Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts - Mark Klebeck [8]
Heating the Oil
It’s important to give the oil enough time to heat up before you start frying. (See the chart that follows; keep in mind that times may vary depending on your stove.) Also note that the oil temperature may vary while you fry, so continue checking it as you go. Adjust your stove’s setting often to maintain the desired temperature.
We highly recommend using a thermometer while frying, but if you can’t find one, you’ll know your oil is ready when you see vigorous convective motion along the bottom of the pan—almost like thin clouds moving quickly across the sky. But as we said, a thermometer is best.
Here are guidelines for heating oil over medium heat. You can rush it by heating it over a higher temperature, but that often results in oil that is hotter than the desired temperature.
Pan diameter: 12 in/30 cm
Oil required: 12 cups/2.5 L
Oil depth: 2 in/5 cm
Minimum pan height: 4 in/10 cm
Approximate time to heat to 325°F/165°C to 370°F/185°C: 30 to 40 minutes
Pan diameter: 10 in/25 cm
Oil required: 10 cups/2.25 L
Oil depth: 2 1/4 in/5.5 cm
Minimum pan height: 5 in/12.5 cm
Approximate time to heat to 325°F/165°C to 370°F/185°C: 25 to 35 minutes
Pan diameter: 8 in/20 cm
Oil required: 8 cups/2.5 L
Oil depth: 2 1/2 in/6 cm
Minimum pan height: 5 in/12.5 cm
Approximate time to heat to 325°F/165°C to 370°F/185°C: 20 to 30 minutes
For deep fryers, using oil up to the recommended level, approximate time to heat to 325°F/165°C to 370°F/185°C is 10 to 15 minutes.
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Make a Sacrifice
You can use a scrap of doughnut dough, or a sacrificial doughnut, to test the oil. You may learn that the seconds go by quite quickly as you fry, or that the time it takes for your doughnuts to cook is slightly shorter or longer than listed in the recipe. Based on the first doughnut, use your judgment for the rest of the batch. Our cooking times are only approximations.
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Turning Doughnuts
When turning doughnuts in hot oil, try to rotate them right at the oil’s surface, using a pair of thin metal tongs or wooden chopsticks. Picking them up out of the oil will cause them to fall apart.
Frying Safety
Understandably, our instinct when working with sizzling oil is to move as quickly as possible. When frying doughnuts, though, moving slowly is best, because dropping doughnuts into hot oil makes the oil slosh out, which presents the possibility of a serious burn. To deposit doughnuts into the oil safely, slide them in on a metal spatula, or insert them by hand thin side first, letting go once about a third of the doughnut is immersed in the oil—dropping them in flat is dangerous. When removing doughnuts, let them drip briefly over the vat of oil before moving, to avoid flinging hot oil across your kitchen (or yourself).
And you’ve heard about oil and water, and how they don’t mix? It’s true, especially when the oil is very hot. If you need to wash your hands when frying (which is likely, because they’ll get floury), dry them thoroughly, and don’t let water or other liquids splash into the oil, or it will spatter and possibly cause burns.
This should go without saying, but we’ll say it: Be careful. Don’t fry around children, and don’t fry while you have other things on your mind or a lot going on in your house. Frying requires your full attention. Do not leave the kitchen.
Frying Doughnut Holes
Fry doughnut holes the same way you fry doughnuts, cooking them for about 75 percent of the recommended time for the doughnuts and removing them with a slotted spoon. You may notice that doughnut holes tend to roll around in the oil by themselves; you’ll need to watch them to make