Oven-fried Ideas

[WhatThePho]

I was just thinking about how easy and perfect oven-fried chicken is. Butter crisps up the skin/ breading and its flavor just HAPPENS; you put it in the oven and leave it alone. But chicken is the only thing I oven-fry, and this seems like under-use of a good method. It probably goes without saying I'm not from The South. ^_^

Do you apply this to other dishes? Traditional or unconventional? Mostly looking for mains or sides. Yes, I've heard of Paula Deen, but her sweet tooth is a turn-off. Dessert is a rarity in our kitchen.

Thanks in advance, all you brilliant 'Hounds!

[WhatThePho]

So I'm seeing a lot of baked w/ oil, which is certainly a type of oven frying. Great food, all, and less guilt inspiring than deep frying. I guess what I was thinking of, though, was food, in oil, in a pan, in the oven.

Like the chicken recipe (consider the dead horse beaten) calls for half shortening and half butter, and a LARGE amount of it, so that the bottom half of the chicken pieces are sitting in melted grease. They get flipped halfway through the cooking, so they have essentially as much contact with the oil as if they were deep-fried. So the distinction I'm making is: tossed with oil, etc. and baked vs. fried in oil heated by the oven. ^_^

Do you use this method for anything else? I know it's not everyday food for most of us trying to watch our waistlines, but it's naughty AND easy. I'd love to hear more!

Thanks! ~wtp

[janetms383]

My purpose in oven frying is to reduce the amount of oil, so i really can't see the point of using a huge amount of oil in a pan in the oven. While you can certainly get the oven hot enough to emulate the temps of a deep fryer, if you want that result, the most effective way of achieving it IS with the deep fryer. Maybe we’re missing your point………….. ??

[WhatThePho]

My point wasn't clear, I suppose.

I haven't encountered many recipes like this, and really don't know if there would be merit in trying to wing it with new ingredients.

Childhood memories of oven-fried chicken that seemed better than pan fried were the original basis. It's generally agreed that there is no difference in the end result? Meats don't merit from being simultaneously baked and fried? :) Thanks in advance.

[just_M]

I found it! I thought I had seen something similar on DDD. Here is the link http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bi...

If you try it please let us know how it turns out. Sounds like a much tidier means of frying chicken. Hope this is like what you were looking for. M

[WhatThePho]

:D that looks like it. Thanks just M.

[just_M]

Hope it's as good as you remember! M

[goodhealthgourmet]

i can't believe no one has mentioned okra or green tomatoes...or chicken wings, considering that it was just Super Bowl Sunday.

crab cakes and root vegetable cakes (potato, zucchini, etc) also do well in the oven.

[rcallner]

I was very happy with oven-fried red snapper fillets this Sunday (can use catfish, too). First I dusted them with seasoned rice flour, dipped 'em in a beaten egg/cream/milk bath, then coated with panko/seasoned Italian bread crumbs/crushed cornflakes. I laid them on a baking sheet covered with foil that I sprayed with olive oil, sprayed 'em with more olive oil, and baked about 6 minutes at 500F. Served with remoulade sauce (from Epicurious); a nice blackeyed pea dish, spicy coleslaw, and red beans with rice. The fish is quick, easy, pretty healthy. Crunchy outside, tender in.

[WhatThePho]

Thanks just M (and everyone)! These look like some great ideas. Very interested in trying the onion rings.

Also ipsedixit, breaded pork chops? This sounds sinful! As previously stated, I'm sheltered, but !wow! that's totally new to me.

[ipsedixit]

Onion rings

Pork chops

and, of course, how can we forget ... oven-fried bacon!

[just_M]

Hi ipsedixit, how do you do your onion rings? I can't believe I haven't tried this!

[ipsedixit]

I used this recipe as a template, but substituted panko instead of the saltines. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/re...

[just_M]

Thanks, they look great and give me all kinds of ideas about what to do with the many bags of chips with just crumbs left.

[just_M]

Thanks for reminding me of this technique, I need to revisit and its great for kids. When I was a kid I was only allowed to use the oven (microwaves weren't around) so I became the shake n bake queen. I made chicken of course but also pork chops (score the fat), zucchini sticks and mushrooms . I also did my version of country fried steak once with swiss steak but the other times I used hamburger mixed with some of the breading and egg then coated. Also my kid version of eggplant parm. I would just put the canned sauces, veg or rice in ovenware and heat it at the same time. Come to think of it fish would be good this way too but we certainly only had fish-sticks back then.

[WhatThePho]

ooh, that brings to mind a question I've had for quite a while. I attempted zucchini "fries" in the oven a couple months back, and they were just awful. Tossed with oil, coated with seasoned corn meal, baked till zuke was tender.

To be honest, I don't know where I got the idea that the corn meal coating would work, but it was like gravel-dipped zuke. Blehhh. Tips?

[janetms383]

This past summer, I made oven zucchini fries using the weight watcher method. It calls for seasoning the flour mix, then dip in egg white (I used whole egg) and then in panko. Bake at 450 on a baking sheet that's been coated with 4 sprays of cooking spray.
They turned out pretty good. If you decide to give it a try, I would suggest adding seasoning to the panko as well as the flour mix because they did need a touch more.

[Phurstluv]

Did you salt them first? Zucchini are full of water, and like eggplant, take well to salting and draining out the excess liquid first.

[janetms383]

nope, I didn't salt them - didn't peel them. Just cut into sticks and breaded and baked.

[just_M]

I haven't done this in a dogs age but I do remember scrapping the seeds out because that is what my Gran did and I'm sure I didn't use oil just egg wash and the Shake n Bake. I did and still do for camping use Jiffy cornbread mix as a coating and that always works fine, but I use the egg wash so that probably helps hydrate the cornmeal. HTH M

[cheesecake17]

I slice the zucchini into rounds, dip in egg, and then in seasoned cornflake crumbs. They take a while to get crispy, but it happens.

Tried it once with cornmeal- came out pretty nasty. I had cornmeal crusted brussel sprouts... was never able to duplicate it.

[tcamp]

Oven potato fries are great. I cut unpeeled russets or sweet potatoes into long, fairly french fry shapes, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with S&P, maybe some chopped rosemary, and bake. Just as good, and way healthier, than the the fried version.