Flour can serve a variety of uses in baking and cooking. For instance, flour can help you season your food, which is why variants like seasoned flour exist.
If this is the first you have heard of seasoned flour, you may be wondering what seasoned flour is and how it works. I looked up the facts, and here is what I found!
What Is Seasoned Flour?
Usually, seasoned flour refers to any type of flour that is mixed with different spices and seasonings. Any kind of flour may be mixed with any variety of spices and seasonings to be called seasoned flour, but people usually use all-purpose flour with salt, pepper, etc. Most people use seasoned flour to coat foods before frying.
Do you want to find out how to make seasoned flour, if you can store seasoned flour, how long seasoned flour can last in the fridge, and more? Keep reading!
What Is Seasoned Flour Made Of?
Generally, seasoned flour is made of flour mixed with a variety of different seasonings and spices. Therefore, any type of flour that is mixed with any type of spice or seasoning can be seasoned flour.
Typically, you can use nearly any kind of flour with any spice or seasoning. However, people often use all-purpose flour with basic seasonings like salt, pepper, onion powder, etc.
What Is Seasoned Flour Used For?
Normally, the main purpose of seasoned flour is to add another layer of flavor to fried recipes. Seasoned flour is used to coat foods before frying to add flavor to the exterior of the food.
For example, fried chicken may be rolled in seasoned flour before frying the chicken. That way, the flour will add lots of flavor to the outside of the chicken while creating a crispy, crunchy exterior.
However, seasoned flour may also be added to specific recipes. For example, you can use seasoned flour instead of plain flour if you want a thickening agent for gravy since the flour will thicken the gravy while the seasonings will add more flavor.
Does Seasoning Flour Make A Difference?
Usually, seasoning flour will make a huge difference in your recipes, especially if you are making a fried recipe. If you were to use plain flour to coat your food before frying, you may lack flavor since flour has a neutral taste.
Therefore, you can easily add more taste to your fried recipes by adding spices and seasonings to your flour. Usually, most spices and seasonings will not affect how the food gets fried, making seasoned flour a great way to jazz up fried recipes without compromising the cooking process.
How Do You Make Seasoned Flour?
Typically, you can mix any kind of flour with your preferred spices and seasonings to create seasoned flour. There is usually no perfect science to this as you can adjust the seasonings to your taste, but certain recipes may call for specific ingredients and measurements.
For a common seasoned flour recipe that will work for many recipes, you can use all-purpose flour as your base. Next, some common spices and seasonings you can add are cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Again, how much seasoning you want to add to your flour will depend on your preference. Generally, it would be best to only add 1-2 tablespoons of each seasoning for every 3 cups of flour.
Can You Store Seasoned Flour?
If you have leftover seasoned flour that did not touch any raw food (especially raw meat, fish, poultry, etc.), it is fine to store seasoned flour. You can store unused seasoned flour as you would with any other type of flour.
Usually, you can keep seasoned flour in an airtight container in a pantry, keeping the flour away from direct sunlight and temperature changes. However, you can make your seasoned flour last longer by keeping the airtight container of flour in the fridge or freezer.
How Long Does Seasoned Flour Last In The Fridge?
Given that your seasoned flour has not been contaminated with raw meat, you can keep seasoned flour in the fridge for a year. However, your seasoned flour has to be kept in an airtight container in the fridge to prevent moisture and bacteria.
What Seasonings Do You Put In Flour For Fried Chicken?
Generally, the seasonings that you use to put in flour for fried chicken will heavily depend on the recipe you want to make. However, there are a few basics that you can add to all-purpose flour for a standard fried chicken recipe.
Some common seasonings and spices that you can add to seasoned flour for fried chicken are ground pepper, salt, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, and mustard powder.
Can You Reuse Flour After Frying Chicken?
It is safe to reuse flour after you fry chicken, especially if you want to save the seasoned flour for another future fried chicken dish. Usually, the flour will be heated and cooked enough after being reused, making the seasoned flour safe to eat.
However, you must store your seasoned flour properly after you fry your chicken if you want to reuse the seasoned flour.
Is Seasoned Flour Gluten-Free?
Seasoned flour can be gluten-free, but only when you use flour that does not contain gluten. Generally, the best type of gluten-free flour you can use to fry food is rice flour because rice flour gives food a very crunchy exterior.
If you wish to discover what soya flour is, what sweet potato flour is, and what sesame flour is, read our related articles.
Conclusion
Seasoned flour refers to any type of flour that is mixed with spices and seasonings. Since there is no standard recipe for season flour, you can add whatever seasonings and spices you want to the flour of your choice.
Generally, people use seasoned flour to coat food before frying to give the exterior of the food another layer of flavor. However, you may also add seasoned flour to gravies, sauces, etc. to add more taste.