THE DILEMMA For lunch, you fry up a big batch of chicken. You place it on a nice platter and call everyone to the dining table. But once you take a bite, you find that the skin is already quite soggy. Is there a way to prevent this? How do you make sure that fried food stays crisp?
WHAT TO DO What’s the key to crispy fried chicken? Using a simple kitchen utensil can help you keep that satisfying crunch. Even after you take food out of the hot oil, the residual heat continues to cook the chicken for a few more minutes. Placing it on a plate will trap the heat under it, and in turn, create steam. This is how you end up with soggy food. To keep food crispy, place it on a wire rack immediately after taking it out of the frying pan. This allows excess oil to drain, and it provides room for air to circulate. To serve, simply transfer the wire rack to a platter. This technique can be applied to any kind of fried food—potato wedges, fish, tempura, shrimp, or even turon!
