How to minimize the absorption of oil while deep frying

There’s no denying that gorging on crispy, crunchy and deep fried appetizers is pure bliss. No matter how health conscious we are, the lure of deep fried fritters and snacks is hard to resist. Most of us give in to the temptation and later feel guilty about ruining our diet plans, but what if we tell you that now you can enjoy your favorite deep fried snacks that too without feeling guilty. This might sound like a bluff, but tweaking your way of cooking can make a big impact on your diet plans. So, here are a few brilliant ways of minimizing the absorption of oil in your deep fried snacks.

Pick a clean cast iron skillet and make sure it doesn't have deposits or burnt food layers, especially, if you are planning to cook batter fritters or snacks dunked in flour. This leads to excessive absorption of oil and spoils the flavour of the food. Moreover, the deposit in the pan can stick to the fritters, making it difficult to fry and lead to absorbtion of more oil.

How you coat or marinate your snacks matters a lot in terms of oil absorption. Breading or coating the snacks with breadcrumbs, flour and other foods like oats, flattened rice may absorb more oil and can inflate calories. If you want to reduce absorption of oil in fritters or snacks make sure you coat the snacks with a thin batter of all purpose flour, rice flour or corn flour. Due to their gluten content, they help in binding the snacks and minimize the absorption of oil. Moreover, make sure you don't add too much flour while coating the snacks, too much flour leads to an excessive absorption of oil.

The easiest way to minimize the absorption of oil in fried foods is by parboiling the veggies or meat before you deep fry them. This not only saves a lot of time, but at the same time reduces the oil absorption. Just pre cook the veggies, meat or fish and fry them in hot oil, this helps in making the snacks less greasy.

Last but not least, taking out the snacks and wiping the oil with paper towels or tissues is yet another way of reducing the excess consumption of oil from food.

Check the oil temperature before deep frying the snacks. Cooking on high temperature helps in minimizing the absorption of oil and the best way to do so is by keeping a kitchen thermometer handy before frying the appetizers. This not only ensures that the food is perfectly cooked inside out, but at the same time makes the food crispy and non-greasy.

Another easy way to reduce absorption of oil is by adding a small amount of carbonated liquids or baking soda to the batter, this helps in releasing gas bubbles, which further reduces the absorption of oil while deep frying the snacks.