"fried" news and stories

In honor of my oven-baked latkes, I decided to opt for a more health-conscious choice for the Cookbook of the Day today with Fry Light, Fry Right: Fried-Food Flavor Without Deep Frying because you don't have to eat a ton of oil just to enjoy the flavor of fried foods (or to celebrate oil, since today is the first day of Hanukkah).

Despite the holiday reference, this is not a Hanukkah oriented book. In fact, it's more about all-American fried foods of the variety that you'll find on hundreds of menus and in bakeries across the country, including things like Mozzarella Sticks, Coconut Shrimp, Chicken Fried Steak and Chocolate Devil's Food Donuts, among its 120 recipes. Each one is simple and all you really need to know how to do is work an oven to turn out impressive (and healthy) results. With only some heat and a little bit of oil, included primarily to prevent sticking and encourage browning, you should be able to obtain crisp exteriors and tender interiors on everything you make - just like deep fried foods, only there won't be as much fat to cover up the base flavors.

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With the amount of bacon that we have seen on this site this year, 2006 should have been the year of the pig (2007 is actually the year of the pig). It has popped up everywhere from breakfast plates to evening cocktails. Some say that Everything Tastes Better with Bacon, but after checking out our list of the top 8 uses for bacon from the last year, you can decide for yourself if you have been Seduced by Bacon:

• Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, why not start it off with a big bowl of Bacon cereal?
• Cereal isn't the only bacon-infused breakfast option. French toast and bacon sandwich could be a more appetizing choice if you're not the cereal type, or you could simply opt for bacon waffles. Bacon breakfast cookies will give you a bacon fix on the go.
• BLT's have much too small a ratio of bacon-to-nonbacon. The ultimate bacon sandwich or a deep-fried bacon Double Quarter Pounder are both much more meat-oriented.
• Gummy bacon isn't bacon flavored, but if you like the idea of bacon in candy, bacon caramel might be just what you're looking for
• For dessert, a generous serving of bacon ice cream is in order, and this kind actually has chunks of bacon in it, much like the bacon ice cream that Marcel mixed up on Top Chef.
• The bacon martini is not a drink for everyone. You may have to be an addict - not that we condone alcoholism or bacon-aholism - to get it down.
• You can't keep bacon in it, but the bacon wallet will help you bring home the bacon, in addition to looking like it. The only odd thing here is that the wallet is made of faux leather - couldn't they have gone for the real thing?
• Time, bacon and eggs heal all wounds, especially if you use bacon and eggs bandaids to help speed the healing process along.
• We suspect that the bacon trend may continue into next year, since we recently found out about the existence of chicken fried bacon (with gravy), which sounds like it will be an instant hit at the fried-food havens that are county fairs.
• Last, but certainly not least, we have heard that eating bacon and participating in open discussion of the pork product may be the single most important part of achieving world peace. Peace Through Pork makes a good point.

Although some children will be quick to point out which foods are healthy ones to their parents, not all children have reacted so positively to the recent changes in school lunches. At least, they haven't in the UK. The BBC conducted a survey of secondary schools (middle and high schools) and found that at 60% of them, there had been a drop in the number of students that were opting to buy the school-provided lunch since the switch to a healthier menu. Only 10% of schools had an increase in the number of students taking lunch since the change.

It's too bad that there isn't any US data on this phenomenon after so many schools and school districts have placed restrictions on what types of food are appropriate for kids to have access to during the day, but it seems likely that the problem would be a similar one, especially with older kids who can easily leave campus or go out after school to get the fries and pizzas that they have always had access to at school until now.

The problem is one that will gradually go away over time, as the kids who were used to the "old way" of doing things graduate and the number of students who think that they are entitled to something greasy and unhealthy will decrease compared to he number of children who might actually look forward to a healthier lunch.

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KFC announced yesterday that they intended to begin eliminating trans-fats from their recipes, starting with their famous fried chicken. Over the course of the next 6-8 months, by April of 2007, all KFC stores will switch to using a non-hydrogenated cooking oil, although some locations already use it. If this seems like a minor change, consider that one extra-crispy chicken breast (is there any other kind worth going to KFC for?) has 4.5 grams of trans fat!

The process of testing the recipes has taken the company about two years. Even though the partially hydrogenated oil that they currently use does not really contribute to the product in terms of flavor, it does produce a superior crispness that lasts longer than some other oils. The company did not want to put out a product that would not live up to their consumers' expectations - even if it was healthier. They will be using low linolenic soybean oil. Other fast food companies, including Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, which are also owned by KFC's parent company, Yum Brands Inc., say that they are looking into replacing partially hydrogenated oils on their menus, as well.

KFC fans should take note that there will still be a few things on the menu that will not be trans-fat free, namely their biscuits, macaroni and cheese and baked goods.

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Looking at the picture of these perfect Apple Fritters with Vanilla Ice Cream, featured at Not Just Desserts, made me realize just how long it has been since I had a fritter. I suspect it has something to do with the popularity of retro desserts - mini doughnuts and cupcakes, etc - at restaurants over the past few years because even though fritters have homestyle appeal, they don't have a very retro sense about them. Trendy or not, this photo is enough to spark a craving in anyone's mind.

The fritters are made by dipping apple rings into a lightly sweetened batter, similar to pancake batter. The rounds are then deep fried until golden. The apples are cooked, but are not as tender and soft as the apples in other desserts that feature them, but that just adds texture to the dessert, especially when you serve the hot fritters with some creamy vanilla ice cream.

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