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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
16/01/2026
The majority of frying errors stem from oil temperature, moisture, and lack of patience. Once you understand these three fundamental elements, you can easily fix frying problems and improve the look and taste of your rainy-day snack food.
Frying is simple to do; all you need to do is heat some oil, add some food, and wait for magic to happen! However, it is probably one of the best ways to ruin a dish. During winter or monsoon season, you may have many times when you make pakoras, pooris, samosas, fritters, etc. Unfortunately, if you make a small mistake, your finished product can turn out soggy and greasy, pale and oily, or overcooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside. Many times, even the most skilled home chefs make these same errors.
The most common problem when frying foods is that the oil is too cold or too hot. If the oil is not heated enough, the food absorbs the oil and becomes greasy; if the oil is too hot, the food burns on the outside before it is cooked on the inside. Because the oil in winter takes longer to heat, many cooks tend to rush through the process. Therefore, it is important to get and maintain a steady medium to high heat while frying so that the surface of the food crisps as it cooks all the way through.
Overloading a frying pan with food will cause the temperature of the oil to drop immediately. When you have an overloaded frying pan, it becomes difficult to cook food evenly, leaving the outside of the food soggy and causing food items to stick together. Additionally, when the frying pan is overburdened, steam will build up and affect how crisp the food becomes. Cooking in a couple of smaller batches will maintain a consistent oil temperature and will provide enough room between pieces of food for proper browning to occur.
Moisture on vegetables, batters, or proteins will create moisture when the food comes in contact with hot oil and will create violent splattering during the frying process, preventing the food from being browned correctly. The winter months present a higher chance for condensation forming on food that has just been washed, making matters more difficult. If the food is blotted dry and has time to dry out before placing it back in the frying oil, the frying process will be cleaner, and a better crust can form on the food.
Moving the food in the frying oil causes the food to stop forming a crust. Food that requires initial contact with the hot oil must be placed in the frying pan and left undisturbed until the outer layer of the item is sealed. If you flip or disturb the food too soon, it will tear the outside of the food and can break apart, mainly fritters and stuffed items. Allowing the food to sit without any disturbance will help create a solid structure and make it easier to turn and produce even golden-brown results.
Although used oil is fine to use, it will lose its flavour and texture after repeated heating. Also, oil will darken food quicker than fresh oil, so food will appear cooked when it is not. During the winter months, oil can thicken, making it harder to visibly see signs of degradation. It is important to strain the oil and appropriately store it so that it can be used consistently and without question about when to discard it.
An ideal fry requires controlling every aspect of the fry process, more than technique. Most often, people make mistakes with frying due to temperature, moisture, or timing of frying, because they want to serve the snacks hot. Frying during the winter takes extra care, because oil takes longer to heat, the items being fried retain moisture longer, and because of the quickness of making decisions. When correcting the five mistakes mentioned above, frying can be predictable rather than nerve-wracking, and everyday pakoras or cutlets will become crisp, warm, and worthwhile waiting for.
