Why chicken foams while frying—and how to prevent it
Chicken is one of the most commonly purchased meats. It is tasty, healthy, and easy to prepare. However, sometimes, the meat starts to foam during frying. What causes this phenomenon? The answer is surprising.
2:42 PM EDT, June 13, 2024
The average American consumes about 80,5 lbs of chicken annually. The meat can be prepared in dozens of ways, so it never gets boring. Most often, we toss it into the frying pan. Occasionally, foam starts to come out of the chicken during frying. What is it, and where does it come from? The answer will surprise many people.
Why does chicken foam in the pan?
Chicken is one of the most commonly purchased meats. It is tasty, healthy, rich in protein, and low in calories. It is suitable for boiling, baking, grilling, or stewing, but most of us fry it. During frying, white foam comes out of the meat. Why does chicken foam in the pan? It is a natural phenomenon that does not affect the quality, taste, or nutritional value of the prepared dish.
What is the mentioned white foam? It is not antibiotics or hormones but protein that comes from the meat due to thermal processing. A similar phenomenon can be observed when cooking broth. The so-called scum appears on the surface of the soup. It is nothing more than coagulated protein.
How to avoid foaming during frying?
Frying is one of the most popular methods of thermal processing of food. It involves heating oil to high temperatures 302 to 392 degrees Fahrenheit. The Maillard reaction occurs during frying, which combines sugars with amino acids. This reaction completely changes the structure of the meat.
Foam appears when frying chicken, other meat, vegetables, or doughnuts. What causes this? Every food product contains water. When it comes into contact with hot oil, it tries to evaporate, which manifests as foaming during frying.
How to avoid this? There are several different methods. If you want to fry meat or vegetables, sprinkle a little salt on the pan just before pouring in the oil, and the fat will not splatter. Are you planning to prepare cakes, doughnuts, or pastries? Drop a piece of raw potato into the pot with oil, and it will not foam.
