Crispy Skin and Crunchy Bones

Many of us think that there is nothing more delicious than the crisp skin from roasted poultry, pork crackling, or a panfried fish. Likewise, there is little that disappoints so much as soggy skin on a roasted chicken or a rubbery, tough pork rind. Crackling has to be dry and crisp, it has to crunch and shatter when it is chewed, and it must never turn into a tough lump in the mouth.

The greatest challenge when preparing roasted meat or fried fish is to make the skin crisp without overcooking the meat or the fish so much that it dries out. The rule is that the outside must be dry and crisp, and the inside must be tender and juicy.