Technique: Frying Food

_{Published 15 April 2022; updated 4 May 2022}

Frying food is one of the techniques I use a lot, and it is believed to have first appeared in the Ancient Egyptian kitchen; sometime during the Old Kingdom (~2500 BCE). So from oil to types of frying, let us explore this technique together.

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Frying Food

Definition

When I pull out a skillet or wok and high-heat oil, I am getting ready to fry food. I then add oil or fat, and wait for it to get hot enough to start cooking. Or put another way, anything cooked in hot oil or fat is considered fried.

Wikipedia: Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat. Similar to sautéing, pan-fried foods are generally turned over once or twice during cooking, using tongs or a spatula, while sautéed foods are cooked by “tossing in the pan”.

Further down their post they write, Frying is believed to have first appeared in the Ancient Egyptian kitchen, during the Old Kingdom, around 2500 BCE. The first record of frying technique in the western world had been traced from a painting in the 16th century which depicted an old lady frying an egg.

What frying can do to food is cook quickly, and make the food crispy and more textured. All the techniques listed below vary in the amount of oil or fat used, the type of equipment changes per technique, and it also changes how the food is manipulated in that pan.

Frying Process

When I add food, what it is actually happening is dehydration, as the water in the food is released (some say it boils out of the food) into the oil or fat, and you see and hear the sizzling of that water as it quickly heats up and evaporates. With the moisture escaping from the food, oil or fat cannot go into the food. Any starch around the food, like breaded schnitzel, egg rolls, or potatoes) turns hard, golden and crunchy; thereby preventing oil or fat from coming in, and yet also sealing in remaining moisture. So food is not thoroughly dehydrated, nor is it saturated with fat or oil.

Various fats or oils can reach higher temperatures than boiling water (212F). So unlike boiling, frying can sear or carbonize food surfaces, while caramelizing natural sugars in that food. So the food can be cooked faster and has a crispy texture.

The great thing about this type of cooking is that the fat rarely penetrates far into the good getting cooked, unless of course the fat or oil has not been heated. These fats and oils will sometimes add some calories, flavor, and a smoothness.

Frying Techniques

Frying food is an overall term and under that category falls several techniques.

• Sautéing: Having a light amount of fat or oil, on high heat, requiring turning the food
• Stir frying: Cooking quickly at very high temps, stirring constantly to prevent burning
• Pan frying: A step up from sautéing, in terms of the amount of oil added to the skillet but at a lower heat.
• Shallow frying: Adding enough fat or oil to immerse food only 1/3rd to 1/2 in that fat or oil
• Deep fat frying: Immersing food in a large amount of fat or oil to fry all over. Deep frying is done at high temperatures, ~350 and 375 °F.

Frying Equipment

Skillets

I have three skillet types: cast iron, carbon steel wok, and a 2” rim rounded-edge stainless steel skillet

• If I am using my Lodge cast iron skillet I use a steel spatula, steel tongs with rubber handles, pot holders, and a splatter screen. I have two pans, one 6” and the other 12”; used to sauté and pan fry.
• For my carbon steel Chinese wok, I use a specialized steel spatula, sometimes a spider, and tongs. I use this for stir-fry and the occasional deep-fat frying.
• Then I have a steel pan used to make my German Pfannekuchen and crepes that has sloped edges. I use this one for sautéing, pan frying, and shallow frying.

Appliances

At Kitchen on Fire we had a small deep fat fryer, but at home I will use the wok since it is so deep and has high enough walls to prevent most of the splatter. In both cases the oil heats up to the temperature I want, and then I add the food for a quick, submersion in oil or fat.

I do not have an air fryer, but many families do these days. There are Air Fryers, and Air Fryers/Toaster Ovens to choose from.

Utensils

• Thermometer
• Cooling Rack
• Spider
• Tongs
• Spatula

Cooking Oils

Smoke Points

By Smoke Points, I am speaking about the temperature at which the oil begins to break down and start smoking (which destroys the oil). 

