11 Myths About Deep Fried Food That You Should Stop Believing

Deep fried food gets a bad rap. The image of a plate of fried chicken swimming in fat or a flabby portion of undercooked fish can put even the most enthusiastic cook — not to mention, eater — off. The truth is that deep frying is an excellent way to lock in flavor and moisture, and who doesn't love to bite into a crispy, crunchy, flavor-filled deep-dipped delight.

Deep fried foods are commonly thought of as unhealthy. Naysayers state deep frying can remove nutrients and protein while adding trans fats and calories — this can be true, but only if done incorrectly. The trick is to use the appropriate oil, perfect your batter, and, above all else, get the temperature exactly right. We spoke to Maricel Gentile, chef and owner of Maricel's Kitchen in New Jersey, and Patricia Tanumihardja, author of the cookbook "Mortar and Pestle — Classic Indonesian Recipes from the Modern Kitchen," to get the real truth about deep fried foods.

It's no secret that deep frying isn't the healthiest choice on the menu. Even the most carefully curated fried food can add calories and fat versus other cooking methods such as broiling or baking. Deep fried foods aren't unhealthy when properly cooked, particularly if you consider the food you are frying (vegetables) and use a light batter and healthy oil.

In deep fat frying, food is submerged or partially submerged (think donuts) in an oil of choice at temperatures of between 350°F (177°C) and 375°F (191°C). Choice is the key word, as it is here that you can make healthy decisions. Almost anything can be deep fried — in the U.S., we tend to stick to chicken, potatoes, and calorie-dense foods, but in other cultures, deep-fat frying is considered a delicate cooking form. Consider Tempura, the Japanese method of deep frying in which vitamin and mineral-dense foods like vegetables and fish are cooked in a lighter batter that absorbs little oil. To prevent oil from absorbing into your deep-fried foods, you need to ensure the temperature is exactly right — too hot, and the food will burn; too low, and the oil will seep into the batter, making it flaccid and fatty.

It's a common misconception that deep frying can remove nutrients. A review by Henry CJ Fillion from the Institute of Food, Science and Nutrition showed that "frying has little or no impact on the protein or mineral content of fried food, whereas the dietary fiber content of potatoes is increased after frying due to the formation of resistant starch." Deep-fried foods are cooked at very high temperatures, so their cooking time is much shorter than other cooking methods. This shortened cooking time means fewer vitamins are lost during deep frying than broiling, boiling, or baking.

A similar study on the effect of fish and oil nature on the frying process by the Journal of Food Science states that the Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio increased in fish, providing more healthy nutrients after frying than before. When deep frying starchy foods such as potatoes, vitamin C and B vitamins are preserved, and the amount of fiber increases.  Once again, temperature is the key to preserving the nutrients within fried foods. The higher the temperature and the longer the cooking time, the more nutrients are lost.

Trans fats are bad. There, we've said it. Industrially-produced trans fats cause more than 278,000 deaths each year. These unsaturated fatty acids clog your arteries, cause high cholesterol, and can lead to a heart attack. So we definitely don't want them in our food.

Trans fats are found in industrially produced foods like margarine, vegetable shortening, and ghee, as well as naturally from cows, sheep, and goats, and their products like cheese and milk. When it comes to deep frying, it's easy to replace oils that contain trans fats with healthier oils; as long as you cook using oils without trans fats, your deep-fried food will be free of them.

When considering the right oils for deep frying, you must look for a stable oil with a high smoke point. The healthiest oils for deep frying are coconut, avocado, peanut, and animal fats, such as lard, tallow, and pure ghee. Note that ghee is a clarified fat made from butter that has had the water and milk solids removed. Vegetable ghee DOES contain trans fats and should not be used. Unsuitable oils because they contain polyunsaturated fatty acids include soybean oil, corn oil, canola or rapeseed oil, safflower oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil, and sesame oil.

Myth busted: Deep-fried food does not need to be greasy. If your fried food is greasy, it's usually the result of improper temperature control; too cool and the oil is absorbed into the batter, too hot and it will burn. It could also be the quality or thickness of your batter, you are aiming for the thickness of double cream — too thick, or too thin and the oil will be absorbed into the batter.

