Dredging (Cooking)

Dredging coats a moist or wet food in a dry ingredient, typically flour, breadcrumbs or a seasoned dry mixture, by rolling or pulling the food through the dry material until it is evenly covered. It is a standard early step in breaded preparations such as fried fish and chicken cutlets, and the resulting coating serves several purposes at once: it helps the food hold onto its moisture as it cooks, keeps it from sticking to the pan, forms a crisp exterior, promotes even browning, and carries seasoning from the dry coating into the finished dish.