Updated on April 9th, 2023
All-purpose flour is, without a doubt, the foundation of numerous recipes, including many fried meals. Flour, along with other dry ingredients, helps keep fried food moist and prevents them from developing a tough quality. The flour coating also aids in browning and providing a crispy top to the food.
However, it should interest you to know that you don’t have to stick to just flour when frying food items. There are a variety of substitutions that can improve the flavor of anything you’re preparing.
If you’ve always wondered what to use in place of flour in your fried recipes, you’ve come to the right place. There are several substitute options to choose from, but you must pay attention to the right substitution procedure for the best results.
Flour Nutrition Facts
What is Flour?
Flour is typically produced by grinding uncooked grains, beans, roots, seeds, or nuts into a fine powder. Flours have many uses and can be incorporated into a variety of dishes. Bread is made primarily of cereal flour, notably wheat flour, a staple diet in many cultures.
Flour is typically used to make bread, spaghetti, crackers, a variety of cakes, and other foods. Wheat flour can also be used to make a roux, which is a thickening agent for gravies and sauces. Another really important use of flour is in frying food items.
During the cooking process for fried foods, the flour coating helps prevent the food from adhering to the pan. Also, the flour and other dry ingredients help keep the food juicy and prevent it from developing an unpleasant tough quality. Coating fried foods with flour also aids in browning the food and provides a crispy exterior.
Uses of Flour in Fried Recipes
When it comes to breaded or battered food items, flour is always an important ingredient in the cooking process. Sometimes, pork chops or fish can be coated in flour and then fried right away. Another way to use flour in frying is to first let the food items be coated in flour, dipped in an egg batter, and then into bread crumbs before frying them.
Some popular fried recipes in which flour is typically used include the following:
- Crispy fried chicken
- Buttermilk fried chicken
- County fair fried dough
- Fried dumplings
- Fried green tomatoes
- Crispy fish batter
- Air fryer fried chicken breast
- Crispy fried smelt fish
- Fried pickles recipe
- Vegan fried chicken
- Shallow fried fish
- Chickpea fries
- Pan-fried Mochi bun
- Fried courgette
- Fried salmon
Substitutes for Flour in Fried Recipes
It might interest you to know that one of the most interesting aspects of cooking is that you can hardly ever be restricted to a specific set of ingredients, regardless of the recipe. There are alternative options for practically every cooking ingredient.
This is also the case with flour, as there are plenty of options to choose from if you’re out of flour or just simply seeking gluten-free alternatives for a healthier meal option. You can try working with one of the following alternatives for flour in your fried recipes:
Eggs and Breadcrumbs
If you prefer a thicker crust for your fried recipes, consider eggs and breadcrumbs. To give thick pork chops, fish, and eggplant a rich crusty exterior, egg and breadcrumbs are commonly employed in the cooking process, and they can also be used in fried chicken and veggie recipes.
The disadvantage of egg and breadcrumbs is that the crust slough off when placed in the oil. As such, when you wish to air fry or bake your “fried” recipes, this is the approach to employ.
If you’d rather not have the breading mixture sloughing off the food, you could dip it in the egg first and then coat it in a mixture of breadcrumbs and cornstarch. This way, the breadcrumbs will adhere to the protein better, and you’ll have a less oily fry as well.
Baking Powder
Cornstarch, baking soda, and cream of tartar are among the ingredients typically contained in baking powder. When baking powder is used to coat chicken skin, the chicken dries out faster when fried, and at the end of your cooking, you have crispy, crunchy, and lightly fried chicken on your plate.
Try using baking powder instead of flour if you’re attempting to lose weight while enjoying a tasty fried chicken breast or wing. To attain the same crunchiness that flour provides in fried recipes, you can combine baking powder with any available flour replacements for frying.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What can I use instead of flour or cornstarch to fry chicken?
If you don’t have cornstarch on hand, all-purpose flour can be used instead for a more standard breading and frying method. Rice flour or potato flour can also get a similar lacy, crispy texture.
Can you fry with just cornstarch?
Both flour and cornstarch can be employed in the cooking process for fried recipes; however, there are some important differences between both ingredients. The flour will suffice as a breading, but it will not provide the desired golden quality, and the meal will not attain the desired crispiness. However, cornstarch to fry food items will be golden in color and have delicious crunchy quality.
Which starch is crispiest?
Cornstarch typically has about 25 to 28 percent of amylose content. This is higher than wheat or potato starch (which contains 20 to 22 percent amylose), and this is one of the features that make cornstarch better for creating a crispy exterior on fried food items.
Conclusion
Fried foods are popular due to their delicious taste and ease of preparation. Many different food items may be used to make fried meals, but flour is one key ingredient to get a crispy crust on each of them.
If you’re on a gluten-free diet or can’t locate flour for your fried recipes, there are plenty of flour replacements that will make your dish taste the same. Make sure to introduce these substitutes in the right methods to achieve desirable results.
