How Can A Fried Chicken In Melbourne Compete With The World’s Best?
The best fried chicken in Melbourne is certainly making waves but can it match the world’s best? There are several fried chicken joints the world over. Where can the best fried chicken be found anyway? The simple fried chicken has certainly evolved over the years. Different cooking and frying methods have gone through some interesting innovations.
As such, different countries have given birth to what they claim as the best fried chicken. Anyway, the taste is subjective. One’s best maybe dull to some. However, it seems that food experts and bloggers somehow agree that one country has the best fried chicken. Where could this fried chicken paradise be? Can it be in Australia? Can it be in Melbourne?
Let’s prolong the agony.
Before revealing where this mecca of fried chicken is, let’s breeze through the brief history of the infamous fried chicken, shall we?
The Fried Chicken’s Lovely History
You may be quick to say that fried chickens were invented by the Americans. Well, you are WRONG. Who would have thought, right? Actually, it was the Scottish who first did the deep-fried chicken in the fat cooking method.
Prior to this cooking, the rest of the world was either boiling or baking their chicken. When deep-frying the chicken proved to be a genius idea, the Scottish then brought it to the American shores. As they say, the rest is history. There’s something about anything fried- how it makes everything even tastier and crispier.
Note that fried chickens didn’t become readily available as it is now. Before the 2nd World War, fried chicken was mostly served during special occasions. It’s like their turkey at Thanksgiving. During the 1900s, there was a limited supply of spring chicken. A spring chicken is the most ideal kind for deep frying because of its high-fat content.
So now that you have a brief history of the fried chicken, you are now ready to know the home of the best fried chicken, right? Well, not yet. Patience is a virtue.
Let’s uncover the secret of the fried chicken’s drool-worthy and addicting crispiness
The secret to that crispiness lies in two factors. These factors are namely:
Kind of oil used
Olive oil is known to be one of the healthiest oils. However, it is not suitable for deep frying. It has a tendency to burn, pretty much like butter. As it reaches higher temperatures, it’s flavor changes. It becomes bitter, of course.
The best ones to use are canola, vegetable, or peanut oil. These oils don’t alter its flavor even after being subjected to high heat. As such, a fried chicken reaches the state where the skin is crispy but the meat is moist and juicy.
Frying temperature
A fried chicken must be fried at high temperatures. The most ideal temperature is between 302 and 374 degrees Fahrenheit. It is important to note that the method must be deep frying. The entire chicken must be completely submerged under the boiling oil.
Depending on the cut or serving size, cooking time may be between 5 and 10 minutes. Some may even suggest a longer time to make the skin even crispier.
So where is the land of the best fried chicken?
Well, many foodies suggest that the home of the best fried chicken in the world is found in Korea! Yes, half-way around the globe. However, this is through the insights of fried chicken enthusiasts and foodies. When some might vehemently disagree, there may be some truth to it.
It is delectable because of its double-frying process. The chicken gets a light dusting of batter then fried. Afterwhich, it is left to cool for a few minutes to a couple of hours. Then, it is dunked in sizzling oil once again. This method of cooking makes the skin crispier than the usual fried chicken.
It is also tossed and coated with special sweet and spicy sauce. The sauce may be made of garlic-soy or hot and sweet chili sauce. However, the sauce has also evolved to parmesan garlic, ultra spicy, and other flavors. As long as the chicken is double fried, the sauce can literally have any ingredients.
Can the fried chicken in Melbourne match this?
Well, the answer is YES! Of course, the fried chicken in Melbourne can. Patriotism aside, people have different choices. Their taste preferences vary. When many prefer the Korean kind, some may want the good old fried chicken served and cooked the familiar way.
As simple yet incredibly tasty, it may be considered underrated. However, it may be as packed with special ingredients and preparation methods as the world’s heralded best fried chickens. The point is, more people simply need to discover this diamond-in-the-rough, gem of a fried chicken in Melbourne.
