Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

pan-fry

 
Dictionary: pan-fry  pan·fry (păn'frī')
also tr.v., -fried, also -fried, -fry·ing, -fry·ing, -fries, -fries.
To fry in a frying pan or skillet with a small amount of fat.


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
WordNet: pan-fry
Top
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has one meaning:

Meaning #1: fry in a pan


Wikipedia: Pan frying
Top
Pan frying sausages

Pan frying is a form of frying characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil or fat (compared to shallow frying or deep frying); typically using just enough oil to lubricate the pan. As a form of frying, pan frying relies on oil as the heat transfer medium and on correct temperature to retain the moisture in the food. The exposed topside allows, unlike deep frying, some moisture loss and contact with the pan bottom creates greater browning on the contact surface. Because of the partial coverage, the food must be flipped at least once to cook both sides.

Contents

Benefits and drawbacks

The advantages of using less oil are practical: less oil is needed on hand and time spent heating the oil is much shorter. The chief disadvantage of using less oil is that it is more difficult to keep the oil at an even temperature. The moisture loss and increased browning can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the item cooked and its preparation and should be taken into account if there is a choice to be made between pan frying and deep frying. Especially when high-temperature frying with lots of oil, it may be advisable to use a splatter guard.

Techniques

Generally, a shallower cooking vessel is used for pan frying than deep frying. Using a deep pan with a small amount of oil, butter or bacon grease does reduce spatter but the increased moisture around the cooking food is generally detrimental to the preparation. A denser cooking vessel -- the pan should feel heavy for its size -- is necessarily better than a less dense pan since that mass will improve temperature regulation. An electric skillet can be used analogously to an electric deep fryer and many of these devices have a thermostat to keep the liquid (in this case, oil) at the desired temperature.

See also

References

  • How to pan fry [1]




 
 
Learn More
Tahu Goreng (recipes)
Adas Bil Hamod (recipes)
Indian Fry-Bread (recipes)

How does chapatis float on frying pan? Read answer...
Can you bake a cake in a fry-pan? Read answer...
A frying pan is a artifact? Read answer...

Help us answer these
Properties of a frying pan?
How are frying pans made?
Cheese on a frying pan?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pan frying" Read more