

It is important that the food not be heavily coated, but the application of a light, even coating will insure that the food achieves a golden brown appearance and a tasty coating when cooked. The food should be dredged through the flour on all sides, providing an even coating over the entire piece of food. Pat the food with paper towels to absorb excess moisture. This procedure enables each piece of food to be prepared with the desired amount of seasoning, rather than relying on the seasoning to be evenly distributed in the coating mixture.īefore dredging, the food should first be lightly dried. An alternative method is to first apply any seasonings, such as salt, pepper, herbs, or spices to the food and then dredge the food in flour. All of the dry ingredients can be mixed together and then the food can be dredged through the mixture. The flour and the other dry ingredients should be placed on a food mat, paper towel, shallow pan, or a large bowl. There are several reasons for dredging: the coating applied to the food acts as a barrier that keeps the food from sticking to the pan as it cooks it enables the exterior of the food to become crisp and darken evenly without burning and it prevents the texture of the food from becoming tough. Fish fillets, boneless poultry, pork cutlets, and veal cutlets are some of the foods that are often dredged in flour and other dry ingredients before cooking. Flour can be used alone as a coating, but it is more often combined with other dry ingredients such as herbs, spices, salt, or breadcrumbs to create a seasoned coating on the food that becomes brown and crispy after it is cooked.

Dredging is a process in which foods are pulled through dry ingredients, such as flour, in order to coat the food before cooking.
