Tooth vs Chicken...K.O. : Why ratios are important culinary science.

Has anyone ever wondered what happens when a premolar and an experimental piece of fried chicken go head to head?Wonder no more, because I can tell you from experience...the chicken wins and the tooth cries.This is the story of how I perfected my fried chicken recipe...at the cost of half a tooth.Many years ago, across the many rivers and hills of Lagos, during the Covid lockdown, I was crazy bored and KFC was out of reach. So, I decided to take on the task of frying some yummy chicken...or so I thought.Keep in mind, this wasn't my first fried chicken rodeo, I had tried it all; crispy KFC-style; both KFCs': Kentucky and Korean Fried Chicken, the buttermilk, popcorn and even the katsu variant (I once made my own Panko crumbs).But going through all the recipes for the knockoff Kentucky variant, it never quite hit the spot. Something was always off; usually the longevity of the texture. So I had an idea at the time, which seemed nothing short of genius.I would combine the classic American crispy fried chicken recipe and the Korean one.Honestly, from my current experience it really was a good idea. But I opted out of using a recipe and decided to wing it.And so began my experiment to create the crispiest, most delicious fried chicken the land had ever seen, completely without a recipe.Here’s where things went sideways: American fried chicken uses all-purpose flour, Korean fried chicken uses cornstarch…both fine on their own. But in my infinite wisdom, I decided to add an egg white. In theory would create ultra-crispy chicken with zero sogginess.Turns out I was right. I was definitely crispy...too crispy actually.When I took a bite, I felt something give. I thought it was a chicken bone...but oh boy was I wrong. It was half of my top premolar (I'm not telling you which).Cue screaming, tears, and four trips to three different dentist. But two years later we finally fixed her and my new dentist didn't even notice the reconstruction when I had my first visit with her. Cheers to my old dentist, she’s a hero, even if she abandoned me. No grudges.So, what’s the moral of the story? Always give your experimental cooking to your older brother. Don’t risk a chipped tooth like I did, his teeth matter less anyway.ToodalooP.S. I highly recommend tapioca starch for fried chicken, alone or in combination with the usual culprits... its amazingggg!

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