Archive for the ‘Stove Top Deep Fryers’ Category
I know many people that are either not exchanging gifts at all this year, or putting names in a hat and everyone picks one name. My sister has decided to have a craft night a work, one night a week, so that everyone can get together and make gifts. At my house, we are just going to have a tree and get together and have a nice dinner and share each others’ company.
I know that the economists say that the recession is over…but I am just not seeing it. I still see people struggling. I am hearing daily about people still being laid off, loosing jobs, and getting another extension on their unemployment or just running out of unemployment all together.
It has come to getting creative with presents. If you are going to buy a gift for someone, make sure that it is something that they can use, more than once. Not some frivolous piece of jewelery, or another ugly sweater. Giving someone a unique item to help them prepare food, an item that they may not already have is a great idea. Get something like a deep fryer, a grill, a slow cooker, a BBQ smoker.
Everyone has to eat. A piece of cast iron cookware is a gift, that if taken care of properly, will last a lifetime. It won’t just break down after a while or need new parts. It won’t get moth eaten or never be worn. A Dutch oven or cast iron skillet is an item that can be used every day. It can be cooked with indoors on your stove top, you can bake, roast and braise with them in your oven. You can also bring them outdoors and place them right on your grill. They can even be placed on an open fire or right into the hot coals at a campsite. Some simple cooking techniques may need to be learned for outdoor campfire cooking, but as far as indoor cooking goes, cast iron works just like any other pan. If seasoned properly, they have a great non-stick surface. Some care needs to go into washing…NO Dish Soap!!! But if you loose the seasoning on your pan…it can always be re-seasoned. Let’s see you do that with a non-stick pan! Most non-stick pots end up in the trash once their coating starts to go, or gets scratched over time and starts to flake away. That will never happen with cast iron cookware. 
Slow cookers make great gifts too. Especially for someone that may have had to go back to work, or take on another job. These items are great for moms. A little preparation in the morning before work, place the unit on low, come home, and dinner is usually done. Stews, soups, roasts, can all be busy cooking while you are at work. And everything cooked in one pan. There are even slow cookers with separations so that you may cook 2 or even 3 different items at time. There are also many recipes, and helpful sites out there regarding slow cookers. Lots of advice for working people to help make life a little easier.
So, keep helpful cooking implements in mind while shopping for your friends and family.
A great appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal is deep fried cauliflower. These are especially great if you are deep frying a turkey. You will already be heating up oil in your turkey fryer. You can just prepare them before you’re ready to put the turkey in and put them in the basket and lower them in to cook. Even if you aren’t deep frying turkey, you can still make this appetizer quite easily in your cast iron stove top deep fryer or your counter top deep fryer.
All you need is a head of cauliflower, 2-3 eggs, beaten, some Italian bread crumbs, and frying oil.
Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Blanche the cauliflower. Once blanched and cooled a bit, dip the cauliflower in the egg wash, dredge in bread crumbs. Heat the oil. When the oil is ready, 350 degrees F, deep fry the florets til golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with horsey sauce.
I had the opportunity to go to a huge automotive swap meet this past weekend. There was of course, many other things besides car stuff. I, of course, focused on the food.
I came across an old cast iron stove top deep fryer. The cast iron itself could have been re-seasoned, but the basket was beyond repair. The pot was fashioned with a piece that let the basket sit to drain the hot oil.
This was a weekend long event. Many of the vendors came in and stayed for the weekend. Here was a whole new faction of tailgating that I had not seen before. It was more or less just like a race weekend…but, there was no race. Kind of like camping, but as far as I am concerned…there was major tailgating going on. Grills, BBQ smokers, traditional and homemade were all on hand. Tents, trailers, and people just sleeping in cars and trucks. Kids, dogs, food, campfires, and lots of beer. Like I said…it was just like a race weekend. It was even located on the track of a speedway…just no racing.
The speedway had all of their own traditional food; burgers, hot dogs, sausage and peppers, and fried onions. They did bring in some other food vendors for the weekend though. Hot chocolate, cinnamon apple buns, hot apple cider were just some of the things available. My favorite part of the whole weekend was a food vendor from Vermont. They sold sandwiches out of their trailer. Sliced roast beef, turkey or pork. The most awesome part was the two tiered rotisserie BBQ pit that they had right in the window for the public to view. The meat was slow cooked, sliced thin and AWESOME! Some au jus on the side for dipping would have made it perfect, but it was still quite grand.
