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Introduction

The great benefit from frying is that the food comes into immediate contact with the hot fat or oil; this seals in all the flavour and the nutrients. The surface becomes sealed and the inside of the food cooks quickly in the heat of its juices turning into steam. Use pure vegetable oils and good quality produce. 

•  Start with high quality produce.
•  Use Pure vegetable oils (Sunflower, Soya, Corn or Olive).
•  Oil can be re-used once so long as its not been overheated.
•  Use good quality non-stick or iron pans for shallow frying.
•  Trim all surplus fat from meat before frying unless dry-frying.
•  Avoid blended cooking oils, lards, hard margarines and butter.

Types of Fat & Oil

To ensure healthy cooking and to achieve the best results choose your fat or oil with care. Pure vegetable oils such as sunflower, soya and corn are all high in polyunsaturated fats and should generally be used. Olive oil which contains monounsaturated fats is also a healthy cooking oil, although more expensive. Olive oil also comes in a range of types and flavours.

Blended vegetable oils should be avoided as they often contain oils which are high in saturated fats (e.g. coconut or palm oil).

Lards, hard margarines and butters are also high in saturated fat and not recommended for healthy frying.

Use oils that have high smoking temperatures so you can heat it without burning. Oils that have low smoking temperatures can taint the flavours of your food if you overheat them. Oils vary widely in their smoking temperature (from 150° C [300° F] to 230° [450° F] ). Sunflower and corn oil both have high smoking temperature; olive oil, butter and margarine have low smoking temperatures.

Ensure that the oil does not reach smoking temperature before you start to cook. You can tell because you will see a slight blue haze rising from the the surface of the hot oil. This is the oil breaking down, if left it will quickly reach its flashpoint and ignite! Please NEVER leave a pan with oil on the heat unattended.

And if it does catch fire DO NOT ADD WATER as this will cause a massive increase in the flame. Instead remove the pan from the heat immediately and cover it with a damp tea towel or other damp cloth, or if a lid is available put the lid on.

•  At 180°C (350°F) it takes 60 seconds.
•  At 190°C (375°F) it takes 40 seconds.
•  At 200°C (400°F) it takes 20 seconds.

The temperature required will always vary depending on the food but most food should be deep fried at 200°C (400°F). Use a heavy based deep saucepan with a frying basket or a purpose built deep-fat fryer.

To achieve the best results make sure that the food is in even sized pieces so that it cooks the same. Covering the outside of the food in breadcrumbs or batter will stop the outside burning while it cooks. Cook the food in small batches because if you add it all at once you will lower the temperature of the oil and the food will soak it up.

When food is evenly brown remove from oil with a slotted spoon and place on absorbent kitchen paper towel, turn over once and serve immediately.

Shallow Frying

This seals the surface of the food and often no further cooking is required. With thick cuts of meat reduce the temperature once the surface has browned. For healthy shallow frying use a non-stick or well seasoned iron pan and smear the oil over the inside of the pan with a paper kitchen towel, this reduces the amount of oil you use.

Dry Frying

Of all methods of frying this is the healthiest as you add no additional oil or fat. It is ideal for foods such as bacon, sausages and mincemeat that will cook in their own juices. The best way to achieve this is to "sweat" the food by using a lower temperature than if cooking with oil to begin with, then gradually increase the temperature, this will stop the food burning or sticking.

Stir Frying

Here the emphasis is normally on vegetables, rice and noodles. All retain their nutrients and colour when cooked correctly. It is an excellent method to use if cutting down on the amount of meat in your diet as the meat is shredded or cut into thin strips it goes along way.

The ideal pan to use for stir frying is a Wok as it is especially designed for the purpose. For healthy stir frying smear the oil over the inside of the Wok or pan with a paper kitchen towel, this reduces the amount of oil you use. The secret to stir frying is to turn the ingredients often.

Sautéing

This is very similar to shallow frying. Often used for whole pieces of meat such as Chicken breasts as the first stage in the recipe. Also used for vegetables which have been partially cooked (steamed or par-boiled). The food is placed in a little oil and is moved continuously to seal and brown it.

Additional Notes

Meat and some vegetables are often fried before casseroling or stewing. To reduce the amount of fat in the dish, fry the meat well in advance and leave in the pan to cool. The excess fat will then rise to the surface and can be removed with a spoon. Also remember to trim the visible fat from the meat prior to cooking and with poultry remove the skin as the the layer of fat is just below it.

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