Frying: Deep Frying And Shallow Frying

We will review yet another cooking method known as frying. There are two main types of frying techniques namely shallow frying and deep frying. In this post, we will assess the different types of frying and how these frying methods affect a food’s nutritional value.

Frying is the cooking of food in oil or liquefied fat by allowing oil or liquefied fat to heat prior to immersing food. With deep frying, food is submerged in oil while with shallow frying the food is partially covered with oil. Generally, the major difference between deep frying and shallow frying is the quantity of oil utilized; wherein deep frying uses more oil than shallow frying. Normally, in shallow frying, food has to be turned for the other side to cook properly but this may not be necessary for deep frying.

Frying generally enhances a food’s flavour and texture. When cooked properly both shallow frying and deep frying, brown the surface of food being cooked. With both cooking methods, food becomes crunchy in texture though the deep-fried foods acquire more of a crunchy texture. Frying is done at high temperatures thus food cooks at a rapid rate. As frying process occurs, a food’s moisture content is reduced, and moisture is replaced by oil that sips through food and covers its exterior forming a crunchy coating. There is more loss of moisture content in shallow frying than deep frying since a portion of the food is not immersed in oil and exposed to air.

Foods mainly fried include chips, fried chicken, doughnuts, fried pork etc.