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KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN (KFC)

PART TWO 

PRESSURE FRYING USING A PRESSURE COOKER? (BE CAUTIOUS)  — Pressure fryers! If you do not know, pressure fryers are partly to blame for KFC’s success over the years. So, if you are looking for a way to make delicious KFC-style chicken at home, you would obviously need to invest in a high-quality home pressure fryer- as a commercial one just won’t do in a home kitchen.

KFC Frying Chicken  —  The reasons why the pressure fryer is most preferred for making deep fried chicken is because of the mechanism it utilizes, which allows chicken and any other food items to be deep fried to cook and brown evenly.

The other reason is that pressure cookers are extremely efficient and cook faster than any other frying method while still doing the job properly. Pressure frying also generally results in a tastier and juicer end product, which probably explains why it is so popular over say, deep frying or cast-iron skillet frying.

How does pressure frying work?  To put it as plainly as possible, pressure frying basically consists of frying food under intense pressure. Before Colonel Sanders switched to using pressure fryers, customers would often be forced to wait for as long as 45 minutes for their fried chicken. Colonel Sanders’ first pressure fryer was actually one that he had converted from a pressure cooker; which is quite risky and highly discouraged today.

Pressure frying is not much different from deep frying except that when the food being fried is placed into hot oil, the lid is usually lowered over the pot and secured to create an airtight pressurized environment.

As food contained in the pot continues to heat up, the surface moisture evaporates into steam, therefore increasing the amount of pressure in the pot even further. Once the pressure accumulates, a barrier is formed around the food items being fried which prevents any more moisture from being lost. The barrier also seals the food’s natural juices and seals out excess oil, causing a notable difference in both the texture and flavor of the food.

THE TRUTH ABOUT PRESSURE FRYING AT HOME  —  No Pressure Frying  —  

If you intend on pressure frying at home, you should never, ever attempt to use a pressure COOKER for frying your food.  EVER. This is because the rubber seals on pressure cookers are not designed to withstand the intense pressure of the heat produced by hot oil.

Therefore, the only thing that can be used to pressure fry properly is a pressure FRYER, not pressure COOKER.
Although there are plenty of resources and people that claim to have converted their pressure cookers into fryers successfully, this is not something that you should ever attempt to do as you would essentially be turning your pressure cooker into a death trap.   If you check your pressure cooker’s user manual, there should be a warning against using your pressure cooker in such a manner as it was designed to be used with excessive amounts of oil.

In many scenarios, the maximum amount of cooking oil that you are allowed to use with a product that cooks under pressure is about a quarter of a cup of oil. In most instances, vegetable oil is recommended for use as other types of solid fats like shortening and lard can combine with the steam to produce a terrible gummy taste in the food.

The safest way to pressure fry is to actually invest in a pressure fryer that has been designed to handle the task. Even when you do finally invest in a superior pressure fryer of your choice, there are certain instructions that have to be read and followed to the letter to avoid accidents from happening.

TAKE NOTE:  A PRESSURE COOKER IS NOT A PRESSURE FRYER — Why pressure fry using pressure FRYER?  Essentially, there are many different methods of frying food, each with its obvious advantages and disadvantages. But if you are looking for faster cooking times without impacting the flavor of the meal being prepared, then nothing beats a pressure fryer.

Frying revolves around water. In this case, the water being referred to is the moisture that is naturally found in the food items to be fried. When you pressure fry, it forces the moisture to boil at even higher temperatures than it would with any other cooking method, which is what speeds us the cooking times.

This speed is also why pressure fryers are preferred in situations where a lot of food has to be cooked simultaneously such as busy fast food restaurants. Some more reasons why you should invest in pressure fryers include:  Pressure frying yields product faster

When you pressure fry, what you get is food that has cooked quicker and has lost less flavor and moisture, which results in a tastier and juicer product. Pressure frying also produces a healthier result as the natural juices and nutrients become sealed in easily.

“ AUTHENTIC CORPORATE THINKING And DRAMA” — 

 For many years, scientists have attempted to discover the authentic Colonel Sanders ‘ ingredients  but without success. Some formula books have nearly devised similar tasting fried chicken, but there is only one on the market which has CLOSELY cracked the KFC technique. Everybody loved it.

