Deep frying is considered unhealthy, as people have been repeatedly taught that deep frying will "flood" your food with oil, but if done correctly that is not the case:
The first thing we need to do is understand how deep frying actually works- when, a piece of chicken (for example) is placed into boiling oil, the moisture inside the chicken meat immediately boils, turning into a powerful steam that repels the oil out and away from the chicken surface, not enabling oil to penetrate the chicken. This is why fried food must be taken out of the oil as soon as it is ready, and not be left in the cooling oil, as once it is ready there is no more steam vapor and, hence, nothing to prevent oil from penetrating the skin and soaking into the food. Due to the high temperatures this technique cooks food very quickly.
Note that foods like potatoes have the ability to form a natural skin in frying conditions (that assist the vapor in preventing oil penetration), but other foods need a batter or coating that will act as a skin, turn hard when in touch with boiling oil, keeping the oil out while leaving the food inside tender and juicy.
The secret to the success of deep frying is in the type and temperature of the oil. If you control these two variables, than you are on the way to crunchy delicacies. Using a good deep fry pan or electrical pan will simplify your job and for your safety- when such a large pot of boiling oil is in a closed kitchen I always stay in the kitchen and keep a fire extinguisher near by (though nothing can replace common sense, concentration and attentiveness- deep frying is a quick process, there is really no excuse to leave boiling oil by itself...)
When it comes to the selection of cooking oil- the important thing is to select an oil with a high boiling temperature, enabling boiling at higher temperatures without the oil breaking down and smoking. When an oil breaks down it looses all the benefits and becomes harmful. Correct temperatures are between 345-375 degrees F (175 and 190 C) to achieve this using an oil thermometer recommended, both before and during the frying process (recheck the temperature of the oil between each batch of food placed in it). It is recommended not to fry too many pieces of the food in each batch as this can cause an immediate drop down in oil temperature that might make oil penetrate it, resulting in soggy oily food, rather put in a single layer of food with ample space between the pieces so they are completely covered in oil and are not touching each other.
The Oils that are best for frying are Vegetable oils: a large group of oils that are extracted from corn, cottonseed, peanuts, grape seeds, sesame seeds, and soybeans. They are usually quite light in color and mild in flavor and in general have relatively high smoke temperatures. The best one, in my opinion, is Canola oil which is processed from rapeseed. It has no flavor and a high smoke point, which makes it useful for both frying and general cooking, but there are other vegetable oils that can be used for general purposes and cost mostly the same.
And one last note, about changing oil- if it has started smoking or it is strangely thin and runny during the frying process, that means it is no longer good for frying and should be immediately replaced. Regardless, when frying is over, oil that has cooled down is better for you to not reheat it but rather replace the oil before using your deep fry pan again. Vegetable oils are not expensive, and the quality of frying will be easily visible for you.
Enjoy!
Michelle Blu
By Michelle Blu, writer and editor http://friedpan.com/
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