Hamburgers, nuggets, chicken fingers, schnitzels, chicken thighs are only some of the meats we can buy a ready breading mix for and then use in a restaurant. However, before some of these meats are covered with a crispy outer layer of breading, they have to go through forming, flour application, coating mix application, or frying.
What is meat forming?
Meat forming is most likely the first stage of making large quantities of nuggets, schnitzels, hamburgers, or croquettes. The goal here is for the food to have the right texture, weight, shape, size, and, most importantly, quality.
Special tools often are necessary for the process of forming meat. Poultry, beef, or other types of meat are placed in a special device that very quickly does the job for us by changing the shape and size of the pieces of meat.
Flour on the meat
In order to get a high-quality end product, very often flour is applied to food. A thin layer of flour works as a bonding agent. Thanks to flour, other layers stick to the food product much easier.
Dipping in batter
The chicken breading/coating mix, on its own, will not stick to a natural product; therefore, special caking is put on the meat. The coating is very thorough. Special caking is applied to the food, usually with the help of special machines. Only later is it possible to coat the food with breading.
Breading
Breading gives meat its tasty look and increases the efficiency of a restaurant. More clients are likely to order a dish, including appetizing crispy coating.
There are a few different types of coating that can be used in a kitchen- dry, wet, or a combination of both. The entire process depends on the outcome we want to achieve.
There are plenty of meat products that can be battered or breaded, such as burgers, schnitzels, filets, chops, and meats with bones like chicken drumsticks. Breading means coating the meat with a crispy outside layer improving the flavor and the look of a dish. The breading should stick to the meat completely from all sides. To get the best results, remove the coating excess from the machine. The crumbs are used again when processing more food.
Tempura
After the coating process, a thin layer is applied to half-finished food. The thin layer is called tempura. It is a mixture of ingredients like flour, salt, and cold water. Meats like nuggets or tenders can be dipped in the mixture. The meat is then deep-fried.
The frying process
When deep-fried, the tempura batter gets its crispy texture and appealing look. The frying itself is very important in the production process of ready food products.
What is frying? First, the frying machine heats up the oil to the desired temperature. The oil temperature stays constant, thanks to the fryer control system. The food is then deep-fried evenly with perfect, golden-brown breading that looks great and tastes great.
Baking
Baking adds to the quality of our food production; it keeps the oil within the food, so the food doesn’t lose its texture.
Another method of extending the quality of food is combining deep-frying with baking or baking food without the deep-frying. The latter is often used with marinated chicken wings.
Freezing
Freezing guarantees the freshness of food and its quality. Freezing equipment should guarantee quick and even freezing to ensure the proper quality of food.
Breaded food production does not only involve the application of flour, tempura, batter, or crispy breading but also the portioning ready products and placing them in their final containers.
