smallgree
Chef
Here is a vial recipe:
Posts: 1,398
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Post by smallgree on Feb 5, 2024 22:12:00 GMT 1
I certainly agree that CHS was looking for the best fried chicken recipe, as I did for my chili seasoning, but as was implied, all Southerners cook good fried chicken, so what was the impetus that inspired CHS to change what he was doing? The hunting lodge chicken? And what were the spices and herbs at that lodge intended to be used for? Did CHS deconstruct those know recipes to ascertain what made them so flavorful?
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smallgree
Chef
Here is a vial recipe:
Posts: 1,398
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Post by smallgree on Feb 5, 2024 22:12:18 GMT 1
I had a revelation last night. I won't get into details, but I will express the essence of what was revealed. I never bought the idea that CHS developed the OR by mixing and matching ingredients until he reached an unknown result, one he liked. We do it because we have a known target to shoot for, the brass ring, if you will. CHS supposedly had no target. He was on an unknown path. So, what was he doing, and what was he looking for. This is the revelation. This scenario is basically untrue. CHS did exactly what we do. He had a target, and a desired result. What he did was what I see people do on Iron Chef. He deconstructed things that he already knew and was fond of. He told us what they were, but we misunderstood what he was saying. Here is the mystery of the "multiples", which few have ever bought into.
CHS didn't use mixes (maybe he experimented in the beginning), but later deconstructed them into fewer elements because he liked the flavors. Picked and chose.
If CHS used "groupings", or made his own mixes, he would have used certain ingredients in each group. Several groups could have used the same elements, as with garlic, for example. We wrongly line up ingredients, once, and throw them all in a recipe, hodge podge. An ingredient list shows only the total use of an ingredient by weight, but not how it was used, or how often.
That source that worked for Claudia said "think in multiples, like garlic salt, onion salt and celery salt". The groups were all mixed with salt (and msg, which is a salt). He also named three ingredients, which was a Freudian slip.
I have to try these recent mixes I've developed, then I'll try this last recipe I drew up in the middle of the night last night. It's funny that CHS told what he used very early in his career, and the 11 vials actually show them. There was definitely a base formula, and the 11 Hs&Ss were added as flavor, as I do when I make chili.
I always suspected that the recipe, and technique for preparation, were out there in plain sight, If we would just open our eyes. I think TCK was a two-edged sword. Many great revelations were made about how to cook KFC chicken, but the arrogant misdirections and exaggerations misled, even to this day. I know what was in my Mother's cupboard, and it wasn't.........
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Post by deepfriednew101 on Feb 6, 2024 15:34:56 GMT 1
C.H.S. mentioned using one or two seasoning that Paired well together to make another Great seasoning
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cman
Kitchen Assistent
Posts: 205
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Post by cman on Feb 6, 2024 16:12:59 GMT 1
DFN101, Could that be the Italian seasoning and pumpkin pie spice seasoning?
Small free, On my earlier point, CHS had to tailor his recipe to his captive customers. There has to be a guiding principle in the creation of his recipe. He didn’t go in another direction like Al Copelands Popeyes that fostered the Louisiana ethnic spices. Although, one can argue that adding Italian seasoning spices to the Southern fried chicken is a very novel concept and maybe even risky financial decision if the surrounding population favored a bland fried chicken. To this point, he might have had a bland version of KFC initially to give his customers a choice.
In contrast, John Brown in my area stayed with a bland crispy fried chicken that highlighted buttermilk and butter to their chicken to come up with Browns Fried Chicken in the 40s.
As the demographics change, we will no doubt see more versions of fried chicken. I’m seeing Korean Fried Chicken, Memphis, Pollo Campero, etc. One would only wonder how CHS would have tailored his recipe had he lived in this time period.
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smallgree
Chef
Here is a vial recipe:
Posts: 1,398
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Post by smallgree on Feb 7, 2024 4:26:48 GMT 1
Southern fried chicken, and particularly my Mother's, is/was not bland. Yankees eat bland food. The answer is from CHS's own mouth. I'll not borrow his words. Let the experts here decipher what he said. Therein you will find his guiding principles.
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cman
Kitchen Assistent
Posts: 205
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Post by cman on Feb 7, 2024 6:00:03 GMT 1
Big apologies to all Southerners. I just took a quick survey of about 10 Southern Fried Chicken recipes and only one had few spices. I had assumed all along that the bland Browns Chicken in my area was a Southern fried chicken since it had some connection to a Mississippi fried chicken version. Martha Stewart once did a Southern Fried and the extent of spices was a few splashes of cayenne pepper sauce.
However, I was comparing the CHS fried chicken version to the fully spicier original Popeyes, the barbecue sauced Memphis or the Soy/molases/pepper garlic sauced Korean Fried chicken. But yes, KFC does indeed can also pack a pepper punch.
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smallgree
Chef
Here is a vial recipe:
Posts: 1,398
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Post by smallgree on Feb 7, 2024 21:21:03 GMT 1
It's how you brine it, bread it, and fry it. In the South, we used shortening, or tallow. Up north they use soybean oil. Most internet sites copy and reprint the same recipes, then they claim them as their own, as in "Southern fried" chicken. A key hint is the lady who claims to cook Southern fried chicken, but adds 1/2 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of salt to two cups of flour. Fake. Dig deep and you'll find real Southern fried chicken, which is heavy on black pepper. People who live, or lived in the outer regions are wannabes.
When the naysayers have made their run, I'll return. I've got cooking to do Lucy!
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Post by Silver on Feb 7, 2024 21:31:27 GMT 1
In the USA KFC specifies that it uses Canola Oil. Shortening, being a pork derived fat, would be an abomination to both Jews and Muslims, and Tallow would be an abomination to (at least) Hindus, and also to many Buddhists.
Edit: In much of the world Palm Oil (Palmoline) is used by KFC. It is listed (for example) as an ingredient on the South African KFC website.
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Post by underpressure on Feb 8, 2024 0:25:11 GMT 1
I use pure tallow. What about clarified butter? Is that taboo?
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Post by Silver on Feb 8, 2024 0:43:04 GMT 1
I use pure tallow. What about clarified butter? Is that taboo? Sheep's or Goat's milk butter (or Ghee) would be OK.
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