Now think back to the time you tried breading anything at your house. Were your fingers so completely coated in breadcrumbs and eggs that you could barely move them? Did the breading fall off before they made it to your plate? Did you throw things and promise you would never try breading things at home ever again? (Okay, so maybe that last one was just me. I throw things when I get upset at myself for failing.)
If that sounds familiar, then I have some good news for you! Today I am going to teach you all about BREADING things. Once you learn the process you can bread pretty much anything you want to. (No, not ice cream or carrots or weird things like that. If you try those things though, please send pictures. I could always use a good laugh!)
First, it is important to have everything ready. You are going to need a container with flour, one with eggs, and one with breadcrumbs. (I've been noticing that those people on Food Network say February to remember the order. Flour, Eggs, Breadcrumbs. Clever, right? If it helps, it helps.) You will need whatever it is you are breading (I breaded ravioli to show you, so that is what I am going to reference in this post. It's easier than saying "whatever it is you are breading" over and over again). You are going to need a deep fryer or a pan with oil it in. You will also need a plate or cookie sheet with paper towels to hold the ones that are finished.
I am going to walk you through this step by step to make it easier on you.
SEASONING
Flour
Flour tastes gross. Have you tried it? Make sure you season the flour. I don't go crazy. I stick to salt and pepper. Taste it. You should barely be able to taste the salt.
Eggs
Beat the eggs really well. You don't want to be able to tell the whites and yolks apart. I usually do this part first so they can warm up just a little.
Breadcrumbs
This is the fun part. I used part Panko, part Italian breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. You can use your own variety. Just make sure it is seasoned. Taste it. It should taste good to you. If it is too salty, add more regular breadcrumbs. If you are adding cheese, don't add a ton of salt because then you will have to add more regular breadcrumbs.
Before we start breading, we are going to talk about your hands. You don't want them to get clumpy and gross. It messes up the breading process and is gross. From now on, use your dominant hand for the dry ingredients and your inferior hand for the eggs. Don't forget and don't mix them up. It's a rule. Also, some people like using different utensils to help so their hands don't have to get dirty. That makes things so much harder on you. Don't worry. Your hands won't be super dirty to begin with, and they wash pretty easily and completely.
BREADING
Flour
The flour helps dry the ravioli. (Water and oil don't mix well. You should probably know that.) You don't want a heavy coating, but you want it to coat every part of the ravioli. so move it around in the flour and then pat the excess off.
Eggs
The whole point of the eggs is to give something for the breadcrumbs to stick to. Just like with the flour, you want a thin coating, but you want to make sure you coat it completely. (If you miss a spot, the breading won't stick and it will look ugly and your guests/family/friends will laugh at you. Trust me.) After you have it coated completely, let the excess egg drip off. You don't want that egg in the breadcrumb bowl.
Breadcrumbs
We're almost done. Stay with me. This is one of my favorite tricks. While you are holding the ravioli with your left hand, letting the excess egg drip back into the bowl, use your right hand to pick up a small handful of breadcrumbs. Put the ravioli into the bowl with the breadcrumbs with your left hand and cover it with the small handful from your right hand. This helps you cover the ravioli without having to touch the egg with your left hand. At this point, move the breadcrumbs around the ravioli until it is lightly covered.
Did you notice I used the wrong hands in the picture? Bonus points for you if you did. I can't take pictures with my left hand. This was the only ravioli I did wrong. Don't worry. As I finish with the breadcrumbs, I make a pile and wait until I have them finished before I start frying them. Also, it is important to use the fanciest paper plates you have. Don't forget this part.
You want the oil to be around 325 or 350 degrees. Don't overcrowd the pan because each time you put anything in the oil, you lower the temperature. The lower the temperature, the longer the ravioli sits in the pan cooking. (At that point, it is mostly just soaking up oil. Not appetizing at all, right?) It only takes a couple of minutes to fry and then you can put them on the plate you prepared at the very beginning. The only thing left to do is take a picture to show people your mad breading skills and then eat it!
I know this seems long and complicated, but that is only because I was explaining everything as specifically as I could. Breading things isn't difficult and it goes by so quickly if you keep your hands where they should be and they don't get crazy dirty. I wanted to show you a picture of my breading bowls after I was finished to show you that they look pretty close to what I started with since I followed the hand rule. (Okay, so as many times as I tell my left hand to stay over the bowl so the egg drips in the bowl, it doesn't listen. I had egg all over the counter by the time I was done. Better on the countertop than in the flour and breadcrumbs, I've always said.)
I hope this helps you with your breading endeavors in the future. Don't be afraid of it. It's easy and makes people think you spent a lot of time taking your food to the next level. Everybody wins!
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