# Keep breaded foods from absorbing too much oil?



## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Today I made breaded veal scallopinis. Or wiener schnitzel, or whatever you wish to call it. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

My problem is, I started with a fair amount of oil in the pan (about 1/4" on the entire surface of the pan). After 4 normal size scallopinis, all the oil had disappeared and I had to add more. That seems like an incredible amount of oil to ingest!!!

Am I doing something wrong?

1) S & P veal scallopinis.

2) Dredge in flour and tap to shake off extra flour.

3) Dip in eggwash and remove extra egg.

4) Dip in panko breading making sure it's evenly coated.

5) Rest on a cooling rack for 5 minutes

6) flash-shallow fry 30-45 seconds in hot oil on each side in a non-stick pan (I also tried a carbon steel pan, with the same results).

7) Rest scallopinis a few minutes on cooling rack.

It seems to me I wasn't using that much oil before I started using panko breading. I thought panko was supposed to absorb less oil though? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif

Note that the resulting breaded scallopinis are very good and don't feel very oily, I'm just scared when I see the amount of oil I'm using, and when I see it all being absorbed by the food I'm about to it. Seems like a LOT.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Eight to five odds you didn't have the oil hot enough. That's the most usual reason that foods absorb oil.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

You're not doing anything wrong. It's the nature of panko. Next time replace at least half the oil with butter. Cook a little slower, so as not to burn it. You'll still die of arteriosclerosis, but you'll die happier. Maybe not. With you French guys it's always the liver.

Garnish it (the kalbsschnitzel, not your liver) with a barely fried egg and some good anchovies,_ Holstein_.

BDL


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Breading is bread.  It sops up oil, there's no getting around that.  If you are worried about the health issue try not breading it.  I've made very good cutlets that are merely dredged in flour, it doesn't drink oil.  Alternatively you could try resting them on paper towels instead of a rack but we all know that drying them on a rack keeps them crispy where as on a towel they'll get soft.

Or you could even try baking in the oven.  I coat with a seasoned mixture of mayo and mustard and then coat with breadcrumbs and stick in the oven.  No oil necessary.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

OK thanks for the comments, guys. 

So would you agree that panko absorbs more oil than regular (finer ground) bread crumbs? Because that's definitely what I am experiencing, but I could swear I read the opposite somewhere.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

French Fries said:


> OK thanks for the comments, guys.
> 
> So would you agree that panko absorbs more oil than regular (finer ground) bread crumbs? Because that's definitely what I am experiencing, but I could swear I read the opposite somewhere.


Not in my experience, BTA, WTHDIK


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

OK thanks Pete for your comment. I'll experiment some more!


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

FF,

In my experience, bread crumbs do absorb different amounts of oil depending on their freshness and shape. The amount of eggwash and the degree of adhesion can matter too.  If your breading doesn't stick tight to the meat, the meat was probably too moist before it went into the flour (before the eggwash). 

You might try corn-starch instead of flour as a first step towards a panko finish.  It's a tonkatsu thing.

Also (forgot to say earlier), your first post indicates you're using too much oil in the pan.  You're not making chicken fried steak.  You don't actually want to shallow fry.  You want a little more butter/oil than you would for a saute -- but not much.  The idea is to toast the crumbs more than to fry them. 

The three most important factors to a good Milanesa or schnitzel are butter, butter, and more butter.

BDL


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

boar_d_laze said:


> In my experience, bread crumbs do absorb different amounts of oil depending on their freshness and shape. The amount of eggwash and the degree of adhesion can matter too. If your breading doesn't stick tight to the meat, the meat was probably too moist before it went into the flour (before the eggwash).


In my experience the finer the breadcrumb, the least oil is absorbed. The breadcrumbs I'm using are always fairly dry. In this case I just purchased a bag of panko crumbs, and had it in a tightly sealed jar for a couple of months. It was very dry and crispy to the touch before cooking.

The meat was thoroughly dried before going into the flour. I always scrupulously dry meat before cooking, with paper towels.

The eggwash was not diluted - pure egg. Maybe that's where I got lazy that time. Usually I thin it out with a bit of milk or water so less eggwash stays on the meat. That time I didn't bother, so maybe I used a bit too much eggwash?


boar_d_laze said:


> You might try corn-starch instead of flour as a first step towards a panko finish. It's a tonkatsu thing.


One more thing to experiment with. I wonder if one could taste the difference anyway? How would the use of corn starch differ from flour in that particular example?


boar_d_laze said:


> Also (forgot to say earlier), your first post indicates you're using too much oil in the pan. You're not making chicken fried steak. You don't actually want to shallow fry. You want a little more butter/oil than you would for a saute -- but not much. The idea is to toast the crumbs more than to fry them.


