Fried, fried, fried, fried, and fried

[Robert.Fleming]

@Randy Bowman

I was ruined by fried food. In 1964/65, I lived in Waco, TX. Fried donuts were the thing for breakfast. Probably why I wound up being a cop and couldn’t see the tips of my shoes until I bent over.

Ever eat here?
ZfbTO0GlONU

[Larry_P]

This episode of Good Eats Fry Hard Transcript

…AB claims his basket of fish & chips used only about ½T of oil. Personally I’d conduct my own test, since AB has a tendency to contradict himself all over the place.

BTW if your pan of oil’s temperature is above the boiling point of water, then there’s no water in that pan.

The myth that deep-fried foods can’t absorb oil because they are too busy expelling steam, I think was debunked by Kenji, who showed that once the food is removed from the fryer and starts too cool, areas that were evacuated by steam will suck in oil that’s remaining on the surface of the food, but I can’t find that now.

[Robert.Fleming]

Frying temperature vs. oil absorption: http://www.cookingscienceguy.com/pages/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/A-Common-Misconception-About-Frying-Food2.pdf

[Nolan_E]

@Robert.Fleming

@Randy Bowman

I was ruined by fried food. In 1964/65, I lived in Waco, TX. Fried donuts were the thing for breakfast. Probably why I wound up being a cop and couldn’t see the tips of my shoes until I bent over.

Ever eat here?
ZfbTO0GlONU

I have!

[Tom.Cole]

@Larry P

This episode of Good Eats Fry Hard Transcript

…AB claims his basket of fish & chips used only about ½T of oil. Personally I’d conduct my own test, since AB has a tendency to contradict himself all over the place.

BTW if your pan of oil’s temperature is above the boiling point of water, then there’s no water in that pan.

The myth that deep-fried foods can’t absorb oil because they are too busy expelling steam, I think was debunked by Kenji, who showed that once the food is removed from the fryer and starts too cool, areas that were evacuated by steam will suck in oil that’s remaining on the surface of the food, but I can’t find that now.

Thanks. This is what I was searching for. The problem is how one conducts the experiment with precision. For example, crumbs will be left over from the batter when deep frying, at least when I deep fry. Removing the crumbs through straining will add to the oil removed from the remaining oil, but not included in the food you actually eat. How does one account for this? I have no idea given a cursory thought experiment.

However, I have not spent a lot of time trying to devise an experiment that would precisely measure the amount of oil absorbed during deep frying. I suspect the actual way to determine the amount of oil would be to determine the caloric intake before and after frying. Given the increase in calories, one could then determine the oil absorption after frying, given the calories per weight of the oil.

I am certain it is more complicated than this. Maybe not. Probably not.

Regarding Kenji, once the food is removed from the oil, where the oil resides on the food is irrelevant. If it is on the crust, it is on the crust. If it is subsequently absorbed into the the food from the oil on the crust, it is in the food and not the crust. The same amount regardless where it resides. It will not gain more oil from the cooking vessel. In other words, the same amount of oil will be left in the vessel. The food has been removed from the oil.

[Larry_P]

@Tom.Cole

Regarding Kenji, once the food is removed from the oil, where the oil resides on the food is irrelevant. If it is on the crust, it is on the crust. If it is subsequently absorbed into the the food from the oil on the crust, it is in the food and not the crust. The same amount regardless where it resides. It will not gain more oil from the cooking vessel. In other words, the same amount of oil will be left in the vessel. The food has been removed from the oil.

Fair enough but a fair amount of oil can get wicked off into paper before absorbing into the food. I think Kenji’s experiment/assertion was meant to contradict the idea that the steam escaping food submerged in hot oil prevents the oil any entry into the food.

[Russell_Faulkner]

Weight the paper and add back the extra amount after.

[Howard_Cooper]

@Randy Bowman

I was ruined by fried food. In 1964/65, I lived in Waco, TX. Fried donuts were the thing for breakfast. Probably why I wound up being a cop and couldn’t see the tips of my shoes until I bent over.

I grew up in Georgia and thought I knew fried until I went to Texas and had lunch with a bunch of people where I was the only person not ordering Chicken Fried Steak.