Deep frying food

Advantages and disadvantages of deep frying…

Deep frying is a food preparation method in which an ingredient is cooked in hot fat – oil, butter or lard, or shortly exposed to heat (so-called fast frying method).
Deep frying is not the best choice if we want to eat healthy. However, it is the most common and very popular food preparation method.
From studies performed so far we know that frying has an effect on the nutritious composition of ingredients and that deep fried meals, if consumed often, can cause health problems (especially regarding cardiovascular system). Also, frying should not be avoided at all costs but used in moderation and then with quality oils (by all means avoid ones that had previously been used for frying).
Changes that happen while warming fat depend on the structure of fat acids and other ingredients, while the basic changes refer to unsaturated fat acids. Various chemical reactions and compounds occur, lots of which are toxic and some have a potential of causing specific smell of fried food.

For deep frying we use oils, fat and butter. Butter is the least suitable for frying because it cannot reach temperature high enough (up to 132°C) so it is best to mix it with some oil.
You can check if the fat is hot enough by looking at the steam which should be rising up or by putting a slice of potato into it which should immediately start making sizzling sounds, or a piece of dough which will, if the oil is hot enough, raise to the surface.
It is important that the ingredients we want to fry are completely dry and that they are fried in enough fat while keeping the temperature constant.
Ingredients can be fried without supplements, fresh or frozen, dipped in flour, eggs and breadcrumbs etc.

Translated by Tena Simek

“Fresh Chicken Breast Roll And Vegetables”  - Image courtesy of KEKO64 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net