The Chicken Wing

[Indabuff]

I'll have to look into the Sysco suggestion.  Maybe Restaurant Depot carries boxes of wings?

[Weave]

30 minutes ago, Indabuff said:

I'll have to look into the Sysco suggestion.  Maybe Restaurant Depot carries boxes of wings?

The restaurant owner I know avoids Sysco wings and gets them through a Rochester source.  She’s pretty confident they are a better product.

[bob_sauve28]

The air fryer is a good way to cook them 

[Weave]

Just now, bob_sauve28 said:

The air fryer is a good way to cook them 

Said noone ever.

[Marvin]

58 minutes ago, Weave said:

Said noone ever.

Sadly, my stents say otherwise.  😞

[Weave]

44 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

Sadly, my stents say otherwise.  😞

That doesn’t make it good, just healthier.

[Taro T]

4 hours ago, Indabuff said:

I used to buy the frozen wings but there seemed to be a slight aftertaste.  I switched to fresh and never went back.  I've tried sectioning and using fresh and freezing for later use but I'm not sure I notice a huge difference.   

I prefer peanut oil.  It seems ideal after a few uses.  375 for me as well.  Trying to achieve that crispy outside, tender inside.

I've also wondered if it has something to do with sectioning.  If I accidentally cut or nick the bone with kitchen shears does the blood/marrow affect the taste?

Sounds like the the restaurant supply chains are still more stressed than the consumer supply chains are at this point.  The best source for frozen wings IMHO are the various wholesale clubs.  Have 1 particular brand as a preference although the wings are starting to get ridiculously big.  For a long time would get 72 wings out of a 10 pound bag which works really well as my fryer holds 2-1/2 pounds ideally which works out to 18 wings / batch.  But lately only get about 62-64 wings/bag.  Only 15-16 per batch makes them disappear too fast.  Wish they went back to the slightly smaller wings.

Agree about peanut oil at 375°F as the best for getting a good/excellent crisp on the skin & still not overcooking the meat.

Have found that keeping the oil exclusive (ideally) to wings and not making other dishes (fries, chicken fingers, pizza logs, mot sticks, poppers, shrimp, definitely not fish) in it gives the best "seasoning."  Not always feasible, but if you can get away with it, it does seem to make a difference & seasoned oil makes better wings IMHO than oil straight out of the jug. 

[JoeSchmoe]

1 hour ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

Sadly, my stents say otherwise.  😞

I think I'd smoke/grill them before going to an air fryer.

That said, when I deep fry wings and put the oil back in the container, the amount of oil lost is almost nothing... Especially when a bunch is left stuck to the pot and tongs. When I make fish or chicken fingers, I lose a ton of oil to the food.

I would say my wings get way more fat from the butter in the wing sauce than the oil.

 

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I think I'd smoke/grill them before going to an air fryer.

That said, when I deep fry wings and put the oil back in the container, the amount of oil lost is almost nothing... Especially when a bunch is left stuck to the pot and tongs. When I make fish or chicken fingers, I lose a ton of oil to the food.

I would say my wings get way more fat from the butter in the wing sauce than the oil.

 

Which is why you should make hot wings.  Less butter => health food.  😉

 

[Indabuff]

I guess what irks me the most is the disparity of why wing prices skyrocketed.  During the initial Covid wave wing prices drastically increased.  Most restaurants were already selling them for roughly $1 each.  Then some media outlets began interviewing restaurant owners about the state of the wing (price increase, removed from menu etc) and a few individuals referenced 2018 as to when wing prices jumped.  Well to my knowledge 2018 and Covid aren't on the same wavelength.  It seemed depicted as though the prices would come back down but I'm not buying that (no pun intended).  I've recently been to restaurants that have a fixed price point for oysters and "market price" for wings.  Unfortunately I have a feeling ordering wings is going to be a "special occasion" for me from now on.   

[Kr632]

On 8/18/2021 at 1:53 PM, FogBat said:

Is it me, or do people's appetites and metabolism go down as they age?

