Plant-based frying - junk food is in high demand!

Plant-based frying: Being vegan isn’t about just vegetables, pulses, and beans – plant-based junk food is in high demand!

When you think about plant-based food, you might think about the vegan food of yesteryear – bean burgers or lentil soup - but in fact vegan dishes are amongst some of the most innovative cooking out there.

Of course, maintaining a healthy diet without animal products is a careful consideration, but having access to indulgent, tasty and not necessarily healthy plant-based options is important for variety in a vegan diet too!

Many of the latest fried food trends can easily be adapted for plant-based foods, as well as classic options.

Utilising your deep fryer is the perfect chance to create some delicious plant-based treats for your diners. When thinking of classic foods that can be converted to a plant-based alternative, why not consider deep fried battered ‘calamari’, made with oyster mushrooms instead of squid? Or elsewhere in seafood, a deep-fried banana blossom with chips is the perfect alternative to fish and chips.

Meanwhile, deep-fried plant-based options lend themselves perfectly to world-inspired cuisine – from a tofu alternative to chicken katsu curry, to tasty tempura fried vegetables. This is of course in addition to Asian inspired dishes like onion bhajis or mushroom pakora – which are often naturally plant-based.

One of the biggest trends in restaurants over the last few years has been US barbecue inspired – and again the plant-based options are endless! It’s not just about fries and onion rings – think southern-coated, deep fried chicken alternatives, battered pickles (also called frickles), or nuggets made from cauliflower chunks.

Our long life high-performance Prep frying oils are perfect for creating delicious vegan dishes – our oils are not only plant-based but are also sustainably sourced.

When cooking plant-based foods it’s important to consider several practical steps to ensure you get the perfect results. Firstly, to ensure there’s no cross-contamination and your food is good for vegans, it’s important to use separate fryers for animal and non-animal-based products.

Next, it’s also important to make sure that your fryer is set to the correct temperature for whatever specific plant-based foods you’re frying.

Finally, as with animal products, make sure you’re removing excess crumb prior to frying, and skimming your oil post-frying – to ensure your oil lasts longer!

For more useful frying tips, make sure you read more here.