The nutritional values of a food depend on the method used in cooking. When frying a food, the calories that are added depend on the type of oil chosen and the amount that we put in the fryer or pan.
Generally speaking, the amount of calories added to a food in the frying process varies depending on the factors. It is estimated that up to 75 percent of the calories in a fried food come from fat.
What method do I use when frying a food?
It is curious when fried foods take on a crispy exterior. Science explains that when you fry a food, it loses a lot of moisture and takes up fat instead. This process not only adds texture to fried foods, but also adds a lot of calories. As we said before, up to 75 percent of the calories in fried foods come from fat , most of which is acquired in the frying process. It is understandable that we prefer pan frying as an alternative to the oil fryer, although in recent years the air fryer has revolutionized the kitchen.
A healthy and alternative way is to sauté, rather than fry. This method uses a small amount of oil or low-calorie liquid such as vegetable broth. Another alternative low calorie cooking method is air frying. This is a deep fryer that can reduce your overall caloric intake by up to 80 percent.
In a well-done frying, taking care of the oil temperature and having food in not very small pieces, it is calculated that the food absorbs between 8 and 25% of the weight of the food of its weight in oil or fat. Comparing it with the baked one (3%), it is a quite considerable caloric quantity.
Dense foods that absorb very little oil get more than 50% more calories when fried. For example, if we put a naked raw chicken breast in a deep fryer, we will increase the calories by 64%. It is certainly a much higher nutritional value than we would have imagined.
Calories added depending on the oil
Frying adds calories as these fried foods are usually coated in flour or batter before frying. In addition, oil replaces the natural water in food as it cooks, absorbing fat and increasing the amount of calories.
So if frying adds calories, what is the difference between frying a food and having something fried? The most significant difference in the amount of calories lies in the amount of oils used. In addition, it must be taken into account that if the oil is cold when we introduce the food, the percentage of absorbed fat will be higher. Oil is a fat, regardless of the type you use. At 9 calories per gram, fats are much more calorie dense than carbohydrates or proteins, which have 4 calories per gram. Even the healthiest oils, like avocado and olive, are still fats.
The calorie counts in conventional frying oils are:
- Peanut: 119 calories per tablespoon.
- Corn: 122 calories per tablespoon.
- Soy: 120 calories per tablespoon.
- Canola: 124 calories per tablespoon
Depending on what we are frying and how much we eat in one sitting, the frying process could add several hundred calories to the daily intake. Some people also use vegetable oil or sunflower oil for fried foods.
When we fry something at home, we can use different oils that have other nutritional values, although these also provide large amounts of calories:
- Olive oil: 119 calories per tablespoon.
- Avocado oil: 124 calories per tablespoon.
- Coconut: 121 calories per tablespoon.
If we use too much of these oils in the frying process, it is possible to end up adding as many calories as a fried food itself. So there wouldn’t be too many differences between the two. However, fried foods made with certain oils are healthier than others. Experts recommend oils with less saturated fat, over all those with less than 4 grams of saturated fat in a tablespoon. Olive oil , for example, can balance cholesterol levels and has a lower oxidation level, which means fewer cancer-causing free radicals.
Regardless of the type of oil we choose, it is important to make sure it is fresh, as old oils can contain more free radicals.
How to remove excess oil in a fry?
When you coat food before frying, it is recommended to use carbonated liquids , a small amount of yeast (baking soda), or both in the batter. These release gas bubbles as food cooks, further reducing oil absorption. However, it is necessary to have certain cooking knowledge to know in which foods to use this technique, without distorting the final result.
In the case that they are already fried, to remove the excess oil it is advisable to use a slotted spoon to transfer the food to the hot oil without the dough becoming caked. Then use that spoon to scoop the food out of the pan so there are no puddles of oil when you remove it. Drain fried foods on kitchen paper for a minute or two ; This type of paper will absorb any foreign oil that may still be adhering to the frying. In the same way, they should be done with fried foods in an oil fryer, although these have the “advantage” of having a special basket that is introduced into the boiling oil.
Some may wonder if frying a food can burn calories. Scientists believe that the system used to measure calorie count does not take into account the energy used when digesting food. That is, when we cook food, we break it down a little in advance. We basically burn some of the calories during the digestion process, but they don’t counteract the caloric intake. So it is not recommended to think that a fried food will have fewer calories than in its original form.
