The Struggle:
Look I’ll just say it, fried foods are delicious. Just about anything covered in a batter or breading and cooked in hot oil will generally put a smile on my face. But with all the good things that come out of those vats of oil, there is equally as much bad. Empty pockets of batter, ballooned around a small piece of chicken. Food that becomes soggy mere seconds after being removed from the fryer. These are the things that true sadness is made of. As with any problem there is always a solution. But, how exactly do we fix these nagging issues to make our favorite food the best it can be.
“How can you fix soggy fried foods?”
Crispy For Days
So how do these issues happen when we place food in hot oil? How is it possible that something can come out of a fryer filled with hot oil and be soggy? The base of almost all breading is flour. Flour contains protein that we all know very well by this point, gluten. Gluten just so happens to love water. As the batter or breading is fried some of the moisture is evaporated and becomes crispy. Almost all the time the fried foods will be crispy right out of the fryer. But if the batter or breading have too much moisture, the water will redistribute to the exterior and make it soggy. We know the culprit of sogginess is protein, so in order to remove some of the protein we will need to find something that will mix in easily and not retain the moisture. We have two ingredients that work perfect for this, EverCrisp and Crisp Coat.
People often ask what the difference is between EverCrisp and Crisp Coat. EverCrisp is a soluble fiber from wheat dextrin that replaces 20-30% of the total weight of the flour in a recipe. Crisp Coat is also a soluble fiber but it is made from high amylose cornstarch. Crisp Coat can replace up to 100% of the flour in a recipe. With Evercrisp you cannot replace 100% of the flour in a recipe. Each of these ingredients will provide a long lasting crispy texture, although EverCrisp remains the reigning champ of lasting crispiness.
The other issue with fried foods is adhesion. Most fried foods are naturally high in moisture, let’s use chicken for example. As the chicken is heated the moisture will start to seep out as the proteins tighten and constrict. This moisture will create a barrier between the batter and the food. Sometimes we coat the chicken in flour to make the rest of the breading stick, but this doesn’t always work as intended. Batter Bind S is an ingredient made specifically to adhere batter to foods. A simple slurry to replace the egg wash in a breading or adding it directly to the batter will keep the breading on the food. Gone are the days of ballooned up fried pockets of nothing which are all too common. So whether your issue is sogginess or adhesion you can use one of or multiple ingredients to nail down the perfect fried food.
Do you have a recipe you just can’t seem to figure out? Shoot us an email or drop us a line and we will do our best to guide you to the right option.
16 Comments.
Thank you for the fried food fix. Where can I get Ever Crisp or Crisp Coat and Batter Bind S. ?
On our webiste in the Frying category
HI, I’m trying to make the perfect gluten free, grain free, sugar free and yeast free bread that actually tastes good. I’ve actually found that almond flour and teff flour make the best ingredients taste wise, but as soon as I add any type of gum in it, the inside stays wet and gel like. If I don’t add xanthum gum into it, it comes out dry. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
You should try our I’m Free Perfect Gluten Replacement in place of xanthan.
Does Evercrisp work as well when mixed with flour for oven fried chicken? I love oven fried chicken, however, I found it should be served immediately, and leftover chicken becomes soggy.
It will definitely help with that!
What can I use for French Fries instead of deep frying. Ever Crisp and Crisp Coat seem to be a batter rather than a replacement for oil. Do you have any experience with Air Fryers? How do they compare to a deep fryer?
EverCrisp and Crisp Coat are aids for deep frying in oil. Air fryers work well for certain foods but they do not replicate a deep fryer perfectly. Depending on the french fries (pre frozen or fresh) they will need different treatments in an air fryer. Making french fries from fresh potatoes in an air fryer will require some oil, but unfortunately we haven’t done the testing to know the exact best method.
I am working on a fish and shrimp batter for baja style tacos, would I get a better result by using a combination of EverCrisp to keep the fish crispy longer and batter bind to have it adhere to it better. If so what ratios do you recommend? and if not which of the would work best.
We recommend replacing 20% of the weight of the total flour in your recipe with EverCrisp. That will increase the crispiness of your recipe. Add 10% batter bind to the weight of the Flour/EverCrisp to help with binding to your shrimp and fish. You can adjust to your liking from there as needed
Can any of your fried-food additives be used with just bread crumbs? I’m looking to try a method of making chicken that calls for coating chicken first with egg & mayo, then dredging with panko that’s been browned in oil. (Recipe here if anyone’s interested.) I have EverCrisp, Crisp Coat, and Batter Bind all on hand, but I’m not sure if any of them would work. Thoughts?
We think batter binder would work as a dredge to make sure the breadcrumbs stuck better
Can Evercrisp be used as a replacement for cornstarch dredging? For example on stir fry meats? I’ve been using perfected guar in my sauces instead of cornstarch slurry and have been really pleased. I’m always on the lookout for *good* lower carb alternatives. Thanks!
We have attempted Evercrips in this application in the past and it does not work this way. Glad to hear guar gum is working out for you! Another alternative to check out is Crisp Coat
Im working on a recipe for fish and chips for an upscale pub concept. I am currently dredging the fish in AP flour, then going into a tempura batter, then another coating of AP flour before going into the fryer. The results are great, but I was trying to think of a way to use evercrisp/crisp coat to simplify the process for a busy kitchen. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
I think you could absolutely add either the crisp coat or evercrisp to the AP flour to help promote him crispness. They could also be added to the tempura. Not quite sure how to simplify the process but it definitely could prevent them from becoming soggy.