Burgoo, hot Browns, bourbon balls and beer cheese are just a few of the delicacies our state has to offer. The best cooking vessel is a black cast-iron skillet. And it is almost always true that if it's restaurant fried chicken, it's the deep-fried kind, probably cooked in an electric fryer. Sometimes it is even partially cooked, by steaming or braising, before it is thickly battered and dropped into bubbling oil. After technique and choice of pan, there is room for debate over how best to fry chicken.
Some cooks like to presoak it in sweet milk or buttermilk.
Some use a relatively sturdy breading. Others say seasoned flour is the only coating needed. The recipe on the next page doesn't call for presoaking, but uses a buttermilk-egg wash for crustier chicken. It intensifies flavors but can be omitted. 1 quart buttermilk 5 eggs Flour Crisco or vegetable oil Wash and dry chicken.