You know what's funny? I used to always pan fry breaded foods in only a little oil and butter as you're describing. But I've always seen chefs on videos etc.. do it with much more oil, almost shallow frying. I thought maybe I was being too careful with the amounts of oil I was trying to use and started using more - and in the process stopped using butter to avoid burning it. I need to trust my instincts more, and the chefs on the videos less.

However in this case the reason I was putting a fair amount of oil was, if I put less, then only about 20% of the surface of the schnitzels becomes beautifully shiny golden brown, while the remaining 80% stays dry, white, and if I insist on cooking longer the schnitzel becomes overcooked and the breadcrumbs go straight from white to black without going through the golden brown stage. 


boar_d_laze said:


> The three most important factors to a good Milanesa or schnitzel are butter, butter, and more butter.


That shouldn't be a problem. Being a true Frenchman, I don't think there's anytime I don't have at least a kg of good quality butter in my fridge. The amount of butter we buy is frightening.

Anyway once more, thank you very much for all the insight. Cheers!


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

I completely agree w/ _*KYH*_. However, I'll go w/ 2:1 odds. This aint'e no rocket surgery difficulty. _*BDL's*_ points about the butter and corn-starch are really good too. _*KouKou's*_ suggestion about the _"mixture of mayo and mustard"_, makes me want to gag, but regular people _really_ like the results _(I personally can't stand mayo, I'm not a veal person either but that's just me)_.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

IceMan said:


> I completely agree w/ _*KYH*_. However, I'll go w/ 2:1 odds.


Are you guys poker players or what? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

In any case, I've bought some more veal today, I'll try again tomorrow and let you know how it turns out.


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## indygal (Dec 7, 2010)

As much as I have cooked in my lifetime, I have never been much of a fry person. In fact, I avoided it at all costs. Just didn't trust myself. Well, this year, I started to fry and to my surprise, I do it pretty well.. After years of looking at cooking shows, I avoided my previous pitfalls of

1. crowding the pan, and

2. not having the right temperature.

I still have not tried fried chicken, I do my version of "shake and bake" for that.

So far I have not had any failures, and I've used everything from batter breading to panko, to corn flake breading. I'm quite sure the only reason I've had success is soaking up knowledge from the TV cooking shows.

My favorite so far was tempura batter made from a mix I got in the store for morel mushrooms - truly memorable meal. Looking at the ingredients on the package, it seems to be mainly corn starch and the texture is really wonderful, IMO. (So I'm thinking BDL is onto something) I was given the mushrooms. Much as I hike, and hang out in the woods, I cannot ever find them. I can trip over one and not see it, in fact.  Other people come home with big bags of them.

I started out deep frying in a home rectangular cooker. But I got tired of that fast, I went through too much oil. So I started to fry with just a little oil in a pan, and frankly, I cannot tell the difference. Same crispiness, not too much oil, takes about the same time and the pan takes less oil.

Now, what I want is Wienerschnizel. What cut of meat is that? We have a German restaurant here where they make a weinerschnizel sandwich that is divine. Served with red cabbage, of course. *edit: Sorry, FF, I just saw that is what you were trying for! I had no idea Weinerschnbizel was veal! I thought it was pork of some sort. *

My other "freed food wish list" is *fried* popovers. When I was a kid we went to a restaurant somewhere on one of the many many trips my father imposed upon us. They served popovers for breakfast, but they were NOT baked, they were fried in a great big vat. They'd ladel in some dough/batter, and a couple of minutes later serve you a piping hot, crispy, hollow confection that I remember even now, decades later. You could watch them do it. They are entirely different and much much better than baked ones, IMO. They served them with powdered sugar, or you could have them like we did, with butter and syrup. I've never even heard of anyone else doing this, and I've looked on the web for years.

DD


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

IndyGal said:


> Sorry, FF, I just saw that is what you were trying for! I had no idea Weinerschnbizel was veal! I thought it was pork of some sort.


Wienerschnitzel means "thin piece of meat from Vienne (Austria)". It is normally expected to be veal, but you can often find pork versions as the inexpensive alternative.


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

mexicans make sopapilla which is basicallya light fried puffy dough...they serve them warm with honey on the side....maybe that will be close to what you're thinking of....know this from another thread but gotta say, you must have been one hell of a date for the bf to drop that kinda dough(pun intended)..right on sistah!

joey


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

In Austria, the dish called wiener schnitzel _(Viennese schnitzel)_, is traditionally garnished with a lemon slice and either potato salad or potatoes with parsley and butter. Although the traditional wiener schnitzel is made of veal, it is now often made of pork. In Austria and Germany, the term _Wiener Schnitzel_ is protected by law, and any schnitzel called by that name has to be made from veal.