To fully understand the process of deep frying, look at the chemical processes that take place. Without wanting to get too deep into the science, the Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction that occurs under heat only when temperatures reach 140–165°C (285–330°F). At this point, the Maillard reaction causes the flavor, aroma, and color of food to change, and this is when your batter gets all crispy and juicy. If you fry your food under the required temperature, the Maillard reaction does not occur, the batter soaks up the grease, and your food is a soggy, fatty mess. To avoid greasiness use a light batter, coat it thinly and make sure the temperature is consistent. 

It would be remiss to tell you that there's no danger involved when deep fat frying at home. In any situation where you are working with a pan of very hot oil, you need to exercise extreme caution to ensure you do not get burnt. But with the right care and appropriate equipment, deep frying food should not be any more dangerous than other cooking methods.

To avoid starting a fire, ensure your cooking area is clean and clutter-free. If using a deep fat fryer, read the instruction manual first and operate accordingly. Never overfill a deep fat fryer or pan, and always use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove fried items. Make sure not to drop food back into the pan, which could splash oil onto your skin. Never leave a pan or deep fat fryer unattended; food can burn very quickly, which may cause a fire to start.

In the unfortunate event of an oil fire, it's essential that you know what action to take. Ideally, you would have a fire extinguisher to hand when deep frying. If you don't, the best way to smother flames is to turn off the stove, cover the fryer or pan with a lid, and douse the fire with baking soda or salt. Whatever happens, never use water to douse a grease fire as water can cause the oil to spread; when water comes into contact with very hot oil, it will vaporize and turn into scalding steam. If you cannot put out a fire, call 911 immediately.

Deep frying involves submerging your food in an oil heated to around 350–375°F (176–190°C). At the right temperature, a seal will form that crisps the outer skin and prevents juices inside from escaping. The result is a crispy, juicy, decadent delight that has people scrambling for fried foods the world over. However, the temperature and type of oil matter far more than the quantity. If your temperature is too low, the seal will not form, which means your food will be greasy and soggy; if it is too high, the oil can oxidize, and the food will be too dry.

If you use a deep fryer, you can set the temperature according to the type of food and oil you are cooking, which means you will get the perfect crispy fried result. If you are using a pan, a cooking thermometer is essential to ensure you fry your food at exactly the right temperature. Remember, oil can be reused a few times, so don't scrimp on quantity because you think it's healthier — concentrate on the heat rather than the volume to achieve your desired crispiness. To keep foods crispy after frying, Chef Patricia Tanumihardja says, "Don't cover freshly fried foods, lay them out in a single layer—i.e., don't pile them up one on top of the other, and serve immediately! If you have to wait, keep foods up to temp in a low oven or crisp them up before serving."

Another common myth around deep frying is the need for hi-tech equipment. While it's true that a state-of-the-art deep fryer will help deliver that perfect crispy bite, you can also deep fry foods using any sturdy deep pot, like a Dutch Oven. It's important to consider the type and size of the pan you are using; it should be deep enough to fully submerge your food and large enough to space the food items apart. If you don't have a big enough pot, frying your food in batches is preferable to allow all areas to fully crisp –- it's more time-consuming but worth it. Similarly, you don't want a huge pot for a small amount of food as it will waste oil.

If you don't have a deep fryer, the most important piece of equipment is a cooking thermometer, as getting the oil to the right temperature is imperative. Cooking thermometers can either be dipped into the oil for 10 seconds or clipped to the side of the pan. This should show you when the temperature is correct. If you don't have a cooking thermometer, Patricia Tanumihardja has a brilliant hack, "stick a wooden chopstick into the oil and if bubbles gather around it on the surface of the oil, the oil is hot enough... throw a bread cube or a small sample of whatever you're deep-frying into the oil. If the food starts to sizzle and rises to the surface of the oil, the oil is ready!" Whether using a deep fryer or a pan, it's always best to use good quality tongs or a slotted spoon to save burning your fingers when retrieving food from the deep fryer tray or your pan of bubbling oil. 