Over all it was a great weekend. Something different than what could have just been another boring Saturday and Sunday. Variety is the spice of life!
I was watching an episode of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on The Food Network last night. They were featuring a restaurant in Little Havana, Miami, Florida called La Camaronera. I found it quite interesting that they deep fried everything there. Shrimp, lobster bites, plantains, whole fish, they even had a whole fish sandwich. I was unaware that Cuban cuisine had a deep fried element. With further research, Cuba on a whole does not deep fry foods so much. Deep frying seems to be more prevalent in Havana. This may be due to an Oriental presence in the culinary history of the area. The dish itself is said to be of Afro-
Getting back to La Camaronera, they had a form of hush puppy that I found quite interesting. These “hush puppies” are made with ground up black eyed peas, with the black eye removed. They were called Bollitos de carita. Technically a deep fried black eyed pea fritter. The restaurant had a special grinder or bean slicer that helped to chop & separate the dried beans. When added to water, the black eyes float & therefore separate quite easily. Then remaining ingredients, garlic, black pepper and olive oil, was added with the beans and pushed through another grinder. The mix was then placed in a container which they just used a small ice cream scooper & flipped the balls right into the hot oil to deep fry until crispy and brown.
Well we don’t all have special equipment to process dried beans. I came across a recipe for Bollitos de carita where you soak the beans first. But these deep fried fritters sound quite interesting. I am not a fan of black eyed peas, but I think I will give them a whirl.
Bollitos de Carita
1 gallon of water
1 lb bag of Black eyed peas
8 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp of black pepper
1 Tbsp of salt
1 Tbsp of olive oil
Scant 1\8 tsp of baking powder or less (La Camaronera did not use any baking powder or rising agent & their fritters come out just fine)
Oil for frying
Soak the bag of Black eyed peas in a gallon of water overnight.
After soaking, drain the beans. Remove the outer shell which has the black part. This has to be done by hand. Separate them into a bowl so you are only left with the white beans.
Place the beans in a blender or food processor. Add garlic, pepper, salt, olive oil, and baking powder. Blend till you have a thick paste.
Heat the frying oil in a stove top deep fryer, counter top deep fryer, or an outdoor propane deep fryer . When temperature at 350-375 degrees F, take a spoonful of the batter and dipping it in the oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Serve hot.
You can purchase pre-seasoned cast iron cookware, avoiding a necessary step in the longevity of your new cookware. You still need to properly care for it. Re-seasoning may need to be done over time, so knowing the process & knowing how to care for your cookware will make it last your lifetime, and maybe that of your child or grandchild.
After cooking in your pre-seasoned cookware, it can be cleaned by putting in hot water and bringing to a boil. Never use detergent to clean seasoned cookware, as it will remove the seasoning. Avoid putting hot cast iron into cold water. This can cause cast iron to warp or crack. After pouring out boiling water, wipe dry with a paper towel. If something sticks to the surface, dislodge it by simply using a spoon or spatula. Do not use any abrasive item to scrub cookware. Again, this can cut into the seasoned surface. While pan is still warm from washing, apply a fine coating of oil or spray on all surfaces.
If metallic taste or signs of rust are noticed, simply wash with hot, soapy water. Scour off the rust, and then re-season your cookware.
Store your cast iron cookware in a cool dry location. If storing with lid, place a paper towel between the lid and base to allow circulation of air. I personally still store mine with the lids separate.
Re-Seasoning: This is a simple process of oil absorbing into the pores of your cast iron cookware leaving a black, non-stick surface.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Wash cast iron with hot, soapy water, and a stiff brush. Rinse and dry.
3. Completely coat inside and outside surfaces with vegetable oil or melted shortening (some people prefer bacon fat).
4. Place cookware on middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove cookware and wipe it almost dry to prevent pooling of shortening or oil. Place back in oven for another 30 minutes. Let cool, if preferred, just shut oven off and let the cookware cool down with the oven.
Essential for any kitchen, cast iron cookware heats evenly, retains heat, and is more versatile than any other type of cookware available. With cast iron you can use it as a stove top deep fryer, you can saute, grill, roast, stew, and bake. You can use it in the oven, on your stove top, in the grill, and even outdoor cooking over an open fire. What more could you ask for from your cookware? You take care of it, and it will take care of you.
