In today’s world, many people prefer fast foods such as French fries. These foods are prepared using fryers. There are two main fryers; deep fryer and air fryer. Deep-fried foods are similar to those prepared using air fryers regarding taste, color, and texture. The difference comes in when health is considered. Is deep frying bad for you? The answer is yes and in some cases no. Below is a detailed discussion that explains how bad and good is deep frying.
Oil usage
Deep frying requires a large amount of cooking oil. This is because the food is prepared using hot oil. Food is fully immersed in hot oil. On the other hand, air fryers use a small amount or no oil during food preparation. On top of that, when you use a deep fryer to fry, it uses much higher electricity compared to an air fryer. This means that deep frying is not economical compared to air fryers when it comes to oil and electricity usage. This makes it bad for you as it requires you to spend more cash during frying and makes your electricity bill to go a bit high.
Healthy cooking
Deep fried food is less healthy compared to air fried food. This is as a result of high-fat content in the food that is deep fried. Chicken breast, meat or any other food prepared through deep frying are put in a basket which is fully submerged in hot oil. The hot oil may penetrate the foods enabling them to have high-fat contents. When you consume food with high levels of fat, you put yourself at risk of getting heart diseases. On top of that, you can end up adding weight leading to obesity or overweight.
Deep frying is not healthy when it comes to harmful compounds formed during deep frying. When food high in fructose and other carbohydrates are fried at high temperatures, there is a reaction that leads to the formation of a compound by the name acrylamide. Research has shown that this compound cause cancer in animals meaning it’s a dangerous compound to humans when taken more often and in large amounts. Air fried food are safer regarding these harmful compound.
Cooking time
When it comes to cooking time, deep frying is good for you. Deep fryers use hot oil which is maintained at high temperatures. Food is put in the oil enabling the food to cook faster compared to using an air fryer. Oil is a good conductor of heat allowing it to transfer heat more quickly to the food unlike in the case of air fryer where hot air is used.
Taste of food
Deep fried food always comes with a unique taste. They also have a crispy exterior which can also be found in air fried foods. Deep-fried foods are not as dry as those prepared using air fryers making them a good option when it comes to taste and texture.
Final Words
Is deep frying bad for you? The answer varies when we focus on the above topics. Deep frying is bad as it prepares foods that have high levels of fat. Due to high temperatures, preparation of high-carb foods may lead to the formation of acrylamide which is harmful. On the other hand, if the taste is your concern, deep frying makes foods that are more delicious.
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