Messy kitchen equals a happy home, so they say. As much as it is both an art and a chore, cooking is refreshing to the mind and it’s good for your mental health. It’s a creative outlet and can be therapeutic. It’s an activity most moms love indulging in during their free time indoors as they try out different food recipes that can tantalize their taste buds.
Well, there are many different methods of cooking, but frying is one of the most popular. In addition to the unique taste, frying gives the food a crumbly texture and a special mouth feel. From French fries to chicken, doughnuts, onion rings, fish fillets, and much more, there’s a wide range of foods you can cook by frying.
Frying involves cooking food in a bath of hot oil or fat. The food can be partially or fully immersed in hot oil until well cooked. In some cases, depending on the kind of food and the appliance you’re using, you may only need to apply little amounts of oil as will be seen below. Nonetheless, it is important to always ensure you choose the right, healthy oils while frying in which case vegetable oil is most preferred. All the same, some of the most common methods of frying foods include:
1. Air Frying
While many people may not be familiar with this frying method, we started with it because it’s unarguably the healthiest option on the list. As you might have guessed from the name air frying uses a special type of kitchen appliance called an air fryer. When air frying the food gets cooked by circulating hot air around the air fryer’s cooking chamber, producing a crunchy, crumbly surface of the food. The guys at Appliance Reviewer note that air fryers are becoming increasingly popular these days, especially among folks who love fried foods but do not want to suffer the effects of excess fat. From veggies to raw meats and baked products, you can cook a wide range of delicacies in an air fryer. Air fried food is said to be healthier because, thanks to the convection cooking effect, it requires less oil to produce a similar taste and texture. This cooking method also produces foods with notably low-fat content.
Here is an extensive guide from Simply Fresh Dinners reviewing the best air fryers to find the one great for you.
2. Deep Frying
This one is by far the most popular frying method. In deep frying, the food is submerged in hot oil at a certain temperature depending on the type of food being cooked. The temperature must be maintained to create the golden brown color, ensuring it’s not raw from the inside, especially while frying meats, chicken or fish. It consumes less time and one can easily cook meals in bulk without spending hours on it.
3. Shallow Frying
Shallow frying is also a common alternative, especially for cooking veggies, eggs, fish, and smaller portions of meat such as burger patties. The amount of oil used in this method is lower and the food is normally not fully submerged in the oil. In most cases, it’s done over a pan and in case the moisture or oil is a little bit extra when done, a paper towel can come in handy to wick it out before serving.
4. Stir-Frying
This method is commonly used in Chinese cuisines. In this technique, food is stirred in a small amount of hot oil in a Wok. It’s one of the healthiest methods of frying food as it retains more nutrients and provides a crispy taste, especially for vegetables. It is more suitable for foods that don’t require a lot of cooking time.
5. Saut ng
Sautéing is almost similar to stir-frying. The major difference is that in sautéing, smaller pieces of food are cooked in a skillet or sauté pan under medium to high heat. It involves transferring heat from the pan to food, where the pan is lubricated by a thin coating of oil, which prevents the food from sticking on the pan. The resulting food is usually browned on the surface. It’s more commonly used for veggies and meat. Some like to call it pan-frying, even though the latter is ideal for larger pieces of food.
It’s worthwhile to note that, whereas fried foods are undoubtedly delicious, they should be eaten in moderation since they contain high-fat content. Because they’re normally high in calories, and trans fats, taking too many fried foods can increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other medical conditions. It’s also advisable to always cook your fried food using healthy oils.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
thanks for sharing more information with us