Everyone loves fried shrimp. You do not have to wait until the next visit to a restaurant either. They are easy enough that you can do it right at home in your own deep fryer. You can cook them in your stove top deep fryer, counter top deep fryer, or maybe even at a tailgate party with your outdoor propane deep fryer or Cajun Fryer.
Heat your frying oil to 380 degrees F.
1 lb of shrimp, fresh or frozen & thawed. ( 26-30 count)
2 eggs
1 5 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp vinegar
Dash of your favorite seasoning, Old Bay, Creole, Cajun, Buffalo, whatever.
Flour
Remove the shell from shrimp, but leave the fantail
Split down the back and devein.
In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, baking powder and vinegar
Marinate the shrimp for at least an hour in that mixture.
When done marinating, remove shrimp, sprinkle with your favorite seasoning, dip in flour, then deep fry at 380 degrees F for no longer than 1 1\2 mins.
This recipe yields 3 – 4 servings, so if you are tailgating, adjust amounts to the servings you need.
Cooking fish the same old way each time you cook it can get boring. I have tried alternate ways to cooking fish. Deep frying, baking, foiled and grilled, in the BBQ smoker, I’ve even recently tried white fish boiled. I’ve tried different spices and sliced up fresh onion, or tomato, even fresh lemon. Even though there are so many different kinds of fish, some times you get into a rut & do things the same old way. I recently came across a few variations of fried fish. Variety is the spice of life. I believe I will just have to try some of these different methods.
First, find your favorite breading. Put it in your Coating Buddy. Heat the frying oil in your outdoor propane deep fryer, turkey fryer, stove top deep fryer, or counter top deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
1. Coat fish in your favorite breading. Shake off excess & deep fry until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain, place on paper towels.
2. Spread mustard on the fish before breading fish in your Coating Buddy. Fry as above.
3. Soak fish in milk for 1 hour before breading. Fry as above.
4. Soak the fish in beer for at least 10 mins. before breading. Fry as above.
5. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of Louisiana Hot Sauce to the bread crumbs before breading the fish. Fry as above.
The deep frying of foods can tend to scare anyone who is trying to live healthy. Just because you decide to eat healthy you don’t need to give up great taste. You can cook everything on the grill or in the oven. Grilling your favorite “healthy” foods, like marinated boneless skinless chicken breast, can be flavorful with the right preparation, but it just doesn’t compete with the crispness and flavor that comes from a piece of chicken from a deep fryer. With these tips you can enjoy the great crispy taste and quickness of cooking that deep frying presents and not have totally sacrifice your health.
- Make sure your oil is between 350 and 375 degrees before you put food into it. The most important variable that makes fried foods not healthy, is the temperature of the oil. Cooler temperatures allow absorption which ends up in you consuming grease along with your food. If the oil is at a high enough temperature, a layer of steam will surround your food and will not allow the oil to be absorbed.
- Be sure your deep fryer is not too small for the amount of food that you are preparing. Whether you have a stove top deep fryer, a counter top deep fryer, or an outdoor propane deep fryer, if you will be serving a large group your deep fryer should be sized so that the temperature won’t drop below 350 degrees during the cooking times. This will create over absorption of oil. Make sure your oil comes back up to temperature between batches as well.
Don’t put all of the food in your fryer at once. When the food is over crowded, the oil can’t surround each individual piece. You need the hot frying oil to completely surround the food to set up the steam barrier that prevents the oil from absorbing into your food. Again, you should make sure your oil comes back up to temperature before beginning a new batch.- Make sure the food you’re frying is as uniform in size as possible. You want the entire batch to be done about the same time. If your food is too varied in size, you’ll have to leave the smaller items in longer, so that the larger items can finish cooking. This increases the risk of smaller pieces loosing that barrier of steam, therefore allowing the oil to saturate those pieces of food.
- Change your fryer oil when need be. Oil is only good for a certain number of uses. Unfortunately there is no rule of thumb here. If you’ve ever allowed the oil to overheat you should change it. If you cooked fish and you are going to make donuts, you will want to change the oil. If you notice a strong odor or deep discoloration it is probably time to replace it.
- Lastly, moderation. Just because you are starting up the deep fryer, this does not mean that you need to fry everything in the house. If you open a 5 lb. bag of french fries, you don’t have to cook the whole bag, and it certainly does not mean that you need to eat the whole bag yourself. Healthy eating should involve the amount of food that you eat as well as what you eat.