Sorry for a serious thread-hyjack here, but I am one of the most anti-veal people there are. Over 96% of all veal produced in the United states come from factory farms. Factory farms to me, are one of the most horrific parts of the entire food industry. I'm sorry, that's just me, and my opinions.

When I make schnitzel, I do it with pork. I use a nice sized pork loin and slice it thinly (+/- 1/2in/2cm) on the bias. I then pound it out evenly to half of that. Then I hit it w/ the jaccard. The cooking prep may seem way off the reservation, but it comes out nicely. I soak them in buttermilk for an hour or so, then coat with a 3/2 mix of toasted seasoned fine panko crumbs and sifted a/p flour. I then fry them up in screaming peanut oil. When all the meat is cooked up, deglaze the skillet w/ chx stock and wisk in some of the coating mix to thicken it up. Served w/ lemon slices. YUM-O.

*for educational purposes* _(someone's gonna ask)_:

*jaccard* _(meat tenderizer)_:

 

*pork:*


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## mikez (Jun 13, 2010)

probably the fat was not hot enough.. also the breading is a good insulator so the meat does not overcook on the outside before the inside has a chance to cook


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

French, lol... à bas le panko, vive la chapelure!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

ChrisBelgium said:


> French, lol... à bas le panko, vive la chapelure!


/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Ice is right.  Wienerschnitzel doesn't mean "thin piece of meat," it means "Viennese style schnitzel."  Schnitzel is always cut thin, nearly always but not always pounded, and always breaded.  Schnitzel and escalope are not direct equivalents.  When schnitzel is "Viennese style," it's always veal, breaded, cooked in lard or oil, and served with served with a squeeze.  That's one of those "words have meanings" things.  And as Ice points out the definition is legally controlled term in Europe.

Veal schnitzel is kalbsschnitzel, and pork schnitzel is schweinschnitzel.  You can schnitzel other meats as well.  

There are lots of variations on Wienerschnitzel, but they aren't called Wienerschnitzel -- they get their own names, such as Schweinschnitzel Holstein, or Kalbsschnitzel Oskar.  My German, even my restaurant German, is very weak.  If I remember correctly, all schnitzel variants are called schnitzel art (don't quote me).  If I had to choose a favorite it would be Kalbsschnitzel Holstein. 

Tonkatsu is the Japanese version of generic schweinsschnitzel.  Tonkatsu is a very big deal thing in Japan where they use it as a component in all sorts of dishes as often as they serve it as a stand alone. 

FF -- You don't expect perfectly even browning, but if you're getting big white spots the solution isn't copious oil but flatter meat.  Don't be afraid to use your knife and your mallet to flatten and even the thickness out.  Wienerschnitzel is traditonally cooked in lard.   God bless Farmer John.

I did some research and found out that I was wrong about using less fat for cooking schnitzel.  You want enough to "swim" the meat. 

BDL


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

boar_d_laze said:


> Ice is right. Wiener schnitzel doesn't mean "thin piece of meat," it means "Viennese style schnitzel."


 /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif Wiener means Viennese, and Schnitzel means thin piece of meat. This was all explained to me by German friends around a Schwein schnitzel last time I visited Zurich. Hence my definition: 


French Fries said:


> Wiener schnitzel means "thin piece of meat from Vienne (Austria)".





> And as Ice points out the definition is legally controlled term in Europe.


Not in Europe, only in some countries (IceMan just copy-pasted information from the US wikipedia on Schnitzel, which says Wiener Schnitzel is legally controlled in Germany and Austria. The same page also says that in Austria you'll find Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein: pork Wiener Schnitzel).


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm curious what difference it makes where information is found? I'm also curious why _Wikipedia_ always seems to get such a bad rap? Lastly, I'm curious why you, _*French Fries*_, decided to get snipey with your last response?

I made my reply to _*IndyGal*_ and her simple question. It was a factual answer, and not one that can be challenged very well. If you are looking for a reply with the same attitude as yours, well then OK, I can do that too. I thought your question was considerably amateurish, obviously asked by someone with very little experience. Without question I'll be willing to say that you pan was not hot enough, and then you did not get your oil hot enough to properly fry with, and thus the end result was that the food soaked up the oil.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Wikipedia gets a bad rap, IceMan, because, by its very nature, it leads to erroneous and misleading information .

