Shallow Fry Vs Deep Fry Which Is Healthier & Tastes Better
There are many different methods of frying, so in this article, we sought to compare two of the most commonly used ones, the Deep Frying Method and the Shallow frying Method to ascertain which of these methods is the best.
Difference Shallow Frying Vs Deep Frying
The major difference between these two methods is the amount of oil /fat that is used for frying.
For shallow frying, the oil covers only the lower portion of the food or half the depth of the food. The food is usually touching the bottom of the pan used for frying and has to be flipped to ensure that it is evenly cooking and has a uniform texture.
This type of cooking is perfect for foods that are tender and in a small size.
Whereas, for deep frying, the oil covers the food completely, meaning the food is totally and completely immersed in the oil/fat.
Foods that are deep-fried don’t usually require flipping to have even cooking and texture. Larger and tougher foods are better deep-fried than shallow-fried.
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Shallow Frying Vs Deep Frying
We will be comparing these two frying methods to examine the key differences between them and to ultimately determine which one is better in terms of:
- Taste
- A healthier option (Has fewer calories)
- Texture
- Cook time
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1. Comparing Taste From Shallow Frying Vs Deep Frying
If you properly Deep Fry Foods it will have a better taste than if you shallow fry foods. This is because deep-frying food allows the food to be completely immersed in oil.
The oil adds another dimension of taste to the food. In fact, fatty taste is now commonly accepted as another taste. Also because you add lots of fat to the food, it becomes trapped in the breading and flavors it as well. That’s why you usually fry food with batter or breading or panko.
Shallow frying will add flavor to the food but not as much as deep frying because less oil is used.
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2. Which is Healthier Deep Frying Vs Shallow Frying
Fried foods have gotten a reputation for being unhealthy, however, since Shallow fried foods are exposed to less oil they are more likely to absorb less oil and thus can be considered the healthier of the two options.
Shallow frying quickly seals the surface of the food from oil and cooks the food. If you do need to cook it more than turn the heat down once everything is sealed and allow to cook more gently.
Now when you shallow fry your food it will lose less nutrients as compared to deep frying. The process of deep frying food is generally detrimental to its nutritional value.
The oils that your foods absorb in their batter typically contain large amounts of fats, especially saturated fats and trans fats. The fat-soluble vitamins and fatty acids in cooking oils show comparatively reasonable stability when they are used for shallow frying rather than deep frying.
However, how much calorie each of the two frying methods use depends on how much oil is absorbed by the food which is determined by the temperature of the oil during frying.
The simple fact is that more oil is absorbed at lower temperatures so the temperature at which you fry the food will definitely have an impact on calorie.
The other point to take into consideration is what kind of oil are you using to fry whatever you are cooking, some fats/ oils such as bacon grease have a higher calorie content than other vegetable oils.
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3. Texture of Shallow fried foods Vs Deep fried foods
Deep fried Foods have a crunchy exterior and a moist juicy interior. The submersion in hot oil/fat seals the outside and crisps it up while the inside still remains juicy.
Shallow frying allows the food to become browned and add a bit of a crunchy texture but not as much as deep fried. Also some moisture is lost in shallow frying because the food is exposed to air, whereas with deep frying, the food is completely covered in oil when cooked.
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4. Cook Time Shallow frying Vs Deep frying
Shallow frying will take a longer time because food has to be flipped to allow even cooking on both sides whereas deep frying allows the entire food to be cooked evenly at the same time lessen the cook time.
Deep frying foods cook quickly: all sides of a food are cooked simultaneously as oil has a high rate of heat conduction.
Should You Deep Fry or Pan Fry your food?.
We think this depends on the outcome you want as explored above. If you want a healthier food go for the shallow fry but if you want a crunchier texture with more flavor in a short time deep fry is the way to go!
Another thing to take into consideration is the type of food you want to fry. Smaller tender cuts of meats are better when shallow fried while larger more tougher foods or meats are better deep fried.
Tips to Properly Deep Fry Food
Deep Frying in cooking oils are not especially unhealthy but deep-fried foods can become greasy is if it was cooked improperly. Follow these tips to properly deep fry any food.
- Allow your oil to get to the right temperature, Deep-frying involves keeping your oil in a specific temperature range, usually between 325 F and 400 F.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan. Adding too many items at one time will immediately lower the oil temperature
- Coating your food in batter is a great way to give deep-fried foods a crispy exterior while preventing the food itself from drying out.
- Choose a oil with a high smoke point such as Canola or Peanut Oil.
- Use the right type of utensils such as a deep frying thermometer, pan that is heavy and sturdy but holds heats well and a spider, skimmer or slotted spoon.
- Be safe with the hot oil. Keep kids out of the kitchen, turn handles in, and don’t leave the hot oil unattended. Also, make sure foods are dry before adding them to the oil.