I was just browsing through my latest issue of The International Dutch Oven Society’s latest issue of Dutch Oven News. I came across recipe for Scotch eggs, by Carolyn. My own recipe for Scotch eggs is slightly different, in that you deep fry the “eggs” once they are put together. Carolyn’s recipe calls for baking them in a Dutch oven. I would like to share both versions of this recipe, to show the versatility of cooking with a cast iron Dutch oven.
Scotch Eggs By Carloyn:
6 hard boiled eggs( at least 14 mins.)
1 large egg beaten
2 C bread crumbs for coating(Carolyn uses crushed Corn Flakes)
2-3 C Ground sausage
1\2 C Hamburger Helper mix (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch of nutmeg, salt, and pepper
1\2 C all purpose flour
Hard cook your eggs and set aside to cool.
Put sausage, hamburger helper and spices in a bowl and mix together. Divide the meat into 6 equal portins.
Peel the eggs. Roll them in flour.
Flour your hands. Place a portion of meat in your hand and flatten somewhat. Place an egg in the middle and squeeze the sausage around the egg until it is encased in the meat. Dip it into the beaten egg and then roll in bread crumbs or Corn Flakes.
Lightly spray the balls in vegetable oil. Bake in a Dutch oven at 350 degrees F for about 40 mins or until a deep golden brown. ( I am sure that a pro at the art of outdoor cooking with cast iron cookware could do this over an open fire too.)
Let them cool & slice into quarters.
The Deep Fryer Depot version:
8 hard boiled eggs
Flour for dusting
2 lbs. ground pork sausage
1 1\2 C fresh bread crumbs ( I like to use Italian bread crumbs)
2 tsp mace (optional)
1\2 tsp salt
1\2 tsp pepper
2 beaten eggs
Oil for deep frying
Remove the shells from your hard cooked eggs. Set aside.
In a shallow bowl mix the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and mace.
Roll out your sausage on a flat surface. (You can follow Carolyn’s method for wrapping the eggs also.)
Dip each floured egg in the beaten egg mixture and wrap with sausage. The meat should be about 1\2 inch thick around each egg. Eggs should be completely covered.
Roll in bread crumbs.
Heat the oil in your cast iron stove top deep fryer. Fry the eggs until they are golden brown.
You can eat them while they are still hot, but they tend to fall apart. Traditionally, they are served cold, or at room temperature.
Scotch Eggs are tasty no matter how you cook them. Give them a whirl sometime.
Growing up on the south shore of Long Island on the Great South Bay, it is inevitable that at one point or another, you will eat seafood. Fish, shellfish, & crustaceans. Raw, baked, steamed, boiled & deep fried. I grew up in a oyster & clamming community. Many of my relatives owned a shellfish boat, digging for clams, oysters, & scallops all day long, to feed their families and to sell to the local markets. Fish was also a form of bartering in my community. My grandfather was a carpenter, not a clam digger. He might do a job for someone that couldn’t pay for the work done, but my grandfather would come home & find fish, clams, oysters, even lobsters, waiting to be cooked up and fed to his own family.
The shellfish in my community, historically, were world renowned. The Blue Point Oyster Company was actually located in West Sayville, NY. Our surrounding fishing grounds were once teeming with oysters, clams & scallops. Many factors over the years have made our waters near barren. Over harvesting, not nearly enough reseeding, misunderstanding of star fish regeneration, brown tide, pollution, closing ocean waterways that flush out our waters and keep them clean.
Not everyone likes fish & shellfish, but growing up near water, it is impossible to not come near it. Deep fried clam strips, clam bellies, scallops and oysters were almost a regular Friday night meal for me. It’s much easier to go to a clam bars & get it cooked for you, but the recipe is simple enough to do at home. If you aren’t practiced in the art of shucking shellfish, you can always go to your local fish market and buy them pre-shucked.
Oil for frying
1 qt shucked oysters
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 3\4 cup cracker crumbs or dried bread crumbs
In outdoor propane deep fryer, counter top fryer, or stove top deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F.
Drain the oysters. Pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with salt & 2 Tbsp. of water. Place crumbs into your Coating Buddy. Dip the oysters in the egg wash then place in the Coating Buddy & shake.
Place the oysters, a few at a time, about 1″ apart, in the fryer basket. Fry for about 1 minute or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the oysters until done. Serve with cocktail or tarter sauce and fresh lemon wedges.
For clams, substitute 3 doz. shucked clams (about 2 cups), use 1 egg instead of 2. Prepare and deep fry as above.