Cheese curd is a good choice for frying in fondue oil.
Although fondue usually consists of thick cheese dips, broths or chocolate dipping sauces, you can also use your fondue pot as a fryer. Foods that can be fried in a fondue pot include meats and tempura vegetables. Cheeses such as breaded mozzarella, Mexican cheese and farmer's cheese can also be deep fried and come out well as long as you take a few extra precautions to make sure your fondue pot is stable and won't splash oil.
Instructions
1. Cut the various cheeses into 1/2-inch cubes and put them in the freezer for about 1/2 hour prior to deep frying. This will help retain the shape of the cheese when cooking.
2. Place your fondue pot in a place where it will not slip or tip, such as on a silicone pad on a flat surface so that the oil is less likely to spill or splash.
3. Pour canola oil into the pot until it is two-thirds of the way full leaving room for more than one piece of cheese at a time. Filling the pot two-thirds of the way also keeps oil from splashing out of the pot when in use.
4. Turn on the fondue pot and preheat to at least 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Test the heat by dropping just a bit of cheese into the pot and watching the time it takes to fry. If the cheese burns in under two minutes, the oil is probably too hot, but if it floats and doesn't seem to cook well, the oil is obviously not heated enough. Unbattered cheese about one to two minutes to fry and breaded mozzarella should take two or three minutes.
5. Push fork securely into a cube of cheese and place it into the pot. If it is not secure, it will slip off the fork more easily as it melts. When the cheese gets a browned appearance -- or in the case of the breaded mozzarella, begins to bubble or float, remove the fork from the oil.
6. Hold the cheese over the pot for a few seconds to allow excess oil to drip from the cheese. Rather than bringing the cheese directly to your mouth, put it on a paper towel that is folded on your plate to drain excess oil and make sure it's cool enough to eat without burning .
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