Keeping things secret is nothing but more corporate bullsh*t than anything else —  Who cares, I don't,  because even when they do everything wrong, their places were filthy,  greasy dirty, untrained help, lousy health records with the kitchen police. There is no mystery in dirt !

People went there for the flavor of the chicken and noticed  their rubber sneakers stuck to the floor from the aerated grease.  In my restaurant we had clean floors and clean dining rooms.  These stores had enough grease to sponsor a NASCAR KFC 500 —

You might want to try your own KFC —  We got good results with all three.   This is the closest and it came from Australia, I believe.  If you spent the time to read my comments on four visits to four different KFC stores, you will understand my disdain for this chicken franchise and I coined the phrase “ Who killed the frickin Chicken”.

History  — Oh The Drama ! —  A copy of the recipe, signed by Sanders, is held inside a safe inside a vault in KFC's Louisville headquarters, along with eleven vials containing the herbs and spices. To maintain the secrecy of the recipe, half of it is produced by Griffith Laboratories before it is given to McCormick, who add the second half.

In 1983, William Poundstone conducted laboratory research into the coating mix, as described in his book Big Secrets, and claimed that a sample he examined contained only flour, salt, monosodium glutamate and black pepper.

KFC maintains that it still adheres to Sanders' original 1940 recipe. In Todd Wilbur's television program Top Secret Recipe, the Colonel's former secretary, Shirley Topmiller, revealed that Sanders learned from his mother that sage and savory are good seasonings for chicken.  

EDITOR —  Wow, what significance —  Turkey Chefs used sage and  Summer Savory a herb that belongs to the mint family. It's a versatile herb and can enhance many dishes, from soups, stews, and bean dishes to succotash, cabbage, and sauerkraut.  Plus savory has been around for 2000 years.   Also, Winston Shelton, a former friend of the Colonel, said that the secret recipe contains Thalassery black pepper.

 It is well attested that Harland Sanders asked Bill Summers of Marion-Kay Spices in Brownstown, Indiana, US to recreate his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices.  While alive, Sanders recommended the Marion-Kay seasoning to franchisees over the corporate version, as he believed the latter had been made inferior by its owners. 

In 1982, after Sanders' death, KFC brought a lawsuit against Marion-Kay and the latter was barred from selling its mixture to KFC franchises. The Marion-Kay seasoning is still sold under the name "99-X," and according to Sanders biographer Josh Ozersky, it is indistinguishable from the original KFC recipe. It works and no prepping and mixing needed.  Sold in quantities for up to 100 lbs of chicken — 

www.marionkay.com and is available from them.

— The Recipe Credited / Found By Joe Ledington 11 Spices —

 In August 2016, the Chicago Tribune reported that Joe Ledington of Kentucky, a nephew by marriage of Colonel Sanders, had claimed to have found a copy of the original KFC fried chicken recipe on a handwritten piece of paper in an envelope in a scrapbook. Tribune staffers conducted a cooking test of this recipe, which took several attempts to get right.

Plan A —

• Mix With 2 Cups White Flour Called “ Lite Flour”  - Key ingredient — Wondra
• 2/3 Ts Salt
• 1/2 Ts Thyme
• 1/2 Ts Basil
• 1/3 Ts Oregano
• 1 Ts Celery salt
• 1 Ts Black pepper
• 1 Ts Dried mustard
• 4 Ts Paprika
• 2 Ts Garlic salt
• 1 Ts Ground ginger
• 3 Ts White pepper

Plan B —  Here Is The Backup  Recipe

• 2 eggs, beaten well
• 1 1/2 cups milk, regular
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. Knorr chicken bouillon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder (not salt)
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. ground sage
• 1 tbsp. chopped parsley
• 2 large cloves garlic, bashed
• 1/2 tsp. soy sauce - Kikkoman
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. Wondra flour or arrowroot.

You will also need, additional flour for separate pre-coating, 5-6 cups non-hydrogenated Crisco or peanut oil, and obviously frying chicken, cut in pieces. 

