variety of oils are available. You must decide which oil is best for your company, whether it be canola or peanut.
Finding an oil with a high smoking point is essential. The temperature at which oil starts to degrade and emit smoke is known as the smoking point. It becomes more crispy and stays crispy longer when you can cook your food at a higher temperature.
For the taste of your food, it’s crucial to change the oil every three to four days to keep it clean. It is more difficult to cook food until it is crisp when using dirty oil because it lowers the smoking point.
Additionally, fried foods prepared in old oil may taste off, and nobody wants that.
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Why Does Fried Food Go Soggy?
Fried food tends to be full of moisture. The food’s moisture escapes as steam as it leaves the fryer while still hot.
If you don’t take precautions to ventilate your fried food, the steam condenses in the crunchy coating, turning it soggy and unpleasant. Therefore, allowing the steam to escape is the key to finding a solution.
Final Thoughts: How to Keep Fried Food Crispy
Fried food is always going to be best fresh out of the fryer. If you must transport it, make sure to drain any excess oil and moisture before placing it inside a paperboard container that has been lined with paper towels and is well-ventilated.
For longer trips, you will need to let it cool completely before reheating it at your destination, but you can also keep it warm with a passive warming element.
FAQs
How to Keep Fried Food Crispy Overnight?
If you must store fried foods in the fridge, cool them completely, then store in an airtight container with a paper towel to absorb moisture.
How Do You Keep Fried Food Crispy When Reheating?
In dry heat, fried foods are most likely to regain their crispiness. Place in an oven or toaster oven preheated to 400 degrees.
Why is My Fried Food Soggy?
Be particular about your cooking oil–the temperature can’t be too low, either.