yes, the fry oil we used came in a box, a big 25 lb block of white clay wrapped in a plastic bag, place it in the cold fryer, cut the bag off and turn the fryer on. In 10 minutes the block would be melted. I bet that's the taste we are missing! Found a Pioneer chicken recipe, looks pretty close to what we did (times were right!) but we marinated our chicken in something before coating. Maybe that's the one thing he missed...
Buttermilk! Fry oil is liquid at room temp. Shortening, lard butter, or beef tallow isn't. McDonalds used to cook their fries in beef tallow (fat) until it was deemed a health hazard. If it's solid at room temp it is sludge at body temperature. You better eat a lot of fiber because friction is the only way you can get it scraped off your intestines.
