Technique of the Week: Deep Frying

Deep frying involves fully immersing food in hot oil. It is an extremely fast cooking method, and, despite the use of liquid oil, is best classified as a dry cooking method because it does not involve water. The oil or fat used for deep-frying should have a high smoke point. The smoke point is the point to which it can be heated without smoking. For that reason, shortening, lard, and vegetable, canola, peanut and safflower oils are good candidates, while butter and margarine or not. The temperature of the fat is all-important and can mean the difference between success and disaster. Fat at the right temperature will produce a crisp exterior and succulent interior. If it's not hot enough, food will absorb fat and be greasy; too hot, and it will burn. An average fat temperature for deep-frying is between 325°F and 375°F, but recipes differ according to the characteristics of each food.

Tips and tricks:

• If you are not using a special deep-fat fryer, be sure to use a heavy-bottomed pot or deep sauté pan.
• To allow for bubbling up and splattering, the container should be filled no more than halfway full with oil. 
• If your oil starts to smoke it is too hot, remove the pan from the cooking surface very carefully and allow it to cool down.
• To ensure ingredients are cooked properly, a clip on thermometer is recommended. Oil that is ready will bubble around the edges of a clean, dry chopstick (or other wood stick) when inserted.
• The temperature of the oil will drop when you add your item so add items in small batches to avoid the temperature dropping too quickly. If the temperature drops too quickly, it will result in greasy, uncooked items and longer reheat times.
• Use a slotted spoon and lower items gently to avoid hot oil splashes.
• Drain your item on a paper-towel lined surface and season immediately with salt/pepper.
• Fat or oil used for deep-frying may be reused. Let it cool, then strain it through cheesecloth and funnel into a bottle or other tightly sealed container before refrigerating.
• Save your oil container and after cooling the oil to room temperature, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the oil back into its original container. Store in a cool, dark place or freeze for up to two months.
• When oil is no longer usable, dispose of oil properly. Do not pour used oil down sink! Seal tightly and throw it away or put it in your compost pile.

Tex's Tacos Spices Up Neighborhoods

It's hard to think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with friends munching on tacos. Members of the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Society converged on the home of Lauren Patrick, editor of Pretty Southern with our beverages and lawn chairs to enjoy treats from the award-winning and ever-popular Tex’s Tacos food truck that was parked outside her house.

This fully-equipped taqueria on wheels serves a delicious assortment of Tex-Mex treats with bravura and flair. Tex’s Tacos started when two long time friends shared a meal San Antonio. Mac Helms, bemoaning the lack of his Texas favorites in Atlanta, joined forces with Harrison Jones to bring authentic Tex-Mex tacos to his city. They call their take on the Tex-Mex cuisine “Nueva Texicana,” creating a style that is unique & exciting.

The duo spent six months working with chefs to craft their offerings, dedicating as much as a week to perfecting each individual taco. The resulting menu is comprised of fresh, high-quality ingredients and packed with flavor and includes only best tacos, tantalizing quesadillas, chips with salsa and guacamole and their signature Texicana Fries which are lime fries loaded with toppings like grilled onions, queso fresca, and pico de gallo. While the food truck concept is quick-serve, all of their food is made fresh to order and is fully customizable.


We had the option of sampling our choice of tacos. I chose a Carne Asada and a Pastor De Puerco taco and Texicana Fries. The Carne Asada taco had citrus-splashed skirt steak, grilled onions, cheese, guacamole and cilantro, while the Pastor de Puerco contained pork al Pastor, pineapple, cheese, grilled onion and cilantro; both were garnished with copious amounts of fresh cilantro and a fresh lime wedge. The first impression when they hand the tacos out of the window is how good they smelled and how very fresh they looked. The carne asada was earthy and rich while the pork was a bit sweeter with very tender pork. The over the top lime fries were like a variation on nachos with toppings over crispy fries. The generous portion of fries could easily make a meal of their own. Of course they were all the better with a cold cerveza with one of those lime garnishes!

We chatted with neighbors and friends as we devoured our Tex-Mex goodies all the while discussing how convenient and enchanting it was to have a food truck pull right up in front of a home, delight guests and drive away when the party is over. Now for the beauty part, we can and you can too because Tex’s Tacos caters. You invite the guests, select the menu items you want to offer them, give Tex’s the headcount and they do all the rest. Convenient and enchanting indeed!

While the food items we sampled were complimentary, I received no additional remuneration. The opinions included herein are honest and unsolicited.

Meatloaf Smeatloaf Romeo Style

“Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double beatloaf. I hate meatloaf.” This quote from the 1983 movie, A Christmas Story could have been taken directly from a scene in our family kitchen growing up. There is a notorious story from my childhood that can still cause my mom’s jaw to set during the retelling.

Upon arriving home from school one day, I noticed that there were two items strategically placed on the kitchen counter: a lump of thawing hamburger and a loaf of Wonder bread. These two ingredients placed in close proximity at this time of the afternoon could only mean one thing, one bad thing: meatloaf.  So being a clever and resourceful daughter, I waited for just the right moment when Mom’s back was turned I nonchalantly stole the bread from the counter and hid it.

