פריינג הינדל: דאָס איז ווי עס אַרבעט בישליימעס

Frying chicken: This is how it works perfectly

Experts from the American Chemical Society have now scientifically proven why chicken fried in hot oil tastes so good.

• According to the experts, marinated meat should be roasted at temperatures between 150 and 190 degrees Celsius. The reason: At this temperature, oil produces so-called triglycerides.
• Triglycerides are the main components of human body fat. So fried chicken is not exactly the healthiest food.
• The scientists also point to the bubbles that form around the chicken as it roasts. The explanation: When it is hot, water escapes from the cells of the chicken and these form the bubbles in the oil.
• The bubbles are important for the perfect roasting of the chicken. They form a layer of steam around the chicken, protecting it from the oil and preventing the oil from seeping into the chicken during frying.
• This process pulls the water out of the skin and makes the crust nice and crispy.

Fried chicken: That’s why it smells slightly fishy

The chemists can also explain why fried chicken can sometimes give off a strange fishy smell.

• The strange smell is caused by oxidation when the chicken reacts with oxygen in the air.
• A gently fried chicken has a pleasant, buttery, and nutty flavor. The oxidation of certain fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, produces volatile compounds that not only smell bad but also travel very easily in the air – right into your nose.
• Such volatile compounds resulting from the oxidation of fatty acids include aldehyde and carboxylic acid.
• Both have a pungent odor. And because of this volatiles, the pleasant smell of the fried chicken is drowned out by a fishy smell.
• But you can easily avoid this fishy smell. Use a fryer deep enough to fully immerse the whole chicken in the hot oil.
• If the chicken lies wholly in the oil, less oxygen can reach the chicken and the oxidation that is responsible for the fishy smell does not occur.
• By the way, you should also regularly change the oil in the fryer to preserve all the chicken flavor. This also removes free fatty acids that form during frying.