Protect the Food

• Dredging provides your foods with a degree of protection against the high heat of pan-frying, deep frying or baking. Instead of the food's own surface searing or scorching in the pan and becoming hard or chewy, the outer coating of flour, cornmeal or crumbs absorbs the heat and becomes crisp. The food remains tender and moist, inside its protective coating. This outer coating also protects absorbent vegetables such as zucchini or eggplant from becoming excessively oily, forming a seal that blocks your cooking oil from the cut surfaces.

Minimizing Sticking and Tearing

• Even in non-stick pans, your foods will sometimes cling to the hot metal. If you're cooking a thick chop, that's a minor cosmetic issue. For thinner or more delicate meats, fish fillets or soft vegetables, it can be the difference between an attractive portion and a scrambled mess. Dredging these items in flour or other coatings provides two levels of protection against sticking, tearing and breaking. First, the starchy and mealy coating is less likely to stick to the pan. Second, by forming a firm crust around the food you're cooking, it makes the portions more physically durable and better able to withstand the stresses of being cooked and flipped.

Adding Appeal

• These practical considerations are important, but dredging also provides less-tangible benefits. Coatings of flour, cornmeal or crumbs cook to an appealing golden-brown color, improving the food's visual appeal. The well-browned coating also adds nutty, toasted flavors to the food, and gives it a well-rounded aroma while it's cooking. Finally, the crisp outer breading provides a pleasing textural contrast with the moist, tender foods inside. This is part of their timeless appeal.

Dredging Technique

• Dredging is a simple technique. Place the flour or crumbs in front of you in a shallow bowl or plate, with the uncoated foods to one side and a clean plate on the other. Pat the food dry if necessary, then pick it up with one hand and press both sides gently but firmly into the coating. Lift the food from the coating with your other, dry hand, and shake it gently to remove any excess. Transfer it to the clean plate, and repeat. For a thicker coating, some cooks dip their foods first in egg and then into crumbs. Alternatively, use the classical three-step technique. Dredge the foods first in flour, then dip them in milk, and dredge them again in crumbs.