• Butter 300-350F (149-175C). 
• Extra virgin olive oil 325-410F (163-210C).
• Coconut Oil 350-385F (175-196C).
• Animal lard 370F (188C). 
• Vegetable oils 400-450F (204-230C).
• Canola oil 400-450F (204-230C).
• Corn oil 410-450F (210-230C). 
• Grapeseed oil 420F (but some argue that its high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids make it unsuitable for high-heat cooking (1, 2, 3).
• Peanut oil 440-450F (227-230C).
• Soybean oil 450-495F (230-257C).
• Rice bran oil 459F (239C)
• Ghee 485F (252C)
• Avocado oil 520-570F (271-299C).

My Oil Preference

I have my limited preferences for oil use, and have a post just on oils. These are not the only oils or fats used by cooks all over the world, just my preferences.

• Sauté oil: Olive oil, unsalted butter, or a mixture of butter + olive oil.
• Stir fry oil: Avocado, peanut, animal fat, rice bran oil
• Pan fry oil: Avocado, peanut, rice bran oil, or animal fat
• Shallow frying: Avocado, peanut, rice bran oil
• Deep frying: rice bran oil or peanut oil

I want to also mention that oils do have different flavors. So I use, for example, peanut oil when that flavor adds to the dish. This is also true for butter and olive oil.

International Frying

Animal-based fats are also used for frying in various countries: lard, tallow, ghee, and fat drippings. So if looking at cooking international foods I may use different fats.

• Indian cooking: Ghee, coconut oil, and ground-nut oils
• Southeast Asia: Palm oil, rice bran oil
• Mediterranean: Olive oil
• South + Central America: Frequently use lard

Oil or Fat Disposal

You can reuse oil for a few times, if it is not burnt or you did not cook fish. Just strain it so there are no particulates, and make sure it is still a nice clear and light color (not dark brown or black).

Do not dump down your drains.

Wait till the soil or fat cools, then dump into a container that is going into the garbage and toss in there. (Or you can dump directly into the trash if you are confident about your bag.) Or better, find a place nearby that will collect this oil for recycling.

Specific Techniques

Sautéing

Sautéing is cooking with small amounts of oil or fat, in a shallow pan, and over high heat. The word means “jump in the pan,” as the food”s moisture responds to the hot oil. The food is cooked by tossing the food or using tongs.

• Make sure the food is dry before cooking so the oil does not cool down too much or splatter and hit you. Also have the food cut into equal sizes so they cook uniformly.
• The pan should be wider than tall so it can fit all the food you normally cook with, without overcrowding.
• Do not use non-stick pans if you want the crispy parts (fond) of the food stuck to the pan to be recovered and used. (That is where flavor is.)
• Let the pan get hot, then add oil, and once the oil has heated up add the food.
• You want the food to sizzle as soon as it hits the pan. If it does not sizzle the oil is not hot enough, and the food will just sit there soaking up oil
• Once the food is cooking in the pan do not touch it, let the food cook and do its thing, do not constantly fuss with it. At the kitchen we would yell, “move away from the food!” Touch it again only when it is time to consider flipping the item.
• If the oil or fat starts smoking stop and toss out the oil, it is now damaged

Stir frying

A way of cooking with very hot oil in a wok over very high heat, this is fast cooking. It sears food quickly and locks in natural juices and flavor.

• Mise en place: Cut all ingredients first as this is a fast cooking style
• Have all seasoning and sauces ready and measured
• Pan to use is a wok and have it heated on the stove. Avoid non-stick woks due to high heat usage, which will ruin the coating and send chemicals into the air. A carbon steel flat-bottomed wok is the best pan to use. 
• And I use a wooden handled, slightly curved spatula
• Then only use the amount of oil you need
• Cook everything on high heat
• Add aromatics first: Chinese aromatics are garlic, ginger, green onions. Thai aromatics are chopped lemongrass, galangal, chili pepper and basil.
• Add protein and let it sear, but not so long that it burns
• Add at least 2 contrasting colored veggies which are stirred around so they do not over cook
• I then remove the wok from the heat, add sauces and finish with pepper, stirring to get the sauce everywhere
• Then I plate and garnish

Pan frying

Minimal fat is added, in the case of pan frying bacon or pork belly, obviously no fat is added. Pan frying is set at a lower heat than sautéing and the food can be turned over a few times, examples are sausages, chicken breasts, steaks or burgers. The meat is not cut into little bite sizes but are cooked whole. So the heat is lower to allow the food to cook through without burning.