🤢🤮

This was on a morning radio show yesterday. They said your metabolism from 20-60 stays about the same. People just get less active. 

7 hours ago, Indabuff said:

I guess what irks me the most is the disparity of why wing prices skyrocketed.  During the initial Covid wave wing prices drastically increased.  Most restaurants were already selling them for roughly $1 each.  Then some media outlets began interviewing restaurant owners about the state of the wing (price increase, removed from menu etc) and a few individuals referenced 2018 as to when wing prices jumped.  Well to my knowledge 2018 and Covid aren't on the same wavelength.  It seemed depicted as though the prices would come back down but I'm not buying that (no pun intended).  I've recently been to restaurants that have a fixed price point for oysters and "market price" for wings.  Unfortunately I have a feeling ordering wings is going to be a "special occasion" for me from now on.   

Price of a case of wings went up again. They were around $140 a few weeks ago now they're $180 ish

Edited August 20, 2021 by Kr632

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

15 hours ago, Indabuff said:

I used to buy the frozen wings but there seemed to be a slight aftertaste.  I switched to fresh and never went back.  I've tried sectioning and using fresh and freezing for later use but I'm not sure I notice a huge difference.   

I prefer peanut oil.  It seems ideal after a few uses.  375 for me as well.  Trying to achieve that crispy outside, tender inside.

I've also wondered if it has something to do with sectioning.  If I accidentally cut or nick the bone with kitchen shears does the blood/marrow affect the taste?

 

10 hours ago, Taro T said:

Sounds like the the restaurant supply chains are still more stressed than the consumer supply chains are at this point.  The best source for frozen wings IMHO are the various wholesale clubs.  Have 1 particular brand as a preference although the wings are starting to get ridiculously big.  For a long time would get 72 wings out of a 10 pound bag which works really well as my fryer holds 2-1/2 pounds ideally which works out to 18 wings / batch.  But lately only get about 62-64 wings/bag.  Only 15-16 per batch makes them disappear too fast.  Wish they went back to the slightly smaller wings.

Agree about peanut oil at 375°F as the best for getting a good/excellent crisp on the skin & still not overcooking the meat.

Have found that keeping the oil exclusive (ideally) to wings and not making other dishes (fries, chicken fingers, pizza logs, mot sticks, poppers, shrimp, definitely not fish) in it gives the best "seasoning."  Not always feasible, but if you can get away with it, it does seem to make a difference & seasoned oil makes better wings IMHO than oil straight out of the jug. 

I've tried peanut oil a few times but I didn't like having to use different times and temps.  It also does impact the taste vs what you'd get in a restaurant because most places don't want to spend the extra money on peanut oil.  The crisp that oil gives the wing is nice though.

What type of deep fryer is everyone using?  I've been using the big Hamilton Beach "professional-style" fryer for the last 4 years and I've been pleasantly surprised with how well its held up.  But I'm ready to get something new that can cook bigger batches.  Any non-air fryer recommendations?

 

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

15 hours ago, Weave said:

The restaurant owner I know avoids Sysco wings and gets them through a Rochester source.  She’s pretty confident they are a better product.

Yeah, Sysco actually carries different grades of wings (based on wing size), but I agree there are better sources out there.  

15 hours ago, Indabuff said:

I'll have to look into the Sysco suggestion.  Maybe Restaurant Depot carries boxes of wings?

A lot of local meat markets will sell you a case of wings.  Locally they sell them at Niagara Produce at a reasonable price.  Last I saw was $140 for a 40lb case, which is 4 individually wrapped 10lb bags.  

Edited August 20, 2021 by SHAAAUGHT!!!

[LGR4GM]

Start at 2:09

 

[Thwomp!]

1 hour ago, SHAAAUGHT!!! said:

 

I've tried peanut oil a few times but I didn't like having to use different times and temps.  It also does impact the taste vs what you'd get in a restaurant because most places don't want to spend the extra money on peanut oil.  The crisp that oil gives the wing is nice though.

