To quickly feed your family, you don’t have to spend hours at the stove. Frozen semi-finished products can help out at any time when time is limited.
However, the final taste of the dish depends entirely on the correct approach to heat treatment. By following a few simple culinary rules, you will turn an ordinary cutlet into a juicy and appetizing dish.
Do not defrost before frying
Remember the main tip: do not wait for the product to thaw. Thawed minced meat loses its elasticity, the cutlet will spread across the pan and turn into porridge. Remove the pack directly from the freezer at the moment when the pan begins to warm up.
Monitor the oil temperature
You need to achieve a golden mean:
- The pan should be hot enough so that the cutlet does not stick to the bottom.
- Avoid hot conditions where the oil begins to smoke.
If you throw an ice-cold cutlet into boiling oil, the fat will fly in all directions. This is not only a dirty stove, but also a real risk of getting burned, experts from the “Eating at Home” (18+) channel reported.
Create a crust and then simmer
Fry the cutlets for 2 minutes on each side, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for another 20 minutes. Also, after frying, you can place the cutlets in a preheated oven for the same time.
Personal experience
I always keep a pack of homemade chicken cutlets in the freezer. Previously, they often cracked when frying. Now, following these rules, I only place them in a hot (but not smoking) frying pan – there are no splashes, and the crust turns out perfectly smooth.
Short conclusion
The main thing in cooking frozen cutlets is to respect two factors: the coldness of the product and the temperature of the oil. Do not defrost, avoid smoke from fat and do not forget about the final simmering under the lid.