The oil you use in deep fat frying can be reused, but only for a limited number of times, and only kept for a maximum of three months. To make sure your oil is safe and healthy to reuse, you can take several steps to preserve it. Firstly, choose a good quality oil that has a high smoke point. Keep an eye on the temperature; oils that burn too hot start to break down, making the oils bitter and unusable.

Once you have finished frying, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends straining your oil through a cheesecloth or sieve to remove leftover food particles. Once cleaned, you can store oils in a sealed container and refrigerate. While there is no recommended maximum number of times for reusing frying oil, no more than three to four times is the suggestion, although some cleaner foods that are less likely to discard particles like fries can be reused up to eight times.

If the oil is cloudy, foamy, or smells strange, then it's time to discard it. When reusing the oil, remember that it will carry the taste of the food you have cooked previously, so don't cook sweet after savory, and consider using it to fry chicken after you have fried something with a strong taste like fish. Don't throw cooking oils down the sink; they will congeal and clog the drain. The best way to dispose of cooking oils is to pour them into a disposable container and put them in the trash.

The oil you use is a huge consideration when it comes to deep frying. You need to use oils with higher smoke points, like avocado oil, canola, coconut, or peanut oil. The smoke point is simply the point to which an oil can be heated before it starts to smoke. When an oil passes its smoke point, your food will taste bitter and burnt, and there is a risk of an oil fire. Some oils, like olive oil, are healthier but have low smoke points and are better for shallow frying.

When picking an oil for deep frying, it's also important to consider heart-healthy oils, including peanut, sunflower, safflower, or oils without trans fats.

Chef Maricel Gentile tells us that, "the oil you use certainly does make a difference. I use neutral, high-smoke-point oils like canola, vegetable, corn, or coconut oil. Even though neutral, they all do impart a different flavor to the food." He goes on to explain how the different oils can subtly changes a dish, "if I'm making Filipino Turon (banana spring rolls) or Ukoy (shrimp fritters), I might use coconut oil for that subtle sweetness. If I want a very clean taste, canola oil is my go-to. What I don't use, and it should not be used for high-heat cooking, is Olive Oil or unrefined oils with lots of impurities — they burn. They are flavorful but they get bitter when over-heated."

Deep frying does increase the calorie content of food, but probably not as much as you think. With all food and cooking techniques, the calorie contents depend on the type and amount of food you're frying. There are three elements to fried food: the food you are frying, the batter, and the oil. You can keep calorie content low by deep frying healthy ingredients like vegetables, fish, and fruits. You could substitute your batter for a lower-calorie version — batter is defined as a liquid dough, it is essentially a mix of flour and water to which various seasonings, salts, and sugars can be added. There are multiple ways to make a lower-calorie batter: using whole wheat flour, egg whites instead of whole eggs, or lower fat milk, all of these methods will help reduce calories. Finally, the oil you use will impact the calorie content; aim for canola, safflower, or sunflower, which contain fewer calories, or heart-healthy oils like avocado, which have healthier fats.

When done properly, deep frying can enhance the flavor of food by creating a crispy, golden-brown crust that locks in moisture and flavor. One only needs to look at cultural variations in deep frying techniques to see how frying can enhance the flavor of foods. Chef Maricel Gentile talks us through a few, sharing that in the Philippines, they "love deep frying with banana leaves for extra aroma!" in Japan, deep-fried Tempura is "about light batter, ice-cold water, and precise timing for a crisp, airy crunch." In Indian cooking spiced batters are used like chickpea flour and food is fried in ghee for a richer flavor. In America, we use buttermilk marinades and heavy dredges and aim for a deep golden crust.

Deep frying has been used for centuries as a cooking technique that uses heat to seal in moisture, preserving the food's flavor and creating a delicious, crispy crust. The combination of the soft juiciness of the food juxtaposed with the crunch of the outer layer is a uniquely moreish taste that is universally loved.