What type of deep fryer is everyone using?  I've been using the big Hamilton Beach "professional-style" fryer for the last 4 years and I've been pleasantly surprised with how well its held up.  But I'm ready to get something new that can cook bigger batches.  Any non-air fryer recommendations?

 

I use peanut oil.  I like the way it fries a bunch of different things well and it's a little healthier than most other oils, I think.  I have a T-fal deep fryer that's pretty good size, but also automatically filters the oil and stores it when you're done frying.  I'm sure it's not top of the line, but it's worked for me for a long time and it's generally much less messy than other fryers.

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, SHAAAUGHT!!! said:

 

I've tried peanut oil a few times but I didn't like having to use different times and temps.  It also does impact the taste vs what you'd get in a restaurant because most places don't want to spend the extra money on peanut oil.  The crisp that oil gives the wing is nice though.

What type of deep fryer is everyone using?  I've been using the big Hamilton Beach "professional-style" fryer for the last 4 years and I've been pleasantly surprised with how well its held up.  But I'm ready to get something new that can cook bigger batches.  Any non-air fryer recommendations?

 

Hamilton Beach or Waring "Pro" are the standards for home "pro" models.  Am likely going to get a 1 or 2 basket restaurant fryer in the near future.

That T-fal model sounds interesting.  If we don't go to restaurant fryer, may make that the next one.

[Zamboni]

Heart-healthy oils like safflower oil and rice bran oil are perfect because they can withstand frying temperatures of almost 500° F. Avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil are good healthier oils too.
 

You can also look to “not as healthy” peanut oil and sunflower oil if you’re frying at 450° F, or canola oil and vegetable oil to keep temperatures around 400° F.

[drnkirishone]

I am just going to say it..... Chicken wings are vastly overrated

[Weave]

7 hours ago, SHAAAUGHT!!! said:

 

What type of deep fryer is everyone using?  I've been using the big Hamilton Beach "professional-style" fryer for the last 4 years and I've been pleasantly surprised with how well its held up.  But I'm ready to get something new that can cook bigger batches.  Any non-air fryer recommendations?

 

Cast iron dutch oven, mostly.  But you gotta have a stove top with a burner that has enough BTUs to get everything back up to temp quickly.  I will break out the propane turkey fryer if we have company.

I use corn oil almost exclusively for my deep frying efforts.  I feel like it has the right flavor for most of what I am deep frying.

[Indabuff]

8 hours ago, SHAAAUGHT!!! said:

 

What type of deep fryer is everyone using?  

 

Waring Pro as well.  Temp maxes out at 375 on my model.  

[Indabuff]

1 hour ago, drnkirishone said:

I am just going to say it..... Chicken wings are vastly overrated

I agree but in February when it's 0 out and I smell the fryer exhaust from them pumping out of some local hole-in-the-wall corner bar my appetite for them is insatiable.

I will say though I cook lots of fingers for the wife and kids and the taste has been consistent whether I use vegetable, canola or peanut.  Something is going on with the wings themselves.

[SwampD]

2 hours ago, drnkirishone said:

I am just going to say it..... Chicken wings are vastly overrated

That just means you’ve never had good ones.

[Marvin]

When I was at Michigan State, one of the bars had a bouncer from Buffalo and a couple of regulars were expatriate Buffalonians.  One day, we decided to show the cooks how to make wings properly.  Within a year, everyone who had had wings in WNY was a regular there.

[JoeSchmoe]

2 hours ago, drnkirishone said:

I am just going to say it..... Chicken wings are vastly overrated

If I had to choose I'm taking pizza over wings, but if you put a tray of wings out at a party, they're invariably gone within minutes.

Try that with your cheese log and triscuits!

IMO I think wings aren't under or over rated. They're just rated.

[French Collection]

2 hours ago, SwampD said:

That just means you’ve never had good ones.

I am not a wing person either. I’ve had maybe 20 in my lifetime. I’ve never had any from Buffalo so…

I don’t like ribs much either, I think it’s because like wings there is more bone than meat.