Pressure frying is a cooking method that uses special equipment to heat oil and food in a pressurized environment, resulting in crispy exterior and moist interior. It is mainly used in commercial kitchens and requires expensive equipment. Pressure frying uses less time and oil, but cannot be done safely in a standard pressure cooker.
Pressure frying is a cooking method that requires special equipment designed to heat oil and food together in a pressurized environment controlled by the cook and the equipment. Food that results from pressure frying tends to have a crispy exterior from the hot oil and retains moisture inside, because the pressure prevents the water or other liquids in the food from boiling and turning to steam. For the most part, pressure frying is done primarily in commercial or industrial kitchens, requiring special equipment that can be very expensive or unavailable to non-commercial buyers. A big benefit of using pressure frying is that less time and oil are required to cook the food, sometimes reducing the amount needed by as much as half. Despite some anecdotes and failed commercial products, pressure frying cannot be done safely in a standard pressure cooker.
The process of pressure frying begins with oil being heated in a pressure fryer until it reaches the desired temperature. Next, the food that will be cooked is added to the oil and left to fry briefly so the outside chips and oil have a moment to return to the correct temperature. The fryer lid is then locked down to create a pressure seal, and the cooking process continues under pressure until the food is gone.
One of the reasons pressure frying works differently than other cooking methods has to do with the pressure, which is less than that used in a standard pressure cooker. Under pressure, the boiling point of water is raised, so the liquids within the food will need to get much hotter to boil. When the temperature of the oil is moderated under pressure, the outside surface temperature of the food rises to the point where the moisture boils off and evaporates, leaving a crispy crust. The internal temperature of the food, however, is never allowed to rise high enough for the moisture to evaporate, leaving the moist food inside.
In commercial restaurants, pressure fryers are capable of producing foods that are crispy on the outside while fully cooked and moist on the inside. In addition, the food cooks faster than normal frying or grilling and over time uses less fat and energy to cook. Several restaurant chains rely on pressure fryers to provide customers with distinctive food items that are difficult or impossible to reproduce accurately at home.
Since the original use of pressure fryers in commercial restaurants, home cooks have attempted to reproduce the results using standard pressure cookers. It is important to note that it is not safe to attempt to fry food in oil under pressure in a unit that is not specifically designed to do so. Not only is a commercial pressure fryer reinforced to prevent catastrophic accidents, but it also operates at a lower pressure level than a standard pressure cooker. One of the main reasons a regular pressure cooker can’t be used as a pressure fryer is because hot oil can destroy important parts and regulators inside the cooker, causing it to malfunction and potentially sending burning oil into the air.
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