Alton Brown's Cooling Rack Trick Rids Fried Food Of Excess Oil In Seconds

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It's a bit ironic that fried foods are so delicious, yet such a pain to make. From splashing to staining to burning, there are so many things that can go wrong when whipping up a batch of fried chicken or french fries. And it doesn't end there; after removing your food from the hot oil, making sure it's free of excess oil is a crucial step to ensure your dinner tastes great instead of greasy. Luckily, Alton Brown has the best tip for home chefs hoping to fry food — and all it requires is a wire rack, baking tray, and paper towels.

Brown shared his tip on "Alton Brown Cooks Food," via YouTube, where he published a recipe for homemade fish sticks. Before he began frying, he explained why he places the cooling rack upside down over a baking sheet lined with paper towels. "I believe, through considerable experimentation, that if the bottom of the [...] rack is actually touching the paper towels, when fried food goes onto it, it will wick the excess fat away in a more efficient manner," he stated.

If you've ever fried food before, you may have used a wire rack, baking tray, and paper towels to soak up extra grease — but you probably didn't use the rack upside down. This is the key, according to Brown, and it makes sense. Since there's more direct contact with the paper towels, one can surmise they will soak up grease way faster than if the oil is dripping from a distance, making it a much more efficient way to finish cooking your fried dish.

To give your fried food the best shot at crispiness, Alton Brown also recommended using a cooking spider, like this one on Amazon from ChefBee. This tool is absolutely essential when frying. Brown used it to lower his fish sticks into the oil to avoid any splashing. Then, he used it to lift the fish sticks back up out of the oil, taking care to drain as much oil as possible before placing them onto his prepared wire rack.

If your home kitchen is missing a wire rack and baking tray, the best alternative is using paper towels on their own. However, there's a right and a wrong way to do this. Avoid placing super-hot, oily foods onto flat sheets of paper towels, as they will soak through exceptionally fast. This paper towel mistake can ruin your frying experience, making it much messier than it needs to be. Instead, crumple up your paper towels loosely before placing them on a plate. When it comes to draining fried foods, the more surface area for grease to be soaked up, the better.