Crispy Corn Fritters Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Why are my fritters not crispy? ›

The most common causes for soggy fritters are too much batter (basic flour and egg batter like used in pancakes will never cook up crispy), and whatever you're frittering leeches too much water when cooking.

Is baking soda or powder best for frying? A pinch of baking soda can help produce crispy fried foods. It reacts with the acid in the batter to create carbon dioxide bubbles. These lead to an airy batter and a crisper, fluffier result.

You can also use cornstarch/cornflour, or tapioca flour, instead. Of course, you can certainly just use all-purpose flour, but the fritters will not be as crispy.

Batter consistency is key to good fritters. If too runny, add a touch of extra flour (otherwise fritters soggy inside). If way too thick, add a touch of water.

Rice flour and cornstarch work particularly well because they fry up crispier than wheat flour. They also absorb less moisture and fat during the frying process, making the products less greasy.

Keep the food warm in the oven.

If you're not serving fried food immediately, you'll need to keep it warm to prevent it from getting cold and losing crispiness. One way to do this is to place the fried food on a wire rack in the oven at a low temperature, around 200°F to 250°F.

Cornstarch in the flour makes the crust crispier.

Cornstarch weakens the all-purpose flour's protein just enough to make the coating tender.

But the baking powder is key, because it acts like a salt. It helps draw moisture to the surface, where it can evaporate. Since they have similar reactions, we typically combine baking powder and table salt to amplify this effect, resulting in extra-crispiness.

When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.) The baking powder reacts with the oil and creates tiny air bubbles, which also helps form a crispy coating.

Cornstarch typically makes for a crispier finish than flour. Cornstarch absorbs moisture from the food and expands, giving deep-fried foods a crispy coating. When the food is fried, the moisture cooks out of the cornstarch, leaving a crackly, puffy coating on the outside.

Why are my corn fritters falling apart? ›

Don't stack them on each other, as they will likely steam and soften. Why are my corn fritters falling apart? If using frozen or canned corn, drain well to eliminate excess moisture.

The hydrated granules swell when they are initially heated in the oil, allowing the starch molecules to move about and separate from one another. As water is driven away during the frying process, these starch molecules lock into place, forming a rigid, brittle network with a porous, open structure.

They just need a simple, light batter of flour, cornstarch, and baking powder mixed with seltzer to tie them together. The seltzer and baking powder ensure that the fritters are shatteringly crisp–even slightly tired vegetables emerge from the oil crunchy, fresh, and sweet.

A common reason for soggy fritters is because they have not had all the moisture drained from them properly, AND from undercooking. To remedy this, make sure you squeeze out as much extra liquid as possible, fry them until very crispy, and drain them on a paper towel to retain the crispiness.

Soggy batter prevention that works every time

If you've gotten the dreaded limp fried coating, you might have over-mixed your batter, which forms more pesky gluten that readily soaks up the oil. Mix batter until just combined — no more, and no less. You might also be making the mistake of adding warm water.

If your potato fritters are soggy, it's likely because too much liquid remained in your vegetables or the oil and skillet weren't hot enough. A hot skillet with hot oil is how you keep potato pancakes crispy.

Make sure the oil is hot enough before you drop in the fritters and don't overcrowd the pan. If you overcrowd it, the fritters might not cook evenly. You also want to be sure you're cooking the fritters long enough. Fry them until they're golden brown and the batter is cooked through.