Nobody, literally nobody, doing serious research on a subject, accepts Wikipedia as authoratative unless the data can be verified through other sources. I do find it useful, sometimes, for suggesting directions to take while doing research. But I'd never use it as a quotable source.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

I am always amazed at the amount of informative people we share on this forum and am very grateful to share my knowledge to help as well.

Remember too that Wikipedia can be authored by anybody, hence the fact that it is not a reliable reference source.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Please do me a favor, go try to post something on _Wikipedia_. Please try to post up something that you know is completely off the reservation. Please don't tell me that you have already, and what a terrible system it is, because I won't believe you. Please also do some research and you'll find that _Wikipedia_ has become a very well accepted reference source. My every-day regular job for a long time has been education. I'm an elementary school teacher. Yes, I'm a professional chef, but get real, we all know what that pay schedule is like. Anyway, my point _(OK, it's my opinion)_ is that you negative on Wikipedia people are inaccurate, and really should open up just a bit.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

The good:  Food people are so passionate about the stuff they love.  

The bad:  Food people are so passionate about the stuff they love.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

IceMan said:


> I'm curious why you, _*French Fries*_, decided to get snipey with your last response? (...) If you are looking for a reply with the same attitude as yours, well then OK, I can do that too. I thought your question was considerably amateurish, obviously asked by someone with very little experience.


IceMan, my apologies if it came across that way, I did not realize when posting my last reply that it was snipey or had any particular attitude!! I was just stating facts, and defending my earlier definition that BDL challenged, I wasn't judging your answer, your facts or your source. I just named your source. Maybe you read too much into it? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif

As for my question being amateurish... isn't that the purpose of this forum, to ask more experienced people to help with things where I don't have a lot of experience? We're all amateurs or lack experience in some domains, and if I showed a lack of experience in sauteing/shallow-frying breaded foods, then so be it. I'm here to learn.

I do appreciate all the answers and will try to crank up the heat next time.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

OK. You know what? You are correct, many of us, me included may just read way too much into what is said. In this instance though, you were not the first person to seemingly rag on a _Wikipedia_ reference, in my eyes anyway. A few facts were behind my claim of your question being _"amateurish"_. you've got almost 1500 posts, and whereas you and I don't really roll the same way, I've not so much found those posts to have come from someone with little or no experience. I've thought of you as a knowledgeable person. Am I giving you too much credit and/or experience? Anyway, my post came after a very long and totally uninteresting shift. I worked in the kitchen of a large _concession stand_. Nothing was _cooked_, just heated and put out. We were considerably overstaffed. The #2 guy in the kitchen arrogantly did something at my station then got all flustered when I went into his. I had kinda sore feet from working in new _(to me)_ shoes. I can't wait to see what I'm being paid. _LOL @ ME_ yet once again.

_** *_My shoes, a $90 retail pair, were bought very slightly used, from a _Goodwill_ store for <$10.



I highly recommend giving them some support by spending a few dollars there.

_*** *_Whether you intended it or not, whether I'm correct or not, I give you credit _*Kuan*_, for the very quiet moderation job your post made.


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## cookers (Jun 11, 2011)

I pound mine paper thin and do the breading like you do. I use about 3-4oz of oil and wait until the pan is smoking hot and then saute them for about 3 minutes total and then throw them in the 500* oven for a few minutes/until fully cooked.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

French Fries, most people would slap some Progresso bread crumbs on their cutlets and throwing into some vegetable oil without giving a thought to the outcome. It takes intelligence and care to want to work on this technique, most of us home cooks do have trouble with this particular one. I call myself an amateur, and proud to be. I don't see what difference that makes anyway, we're not posting on the professional chefs forum so what's the big deal?



IceMan said:


> I completely agree w/ _*KYH*_. However, I'll go w/ 2:1 odds. This aint'e no rocket surgery difficulty. _*BDL's*_ points about the butter and corn-starch are really good too. _*KouKou's*_ suggestion about the _"mixture of mayo and mustard"_, makes me want to gag, but regular people _really_ like the results _(I personally can't stand mayo, I'm not a veal person either but that's just me)_.


I can only speak as a "regular person" but one of my biggest pet peeves is when people go out of their way to point out that a food mentioned makes them want to gag. If anything, this sounds very amateurish. Maybe my suggestion was or was not helpful, but what difference does it make that you can't stand mayo.... or veal for that matter? The question was about technique, a veal rant warrants its own thread, it's not necessary to enter a thread and insult people.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

_*LOL.* WOW._ OK. You sure did put me in my place. Hey _*French Fries*_, I do take your point again about reading more into a post than there is. _"Regular"_ people are those that are not twisted up like I am, with goofy issues.


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