PREPARATION —  
Do it the KFC way and get a handle on using a pressure cooker, cooks in minutes ! ! ! Pour the oil into the pressure fryer or deep pan suitable for frying, read INSTRUCTIONS for amounts and then heat over medium heat to about 360°F. or adjust dial. 

I do mine in my electric WOK sometimes.In a small bowl beat the egg, milk, and soy sauce, then stir in 1/2 tsp. Knorr chicken bouillon (save the other 1/2). Put the garlic cloves through a garlic press and add into the egg mixture. Add half of the parsley and 1 tablespoon Wondra all-purpose flour. Stir well.

In a separate bowl, combine the 1 cup flour and the bread crumbs, and the remaining ingredients. Mix well with a fork.  The Wondra flour is important, as it’s lighter and cooks faster than regular flour.  Put about 1/2 cup additional flour in a separate small bowl and use this to dip each chicken piece, prior to dipping in the milk and seasonings.Roll each piece of chicken around until well covered, first in plain flour, then in milk mixture, then in flour/bread crumbs mixture.  Gently lower the chicken pieces into the hot oil and allow to become a golden color.

NOTE:   It was obviously no ordinary flour they were mixed with. This was much finer and lighter.  Thus arrowroot or superfine Wondra flour and fried chicken loves a bath in buttermilk or brine prior to it’s breading.  Buttermilk*  gives the best results. Make sure larger flakes of dried thyme, oregano and basil should spend a few seconds in a food processor.  I use a small coffee grinder which is much finer on all herbs. I have two, the other sticks with coffee. You can use a mortar and pestle if you are a professional gourmet herbologist and seek authenticity above the average mortal  —  

KFC Use Of MSG In Their Current Chicken Recipe —   The final missing piece, the other great secret to Kentucky Fried Chicken’s succulent deliciousness, is their use of a glorious piece of equipment called a pressure fryer.   A cross between a pressure cooker and deep fryer, it fries the chicken under pressure, speeding up the cooking process and yielding much juicier results because the super heated moisture cannot escape. 

 It only needs about a 1/4 oil as the pressure does the fluidity and work.  It s basically a pressure cooker filled with small amounts of oil.   You can manage a pressure cooker using minimum amounts of oil according to instructions.

Here’s Another Hint  —    If you love Buffalo or Hotter (and there are thousands of deadly combos) wings or tenderloin chunks but find most of the coverings like the most popular hot sauces like FRANKS a bit too much,  we found using Buttermilk mixed with Franks HOT or BUFFALO Sauce and tossed in a container calms the process down a hair and give the wings an even greater flavor.  It might save your throat and larynx.  Buttermilk is great,  mixed with Frank's Dedicated Wing Sauce. I have also mixed it with sour cream and also Ranch Dressing to make Dynamite Sauce — 

Preparation  —  

Do it the KFC way and get a pressure cooker, cooks in minutes ! 
Pour the oil small amount into the pressure fryer cooker
In a small bowl beat the egg, milk, and soy sauce, then stir in 1/2 tsp. Knoor  chicken bouillon (save the other 1/2).
Put the garlic cloves through a garlic press and add into the egg mixture. 
Add half of the parsley and 1 tablespoon Wondra all-purpose flour. 
Stir well.In a separate bowl, combine the 1 cup flour and the bread crumbs, and the remaining ingredients. Mix well with a fork.
Put about 1/2 cup additional flour in a separate small bowl
Use this to dip each chicken piece, prior to dipping in the milk and seasonings.
Roll each piece of chicken around until well covered, first in plain flour, then in milk mixture, then in flour/bread crumbs mixture. 
Gently lower the chicken pieces into the oil and lock the top and allow to become a golden color. 15-20 minutes,

PLAN C  —  Another Take On KFC For Chicken ( No Pressure Cooker)  —  I made this recipe three times with various adaptations. The recipe below tastes the closest to the original KFC recipe even though it was deep-fried not pressure-fried.  Salty, juicy, a hint of that herbal spice, the flavors are pretty close. The biggest difference is the texture:  KFC’s skin is softer while this version is much crispier and more delicate. Most taste testers said this is the closest to KFC. Some liked it better.

