Frying
From Free net encyclopedia
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or fat. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point. But the distinction is only made when needed and confusingly in commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, eg palm oil, coconut oil are solid in temperate climates.
Fats can reach much higher temperatures than water at atmospheric pressure. Through frying, one can sear or even carbonize the surface of foods while caramelizing sugars. The food is cooked much more quickly and has a special crispness and texture. The fat penetrates the food to varying degrees - depending on the food - and contributes richness,lubricity and its own flavour.
Frying techniques vary in the amount of fat required, the cooking time, the type of cooking vessel required, and the manipulation of the food. Sautéing, stir frying, pan frying, shallow frying, and deep frying are all standard frying techniques.
Sautéing and stir-frying involve cooking foods in a thin layer of fat on a hot surface, such as a frying pan, griddle, wok, or sauteuse. Stir frying involves frying quickly at very high temperatures and therefore the food has to be stirred continuously to prevent it from adhering to the cooking surface and burning.
Shallow frying is a type of pan frying using only enough fat to immerse approximately one-third to one half of each piece of food and the fat is normally used once. Deep-frying on the other hand, involves total immersion of the food in the hot oil and the oil is normally topped up and used several times before rejection. This is a much heavier duty and special heavy duty frying oils are required for best results.
Deep frying is now the basis of a very large and expanding industry world wide. Fried products have great consumer appeal in all age groups and the process is quick, can easily be made continuous for mass production and the food emerges sterile and dry, with relatively long shelf life. The end products can then be easily packaged for storage and distribution. Examples are potato crisps, French fries, nuts, doughnuts, instant noodles etc.
There is some criticism of fried food for their low nutritional value. Frying, especially deep frying, imbues the food with fat from the oil, lowering their nutrient density.
See also
es:Fritura he:טיגון ja:フライ ja:揚げる nl:Frituren pl:Smażenie pt:Fritura simple:Fry sl:Cvrenje zh:煎