Can Fried Food Be Healthy?

Whenever we think of fried food we think of McDonald’s and other foods that are dripping in fat and that are synonymous with weight gain and high cholesterol. In other words we generally think of friend food as being highly unhealthy and at worst even dangerous to consume. This is true in some cases, but can it be true of all fried food? Or is it possible perhaps to enjoy fried food that isn’t terrible for your health? Here we will answer that question by looking at ways you can enjoy your friend food without it playing on your conscience for the rest of the week.

Choose What You Fry In

It’s not the process of frying itself that’s unhealthy, rather it’s what you choose to fry your food in. In other words if you fry your food in vegetable oil then that’s an unsaturated fat and it’s not going to be half as unhealthy as other oils that you can fry in or frying in say, butter. Likewise you can even fry your food without any oil or butter at all using just water or even using nothing at all. Bacon for instance will make its own oil as with no mince so if you start low then you don’t need to add any. Choose what order you add your food and this can make a big difference – for instance if you are making a bolognaise then add the puree or the canned tomatoes first as these can then provide the moisture and prevent your food from burning.

Pour Off the Oil

Once you’ve cooked, even using no oil at all, then you can help to reduce the fat you consume by simply pouring off the oil afterward. So for example if you have just cooked up some mince, then take it to the sink and drain off the excess fat first. One way you can do this is to put a plate at the edge of the pan to hold on the mince, and then to tip the pan to pour off the fat. You can even simply siv the fat off by pouring the mince into a siv but be warned it’s likely to be a little dry this way. Note that if you haven’t added fat, then this is all fat that would have been in the food anyway. By frying it and then pouring the oil off you are actually making the food healthier than it was before.

Choose What You Fry

Obviously it also depends on what you fry, and you can choose foods that aren’t fatty to begin with to drastically limit the fat you’re consuming. Frozen chips for instance are worse than fresh chips because the fat and salt has been added for flavour and preservation. Likewise if you buy more expensive mince and other meats then you will get a better cut of fresher meat meaning you get much less fat and a better flavour to boost.

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