If you’re bored of simply sautéing or roasting your meat, try adding a little crunch to your meals by breading your food first.
Breading is easy. To get started, set up three dishes – shallow bowls or pie plates work well. Fill the first dish with flour. In the second dish, crack an egg and add just a splash of water. Beat with a fork until combined. In the third dish goes the breading. This is where you have options!
Get creative with the breading. Use dried bread crumbs seasoned with herbs, salt, and pepper. For more texture, use panko bread crumbs - coarse Japanese bread crumbs that produce a thicker, crunchier coating. Add a little parmesan cheese or garlic to your bread crumb mixture for even more flavor. To make your own fresh bread crumbs, take any leftover pieces of bread and buzz them in a food processor until they are very fine. Use them right away or freeze them to prevent spoilage. Mix some ground nuts (like pecans, walnuts, or almonds) into the bread crumb mixture for a different flavor profile. In a pinch, you can use crackers or corn flake cereal as a nice coating, too. Just place them in a freezer-weight plastic bag and crush them with a skillet or a rolling pin. It is a great way to use up those last few crackers in the box.
Now that you have your breading station set up, it’s time to start coating your food. First dip the item you are breading into the flour, then into the egg, and lastly into the bread crumbs. Make sure you shake off any excess coating at each step. To avoid breading your own fingers, use one hand to transfer the item from the flour to the egg, and another hand to transfer from the egg to the bread crumbs. (However, you’ll still get a little messy.)
You can bread items up to an hour ahead of time. Place them on a rack on a sheet tray and keep them cold in the refrigerator. Chilling the breaded items will make sure the breading doesn’t fall off when you cook it.
And remember that breading doesn’t have to just mean meat. Try breading zucchini slices, eggplant slices or green tomatoes for a simple side dish.
Once your items are breaded, you can cook them a couple different ways. For thinner items, pan frying is the best way to go. Fill a skillet with about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully add your items to the pan in a single layer. Cook until golden brown on the first side and then carefully flip to cook the other side. (Be sure to flip items away from you to avoid getting splashed with hot oil.) Once golden brown on both sides and completely cooked through, drain on paper towels to remove excess oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
For larger pieces of meat or for a healthier alternative, try baking instead. Lay your breaded items on a sheet tray and place in a pre-heated oven. For thin items (such as zucchini slices), use a 450 degree F oven. For slightly thicker items (such as a slice of beef or veal), try a 400 degree F oven. And for very thick items (such as a thick-cut pork chop), use a 350 degree F oven. Cook until golden brown and completely cooked through, making sure to turn the items over once during cooking to brown both sides.
Whether you pan fry or bake, serve your breaded items while they are still hot and the breading is at its crispiest.
FAQs
Cornstarch in the flour makes the crust crispier.
Cornstarch weakens the all-purpose flour's protein just enough to make the coating tender.
What makes batter more crispy? ›
Rice flour and cornstarch work particularly well because they fry up crispier than wheat flour. They also absorb less moisture and fat during the frying process, making the products less greasy.
What ingredient makes things crispy? ›
If you're craving some extra crunch, look no further than a staple you probably already have in your pantry: cornstarch. Cornstarch is frequently added to foods to give them an extra bit of crispiness, but for some reason it's not commonly included in roasted vegetable recipes.
Does cornstarch make breading crispy? ›
Ingredient Tips
My not-so-secret tip to the best fried chicken is a combination of FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, and BAKING POWDER. When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.)
Which will create the crispiest batter for frying? ›
Use Cornstarch or Rice Flour
Michael says that cornstarch or rice flour in combo with flour will give you the crunchiest batter. Even cake four will cook up crunchier than all-purpose flour because it doesn't have a high gluten level.
Do you flour or egg before breading? ›
Quick Notes: The correct dredging order is flour first, then egg, then crumbs. Season all stages of breading foods. That means season the flour with salt and pepper and season the crumbs with salt and pepper.
What is the trick to getting crispy chicken? ›
Fry it twice.
Try Fontana's method for “blanching” fried chicken: Heat oil to 250 degrees and cook chicken breasts for about five minutes, or bone-in chicken for about 12 minutes. Let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes, then fry again, two to three minutes for breasts or five minutes for bone-in.
Does egg make batter crispy? ›
Eggs serve as binder, meaning that they help batter stick to food and coat if for deep frying. They also serve to leaven the batter, which making it more light and crispy. Any substitute for eggs in batter needs to serve both of these functions.
How do you keep breading crispy? ›
Keeping fried food crispy requires a few extra steps, but the results are worth it. Use a crispy coating, fry at the right temperature, use a wire rack to drain excess oil, keep the food warm in the oven, store the food properly, avoid overcrowding the fryer, and wait to add salt until after frying.
What is the secret to crispy deep frying? ›
Monitor Oil Temperature: Maintaining a consistent temperature when deep-frying is key to achieving a perfect crunch. Drain and Cool Properly: After frying, be sure to place your food on a wire rack or paper towel-lined baking sheet. This will help remove excess oil and keep them crisp for longer.
For Fried Chicken That Stays Crispy, Reach for Rice Flour.
What is more crispier flour or cornstarch? ›
Cornstarch typically makes for a crispier finish than flour. Cornstarch absorbs moisture from the food and expands, giving deep-fried foods a crispy coating. When the food is fried, the moisture cooks out of the cornstarch, leaving a crackly, puffy coating on the outside.
What starch is best for crispy? ›
Interestingly, cornstarch contains 25 to 28 percent amylose, which is higher than the amount in wheat or potato starch (which are 20 to 22 percent amylose), and this is why cornstarch works the best for making crispy coatings on fried foods.
How much cornstarch to add to breading? ›
If you already have a favorite fried chicken recipe, try replacing a quarter of the flour with cornstarch. For example, instead of 2 cups of all-purpose flour use 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of cornstarch. If you are looking for a good recipe, we highly recommend this one.
What is the secret to crispy deep-frying? ›
Monitor Oil Temperature: Maintaining a consistent temperature when deep-frying is key to achieving a perfect crunch. Drain and Cool Properly: After frying, be sure to place your food on a wire rack or paper towel-lined baking sheet. This will help remove excess oil and keep them crisp for longer.
Does baking soda make breading crispier? ›
Baking soda helps make fried foods crispy and light.
What is the secret to keeping fried chicken crispy? ›
The best way to keep fried foods crispy? Just place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. If you're frying multiple batches, throw the whole setup into a low oven to keep everything warm as you keep frying and adding to the rack.
