Crafting the perfectly crispy potato pancake: Tips and tricks
Potato pancakes are beloved, but how can you keep them from being greasy while ensuring they stay crispy? Here are a few tried-and-tested methods to help you achieve perfect pancakes.
13 November 2024 18:44
Potato pancakes have been a favourite for years. There's nothing better than a plate of hot and crispy pancakes straight out of the pan. However, for many, frying them involves excessive oil absorption, which can negatively affect their taste and lightness. What can be done to keep the pancakes from being greasy? Try these tricks.
How to fry pancakes so they don't absorb oil?
Before frying the pancakes, it's essential to choose the right potatoes for the job. For this dish, type B potatoes, which are all-purpose and work best, are used. These potatoes have a lot of starch, making them ideal for pancakes. Remember to use older potatoes as well; young potatoes have more water, which makes them harder to fry.
On what to fry potato pancakes? The type of cooking fat greatly influences the quality of potato pancakes. Many people opt for vegetable oil, but lard can be a better alternative for frying at high temperatures. When using lard, you can achieve a golden colour and desirable crispiness.
The frying temperature is also crucial. Pancakes should be fried in well-heated oil, which helps quickly seal the surface and reduce oil absorption. The thickness of the pancakes is another important factor: not too thin to avoid burning quickly and not too thick to prevent them from being raw inside.
What can you do to prevent the pancakes from absorbing too much oil? Follow these tips to fry perfect potato pancakes:
- Grate the potatoes and squeeze out the water. This makes frying easier and helps prevent oil absorption.
- Add a tablespoon of distilled vinegar to the batter and mix thoroughly. It won’t affect the taste but will limit oil absorption.
- Place the batter in well-heated oil. If the oil is too cold, the batter will start absorbing it.
- You can also add alcohol to the batter. Like vinegar, it won’t change the taste but will help reduce oil absorption.
After frying, placing the pancakes on a paper towel can help absorb excess oil. This simple trick helps make potato pancakes less caloric while retaining the desired taste and texture.
