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DEL.ICIO.USHealthy fried food
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“You want fries with that?” is not a simple yes or no question if you’re keeping track of your fat and calorie intake when eating out.
Instead of a quick answer, try asking, “Well, first tell me how they’re made.”
Even though fried foods are on the go-easy list for dieters, there is a big difference in how greasy (and therefore, how calorie-filled) fried foods are. It all depends on how they are prepared.
And while you can’t take over the fry cook’s job every time you dine out, it’s important to know what’s going on in the kitchen so you can demand restaurants straighten up and fry right.
Basically, the hotter and fresher the frying oil the lower the amount of total fat that will end up in your food.
For example, if you order deep-fried egg rolls that are soaked in so much oil you could wring them out and fry another batch, it’s probably because the oil wasn’t hot enough, possibly because the oil was used so many times it lost the ability to reach its maximum heat.
When done right, frying can taste great and still not load you up with fat.
Fried shrimp is a great example; it’s at its best when the seafood, not the batter, gets top billing from your taste buds. Also keep in mind that the smaller the item being fried, the less time it’s in the oil.
Peanut oil, soybean oil, canola oil and safflower oil have the highest smoke points (the temperature at which the oil starts to smoke and break down), followed by corn oil, sunflower oil and olive oil — so these are great choices for deep-fat frying.
If a restaurant has fried food right, the oil stays on the outside, where the surface is browned and crispy. The inside is cooked to perfection from the heat, not from penetration of the oil.
We hear a lot about trans fats being removed from packaged foods because of new labeling regulations, but those rules don’t apply to restaurants. That means many still use hydrogenated solid shortenings that create a crispy product but contain trans fats.
McDonald’s and other burger chains say they’re trying to find a trans fat-free oil that also tastes good. Ruby Tuesday switched to trans fat-free canola oil last year. Chick-fil-A has been frying chicken in trans fat-free peanut oil since the 1960s and its waffle fries since 2004.
What’s your favorite fried food? Have you figured out a way to make it lighter?
Comments
By OldSchool
June 7, 2006 08:13 AM | Link to this
We like french fries but have found a substitute we LOVE. I cut potatoes into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle on whatever seasonings are on hand. Some favorites are Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, creole blends, Montreal blends, the new McCormick grinders are great, or we’ll even just use a bit of salt and fresh ground pepper. Sometimes each person seasons his/her own portion and sometimes we just throw caution to the wind and seasonings on the potatoes. Then it’s into a 400 degree oven for however long (ours takes about 45 minutes to get them crisp on the outside, soft on the inside.) We also do sweet potato wedges the same way.
Because it takes a bit of time to cook, we can limit our portions to sensible size which makes us savor the flavors slowly to make them last.
By Drew
June 7, 2006 10:31 AM | Link to this
As mentioned by Carolyn, fried shrimp is absolutely fantastic when you really keep the batter to a minimum. I like using a rice flour and cold seltzer water mix. In the right proportions, it’s not as heavy as a typical AP flour coating and the seltzer gives a nice “airyness” to the batter and keeps it light. Make sure the batter is pretty runny, like runny pancake batter. Cornstarch also works well with this method.
By gavi1126
June 7, 2006 11:48 AM | Link to this
Yum.. fried food is always good. But since im a very cautious eater, i also substituted a recipe that requires some frying. EggPlant Parmesan!! U know how, u cover the eggplants in eggs then kinda fry them in oil in a pan..Well i just put them in the oven instead of frying and then follow rest of the process accordingly. Also instead of frying the mozzrella sticks i bake em!! i know, i know..they’re still fattening..but not as much..
By Eater
June 7, 2006 12:01 PM | Link to this
OldSchool - that’s exactly what we do with “french fries” too! It’s amazingly good and like OS said, you can tweak the seasonings to fit whatever else you’re cooking. Yumm-o!
Since we live in temperate Atlanta, we grill year round. Heck, I’ve chipped the ice off the grill lid and made BBQ in Icestorms when there was no power! Grilling has definitely taken the place of frying in our household. It’s much healthier and BBQ chicken beats fried chicken - hands down! If it won’t fall through the grates…I’ll grill it. Hint: Bacon is very yummy from the grill! Smokey, crispy and the fat drips away. Watch for flareups and make sure the grill is a lower temp than usual.
Sauteeing is also a great substitute for deep frying. I pound chicken breats, flour them, season and sautee in olive oil and a pat of butter. Then I make a simple pan sauce with the drippings.
Don’t miss deep-FAT-frying at all.
By Swangirl
June 7, 2006 04:13 PM | Link to this
I use a Weight Watcher recipe for turkey parmisgana that is delicious and doesn’t require frying. You dredge the turkey cutlets in an egg mixture, then dredge in a mixture of italian breadcrumbs and parmesean cheese. Spray both sides with cooking spray. Cook in the oven until done, then top with pasta sauce and low-fat mozarella cheese. Cook until melted and bubbly. My husband loves it. Just go easy on the cheese!
By tina
June 7, 2006 05:00 PM | Link to this
O.k, the people who posted the previous comments must not be true southerners. Being from NY, I find that they will fry practically anything down here. I never knew all the vegetables that could be fried until I moved south. Fried okra, fried squash, fried green tomatoes. Perfectly low fat food, that is until you come south of the mason dixie. Wonder why there are so many overweight people down here. All that fried food washed down with gallons of sweet tea. go figure.
By RT
June 8, 2006 08:19 AM | Link to this
Hey Tina. We don’t like you. Go away and whine about some taxi drivers.
By JC
June 8, 2006 08:42 AM | Link to this
I oven fry chicken. It’s great. You season your chicken like you normally would for frying. Coat with flour. Then place in baking dish that has been lightly coated with cooking oil or cooking spray. Turn after 30 minutes and cook for an additional 30 minutes. It comes out great! I had a friend try it with pork chops and she said they tasted great. P.S. You may want to turn chicken every 15 minutes to prevent sticking to the pan. And chicken Wings and Legs work best.
By Tony Touch
June 9, 2006 09:50 AM | Link to this
I try to limit myself to eating out 3 times a week. This obviously goes up when I am on vacation. I usually like to eat out when I’m in a good mood, so I eat out more on weekends and cook at home on weeknights.