Shallow Frying

Shallow frying is a high heat, oil-based frying technique where oil is added to a pan up to half the height of the food you are frying. The food is turned over once, to cook (and brown) on both sides.

• Heat pan, then heat oil, food should sizzle once hitting the pan
• Food is dry or batter coated (fried chicken or fish)
• Let battered coated food stand at room temp before frying so the batter sets
• Use a straight edged pan with up to 2″ height
• Use tongs to turn the food over once
• Once cooked place on a drying rack in a baking sheet to drain away the cooking oil

Deep Fat Frying

Food is submerged in hot oil or fat and cooks quickly. This type of frying can be anywhere up to 400°F (204°C) in order to create a golden-brown surface texture on food within a short amount of time. But when I am deep frying, I rarely have the temps above 350F.

• Safety is my main concern: never overfill with oil
• Have the proper tools and treat hot oil with respect
• Do not put overly wet food in the fryer if you can help it
• Season the flour you are dipping the food into before adding a batter
• Do not over crowd or food will not cook well
• Use the right oil. It can be reused but learn when to toss
• With meat use a thermometer to achieve proper cooking temps
• Set the fryer to the correct temp
• Never move a container of hot oil, wait for it to cool
• Never leave a cooking fryer unattended
• Season the food as soon as it comes out of the oil, while hot it will absorb the seasoning

Air Fryers

This is a way of cooking that moves hot air around the food in a convection process and mimics frying in that the food it can produce will be crispy. So really this is misnamed, it is a small convection oven, not really a fryer.

What convection ovens offer is speed, a good-enough mimic of deep fat frying to fool your family (especially wings, fries, etc.), and it uses less energy since you are heating a smaller oven space. For dorm rooms, this would be great to use.

• FDA: Acrylamide is a substance that forms through a natural chemical reaction between sugars and the amino acid asparagine in foods like potatoes, cereals, coffee, crackers or breads, dried fruits and many other foods. But does not form from dairy, meat, fish or in lower temps and lower cooking times.
• Acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in animals exposed to very high doses, and although there is no consistent epidemiological evidence on the effect of acrylamide from food consumption on cancer in humans, agencies consider acrylamide to be a human health concern.
• Air frying using convection means is one way to prevent or lower Acrylamide in ”fried” foods.

These appliances come in two forms, one is just an air fryer, and the other is an air fryer/toaster oven. If interested in the air fryer alone, be sure to get the drawer style, from all I have seen that is the best.

My son bought me an Air Fryer Toaster Oven and I have to admit it works well with very little oil. First I prep the food and oil-spray the food before I place it in the basket with the tray under that. I set the appliance to Air Fryer, select the temperature (say 390F), set the timer (say 25 minutes)and put the food in. Then I turned the food over midway, and at the end had crispy chicken at hand. Quick, easy, and lower fat. And again, not really frying.

Hints + Tricks

Monitor the oil or fat’s temperature so that you can better keep a constant heat level. Oil cools as you add food so if you have lots of batches to cook monitoring becomes important.

The longer fried food sits after cooking, the soggier it gets. What happens is that as the food cools, the moisture from the inside of the food will start to penetrate the outer crust. So serve fried food immediately after a little bit of cooling on a rack to drain away any surface oil or fat.

If frying breaded foods, let them sit for ~30min before cooking so the flour-egg-panko can dry a bit before cooking. This should help reduce the crumbs from falling off into the oil.

While frying remove any debris that separates from the food to help clean the oil, and to prevent the debris from burning and changing the flavor of the oil.

I do not put fried food on paper towels to drain oil away from the food; to me it just makes the food sit in the drained oil and will make parts of the food soft. Instead, I put that fried food on a baking rack so it drains away from the food, and remains crunchy.

I always have a little bit of anxiousness when using the deep fat frying technique, but I think it just heightens my alertness. The safety concerns should be high with hot oil, so always be careful.

Tips:

• Buy glass bottles of oil instead of plastic ones; it’s better for the environment
• Dark glass is best as oil is affected by heat and sunlight
• Oil does not improve with age, like wine. Make sure oil has not turned rancid before using (smell it or taste it)

—Patty

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