A bowl of juicy and flavourful deep fried meatballs can make your evening greater. And, what do you need to make them? Available ingredients like eggs, flour, meat, breadcrumbs, etc. Yes, it’s one of the simplest yet most delicious snacks you can have.
But what if you’re new to cooking deep-fried meatballs? Will your first try must be in vain?
No, not at all. This article will cover the right way to make mouthwatering deep-fried meatballs, the storing process of meatballs, nutrition facts, and some tips to make it easier for you. These are just summaries, you know that there’s more in the piece (blink!).
Deep-Fried Meatballs Recipe
This recipe is enough for 6 servings. You may need 30 minutes to get the job done.
Ingredients
- Minced beef: 1 lb
- Minced pork: 1 lb
- Grated parmesan: ½ cup
- Ground pepper: 1/4 teaspoon
- Garlic powder: 1 teaspoon
- Beaten eggs: 2
- Egg: 1
- Roughly chopped parsley: 1 tablespoon
- Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Frying oil
- Breadcrumbs: 1 lb
Making Directions
- Firstly, get one of the large bowls from your kitchen utensils. Now, add the beef, pork, ground pepper, salt, garlic powder, parmesan, and parsley to the bowl. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
- Make a hole in the mixture and add one egg to the hole. Then, mix the egg with the meat.
- It’s time to give the meat mixture shapes of meatballs. Try to roll the meat mixture to shape them into meatballs. The meatballs should be 1.7 ounces. With the measurement, you may make around 20 meatballs.
- Take the eggwash now and roll your meatballs in it. After that, use the breadcrumbs to roll your meatballs in. Make sure the meatballs are utterly covered.
- Add frying oil to a skillet or a deep fryer. Remember, deep-frying requires quite a lot of oil as you need to submerge the meatballs in it.
- When the oil is heated enough and it reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit temperature, use a spoon to place the meatballs in the hot oil. Right when the meatballs touch the hot oil, they should sizzle.
- Take around 5 minutes to fry the meatballs. Once the meatballs are cooked, they should have 160 degrees Fahrenheit as their internal temperature.
- Lay a kitchen towel on a place and place the meatballs on it. It helps absorb excess oil from the meatballs.
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 505 kcal
- Fat: 34.6 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Carbohydrate: 13 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Sodium: 547.9 mg
- Sugar: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 147.1 mg
How to Fry Meatballs Without Sticking?
I know how it feels when meatballs get stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan. So, what you can do about it? These tips may be helpful for you:
- Use a ‘less sticky’ frying pan. Ceramic pans are considered less sticky since they release silicone oil when you put them on a heat source. Also, non-stick frypans that are coated with PTFE, well-seasoned carbon steel, or cast-iron steek skillets work well.
- Use the right type and right amount of cooking oil. How much oil you need for frying depends on how many meatballs you’re dealing with and what type plus size of pan you’re using for the job. But there’s a general rule- use 2 tablespoons of oil to fry each meatball.
- Spend enough time preheating the pan. Add the oil when the pan is cold and add the meatballs when the oil is hot. But make sure you don’t turn the heat to higher, it should be medium heat.
- Coating the meatballs in breading or flour also helps to prevent them from sticking. Try to complete this coating job immediately before you fry the meatballs in oil. Basic breading (after running through a food processor) or all-purpose flour works best in this case. However, feel free to try different options like cornflakes, cornmeal or corn flour, rice flour, etc.
- Use a metal spatula having a sharp edge to flip the meatballs.
Fried or Baked Meatballs?- What’s The Better?
Baking is better if you want to save some calories and want to go through an easier process. But if these aren’t your headache, frying meatballs is the tastier option. Now, the choice is upon you, whether you prefer the taste or health!
Speaking of baking meatballs, you may ask- how to make meatballs?
Here we’ve tried to give the answer in short:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and make sure the meatballs are spaced around 1-inch apart.
- To avoid sticking, use cooking spray on the lining. Or, you can just place a wire rack on top of your baking sheet, it’s an alternative option. When you’ll put the meatballs on the rack, excess oil drips down.
- Bake the meatballs for around 25 minutes. But this duration depends on the size of your meatballs and the type of ground meat you use.
What to Eat With Deep-Fried Meatballs?
If the meatballs are going to be your snacks, they’re enough without even having any side dishes. But if you prefer having a beer with them, try an amber ale. Because amber ale contains enough carbonation that lightens any heavier element of the meatballs.
You can also try a classing wine paired with the meatballs. Consider having a chianti, it goes amazingly with Italian meatballs.
However, if you’re not in the mood for drinks, here’s what you can try with deep-fried meatballs:
- Mashed potatoes
- Egg noodles (my favorite!)
- Red roasted potatoes
- Green beans
- Asparagus
- Salad
- Broccoli
- Spaghetti
How to Store Meatballs?
While talking about how you can store meatballs, there are two different cases. You can freeze both uncooked and cooked meatballs to store them which is great, isn’t it?
Let’s see what’s the best process to keep your meatballs as good as possible.
Freezing Uncooked Meatballs
It’s better to freeze meatballs in a single layer as there’s no risk of them sticking together.
- Line a tray with baking paper and place the uncooked meatballs on it in a single layer. Now, place it in your freezer.
- When you notice that the meatballs are frozen, layer an airtight container using baking paper and place the meatballs in it. Or, you can use a ziplock bag instead.
- You can freeze them for up to 2 months.
It would be wise if you label and date the containers.
Freezing Cooked Meatballs
Follow the steps below if you want to freeze cooked meatballs.
- First of all, wait until your meatballs and sauce are cool.
- Place the meatballs in an airtight container. If you want to use a ziplock bag instead, make sure you squeeze out excess air.
- Label and date the container accordingly.
- It’s okay to freeze them for up to 2 months.
Bonus Tips to Cook The Best Meatballs
- Use gentle touches while making the meatballs. It’s because overworking the meat can toughen the balls.
- For the breadcrumbs, avoiding dried bread crumbs would be even better. Instead, if you use fresh sandwich breadcrumbs, you may end up having an ultra-tender meatball. But make sure you get rid of the crust because using the white bread part will give you the most tender bite.
- If possible, avoid using canned parmesan. Freshly grated parmesan will be tastier.
- Before you shape your meatballs, try to use a bit of oil in your hands to avoid the meatballs from sticking.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it okay if I prepare the meatballs in advance?
Yes. If you want to save time, you can make the meatballs the night before frying them. To store the meatballs in the fridge, put them in an airtight container and place them here overnight.
My meatballs are falling apart while frying them, why?
Well, you’ve messed up with the binder. Using too many bread crumbs for the binder can make them unnecessarily loose.
How to keep meatballs juicy?
Try to use fattier meats, avoid overmixing the meat, and make sure you bake the meatballs in a pre-heated oven. You can also combine different meats to make the meatballs moist.
Final Words
So, this was all for today. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the piece as we tried to cover everything about deep-fried meatballs. If you can manage the right ingredients and follow the instructions accordingly, we can assure you that you’ll love the result! Good luck with that!