Tick, tock, tick, tock; I waited in my room pretending to be doing homework. Nothing. My father arrived home and pleasantries were exchanged; still nothing, until… “Where’s the bread” came a slightly shrill call from my mom. “What bread?” my dad and I replied in unison. “The bread for the meatloaf.” came the brief and definitive explanation from Mom. Dad then made the face; the I-hate-meatloaf-more-than-even-you-do face. I silently mouthed, “I hid it,” to my Dad whose eyes instantly lit up. Mom came trudging down the hall. I was busted, yet, there I stood steadfast and determined not to give in to the mundane meatloaf menace. Low and behold Dad backed me up! “We aren’t really in the mood for meatloaf tonight,” he diplomatically attempted to skirt the issue. Mom retorted something about us never being in the mood for meatloaf. The cards were on the table, all bets were off, the secret was out; "No, in fact, we hate meatloaf and would prefer to never have it again," Dad responded. And we didn’t. Meatloaf was off the regular menu rotation, reserved only for occasions when mom was cooking for herself or for Dom who completely shares her love for the hamburger-bread amalgamation.

Dom, who knows of my meatloaf aversion and typically honors my preference not to ingest the dish, recently needed a meatloaf fix on a stormy, unfriendly evening. He dug out a dusty copy of James Beard’s tome of recipes and set to work at creating dinner. I’ve known him a long time and he knows me; he knew that if he used JB’s recipe, I wouldn’t (couldn’t) dream of protesting. So here is Dom’s variation on meatloaf inspired by the equally indomitable James Beard.

2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 doves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper
½ cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
Thickly-sliced bacon

Mix all ingredients except bacon thoroughly and knead with the fingers until the mixture is very thoroughly blended. Form into a long loaf or cake and press firmly. Arrange enough slices of bacon or salt pork on the bottom of a baking pan to hold the meat loaf. Brush the loaf liberally with a mixture of half ketchup and half yellow mustard and then cross with 2 to 4 additional slices of bacon. Roast at 325°, basting occasionally with more ketchup and mustard, for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the loaf is cooked through.

Once the internal temperature reaches 155°F, the loaf is done and can be removed from the oven.  Let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving to allow the juices to settle. If you want to try my Mom’s and Dom’s favorite preparation, wait until lunch the next day and sandwich a thick slice between pieces of crusty bread.

CulinaryLocal Launch at 1Kept

Imagine how great it would be to see all upcoming culinary events in one place with the added bonus of being able to register to attend them on the spot. This is the concept behind the newly launched CulinaryLocal which is a “curated marketplace for culinary events” bringing together people looking for delicious food and drink events with the companies that offer them. CulinaryLocal.com in a one-stop-shopping site for cooking classes, dinner experiences, wine tastings, food tours, festivals and food-based volunteer projects.

The creators of CulinaryLocal recently hosted a launch party at 1Kept Restaurant in Buckhead to unveil their new market platform and to promote their future Ambassador program available to food bloggers. Thaddeus Keefe, 1Kept co-owner, greeted the group while placing bowls of truffled popcorn on the table. He talked about his commitment to farm-fresh ingredients and more importantly the nurturing of his “family” referring to 1Kept’s “Collective Kitchen” concept. He and his team presented an amazing five-course menu featuring fresh, seasonal produce from the Turnip Truck as well as other locally-sourced ingredients. Each course of was expertly paired with inventive cocktails by the newest addition to the #1keptfamily, mixologist Jonathon Turner.

In teams of two, Yves Neidlinger, CulinaryLocal founder and architect, demonstrated his new fully integrated site, due to launch in a few short weeks as a deviled quail egg with tomato jam and lemon vinaigrette was delivered to each diner. Though tiny, the adorable little morsel was full of flavor and went well with the strawberry infused prosecco creation to match. Crystal Organic’s butterhead and frisee salad dressed with charred Vidalia onion vinaigrette accompanied by smoky bacon lardons, spiced cashews followed with my favorite cocktail of the evening which involved Square One Cucumber, Cocchi Americano, orange liqueur, lemon and cilantro.


A crispy flatbread innovation with fingerling potatoes, broccolini, garlic confit and a creamy house-made ricotta had surprising textures and flavors, while a large sea scallops perfectly seared plated with a carrot puree were as pretty to see as they were to eat. And, that carrot puree is the stuff dreams are made of. I resisted the urge to lick the plate. Last, but most certainly not least, was the artfully constructed Cioppino with roma tomatoes, fresh-off-the-cob corn, and red peppers and laden with calamari, shrimp and littleneck clams. The hefty piece of grilled sourdough was the perfect accessory to ensure that not even a drop of the superb broth went uneaten.

This remarkable menu tasting highlighting 1Kept’s seasonal dishes and new cocktail offerings was the perfect way for Yves to showcase the type of extraordinary events that CulinaryLocal patrons might experience. Even better, CulinaryLocal brings event updates, prices and registration information directly to your inbox. Simply subscribe to CulinaryLocal to be the first know about all culinary events happening in the Atlanta area.

While the food and beverage items we sampled were complimentary, I received no additional remuneration. The opinions included herein are honest and unsolicited.