Can You Reuse The Flour From Frying Dredge?

We've been dredging whole, cut-up chickens (among other things) and frying them for thousands of years, and we're probably never going to stop. You can find many delicious versions of fried chicken all around the world, but no matter how we go about it, one thing is true: Every fried chicken recipe involves some sort of delicious golden coating. To get there, we probably prepare too much seasoned flour, but we do it for a good reason — nobody wants to stop and make more frying dredge when we're in the middle of, well, dredging and frying (and draining and resting). So perhaps we have some leftovers, which includes all of the flour that's been seasoned and mixed with raw chicken. This is a good opportunity to avoid food waste, and reusing this flour is entirely possible. 

In the case of seasoned dredging flour, if we're going to reuse it, we must cook it. The trick is to understand the dredge ingredients and how they interact with one another. Reusing flour that's been in contact with raw chicken can potentially spread Salmonella, E. coli, or even more bad-news pathogens that can make us seriously ill. Cooking the flour kills any bacteria parties we may have started through our frying preparations, as well as killing any bacteria within the raw flour itself. Baking it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about six minutes is the name of the game, as well as spreading out the leftover flour in an even layer that's no thicker than ¾ inch. 

Baking flour is also a nifty way to get a head start on the perfect-colored roux for any gumbo, so there's a fine use for it. It would be the perfect shortcut for a yummy batch of shrimp and okra gumbo — or you can just keep frying. You can also reuse this flour to batter food, which is different than dredging. There are two basic ways to prepare food for frying, and each one impacts safety a little differently in terms of creating an environment where harmful bacteria can thrive. Dredging is how we make the best crispy Korean fried chicken, because in that recipe, there are no eggs or dairy. Once we introduce those ingredients, we're battering.

Old-school and always delightful, Chicken Française and Chicken Katsu are delicious examples of fried chicken recipes that are dredged (lightly) and then battered in eggs. There's also double and tripled-dipped fried chicken, which involves even more contact between raw protein and seasoned flour and eggs, along with milk or buttermilk. And while we can cook flour and reuse it in a number of ways, if we're dredging, it's best to just toss the leftovers. By introducing dairy and eggs, we're upping our chances of creating a breeding ground for bacteria. Do save room for both methods though; There's nothing like the thick, even coating of the best fish and chips, but sometimes, it's all about the tiniest crunch and the perfect sauce, like when we're craving upscale chicken piccata.