Wilbur’s recipe calls for tellicherry pepper, a fine black pepper known for its fruity notes from the Malabar region of India. I doubt the Colonel was using this, so I opted for regular black pepper. The recipe also calls for skim milk in the dredge, but I’m inclined to believe the Colonel prefers buttermilk, so that is what I used. I also marinated the chicken for an extra half-hour which resulted in a more flavorful bird. 

A bit of baking powder also makes the bird crisper, a tip I got from Niagara College chef-instructor Michael Olson. If you want that iconic salty, spicy umami bomb go to the Colonel.  If you want a crispier version with a fresher herbal taste, make this at home.

For The Brine To Pre-Soak The Chicken  —  

1 tbsp  MSG   
1/3 cup  table salt
8 cups water
10-15 pieces of chicken (drumsticks, wings and breasts)

For The Dredge  —  
2 large eggs
2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk

For The Breading  —  
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

For The Seasoning  —  
1tbsp + 1tsp table salt
1 tbsp MSG
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 ground savory
1/2 ground sage
1/2 ground marjoram
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 ground cayenne
Vegetable oil for frying

Process  —  

• In a large bowl, whisk MSG and salt in water. 
• Add chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate cold  for 3 1/2 hours.  
• Remove chicken from brine. Rinse with water and blot dry with paper towel.
• In another bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Set aside.
• In a large shallow bowl, combine all ingredients for breading. Set aside.  
• Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium-high heat pour oil about 3-inches deep. 
• Bring oil to 300 F (150C).
• Dip chicken into buttermilk mixture. Transfer to bowl of breading and toss until evenly coated.
• Shake off any excess breading and let sit for five minutes before frying. 
• Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Fry chicken two to four pieces at a time, making sure chicken isn’t crowded in pot.
• Adjust heat so oil stays at 300F. Cook chicken for 15 to 18 minutes or until skin is golden brown.

MSG SAFE OR NOT — MYTH —  It’s one of the most popular flavor enhancers in the world, but MSG — short for monosodium glutamate — has a marketing problem.  In the late 1960s, the ingredient came under fire for allegedly being a toxic addition to some of your favorite foods, from soups and salad dressings to Chinese takeout and French fries. It became so stigmatized, in fact, that some restaurants started advertising that they’d cut MSG from their menu entirely.

Since then, research has debunked the myth that MSG is a villainous ingredient, and research shows that in small amounts, it doesn’t cause any significant or lasting harm. Registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, of the Cleveland Clinic explains what MSG is, how it got such a bad rap and what we now know to be true about it.

What is MSG?  —  You’ve probably heard that MSG is bad for you, but … wait, what is MSG, anyway?  This flavor enhancer gives an umami kick to many popular Asian dishes, and it’s often added to fast food items like fried chicken. It’s made from an amino acid called L-glutamic acid, produced by fermenting corn, sugar cane, sugar beets, tapioca or molasses.

“MSG is one of the most widely used food additives, and it’s in a lot more foods than people think,” Czerwony says. “It’s most commonly thought of as being in Chinese food, but it’s in a lot of other things, as well.”  

Though it naturally occurs in tomatoes, cheeses and some other foods, MSG is also commonly added to processed items like:

• Canned vegetables.
• Condiments, including ketchup, mustard and salad dressings.
• Deli meats.
• Potato chips.
• Soups.
• Soy sauce.

Umami foods increase saliva production — literally, they make your mouth water — which improves the way food tastes. And although MSG does add a salty flavor to foods, it has just one-third the amount of sodium as standard table salt, which makes it a popular substitution.

Is MSG Safe?  —  MSG been used as a flavor enhancer in since the early 1900s, but it started to get a bad rap in the late 1960s. Suddenly, MSG was said to be associated with all kinds of health issues, and for a while, it was branded a “toxic” ingredient.

Now, though, most of those myths have been dispelled, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says MSG is “generally recognized as safe.” Global food-regulating bodies like the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) agree.

Still, MSG continues to be a controversial ingredient, in part due to a longstanding stigma against it and a lack of conclusive data about it. It has never killed anyone, you stand a better chance of being poisoned eating at a couple of our fast food joints -   Chipotles, Wendy’s Romaine, and a few others.

08/07/2021   aljacobsladder.com