Is frying really inherently worse than baking?

tempehforever

Baking foods instead of pan frying them is often an element of "healthy" recipes. Is there something specifically different about the process of frying that makes it "bad," or is it simply because it typically uses more oil than other techniques?

For example, is there a difference between tossing some chicken in 1 tbsp of oil and baking it in the oven vs pan frying the chicken in 1 tbsp of oil? Same ingredients in the same amounts, just a different process.

It would be the same amount of calories, right? I guess I don't understand why frying is so demonized. I get that deep frying something in a vat of oil would be much higher calorie, but that's because there is more oil (and I can't imagine most people do that in their daily cooking anyway?).

Thoughts? I its kind of a peeve of mine when "light" recipes always involve baking instead of frying, even though its pretty easy to add the same amount of oil to a baked item as a fried one.

Mr_Knight

As a general rule, more fat ends up in the food when frying, relative to baking. Whether that's good or bad depends on the specific food, and on your macros and hard it is to stay on target with them.

redheaddee

Yes.

Tossing in one tbl oil is significantly less than what the same piece of chicken & breading would absorb.

I cannot eat fried seafood because it gives me a gallbladder attack. Every damn time. This is due to the large amount of oil said seafood absorbs when fried. I can eat all the seafoods any other way, just never, ever fried.

mrsamanda86

I don't add oil to my food if I am baking it, I just put some water in the pan. I don't see how if you do use oil, in the same amount, that it would have a difference in the method of cooking you used though.

Adw7677

I heard on a cooking show that when you deep fry at the proper temperature, the oil is so hot that it doesn't really absorb into the food, it just cooks it.

And scrambled eggs (in the database) have more calories than uncooked eggs. This didn't make sense to me since I don't add anything to the eggs.

I don't see how pan-frying with 1 tbsp of oil would be a problem - especially if you don't like the taste of baked foods. Better to stay on track, using your own methods, than to fall off track completely. You could also experiment with healthy oils (coconut, or whatever).

sarahertzberger

As far as I know, no as long as you use the same amount of oil, there is no reason it's any better or worse, I try to use as little oil as possible, and sometimes depending on what you're cooking it doesn't require any oil.

MinnieInMaine

In my mind, when you say fried chicken, I think of southern style fried chicken that's breaded and cooked in a lot of oil. Not only does the breading add calories but it usually soaks up some of the oil so you're going to get more fat and calories. Meanwhile when you "oven fry" there's usually little to no oil.

But you're right, if you compare apples to apples and either bake or fry chicken in a Tbsp of oil, there should be no difference. People are just afraid of fat when they try to lose weight because of the old 80's myth that fat makes you fat.

As long as you're being honest about logging and it fits into your calorie/macro goals, it shouldn't make a bit of difference.

neandermagnon

heating oils to very high temperatures reduces the nutrient content (e.g. destroying fat soluble vitamins and omega 3s) and I've heard reference of fats being altered in unhealthy ways at high temperatures although I've not seen any actual scientific studies, so I'm not sure how just bad it is for fats to be heated. But the destruction of vitamins etc can even happen at boiling temperatures so that's not unlikely with frying.

that said, I still eat fried food, in moderation, shallow fried more often than deep fried, but I still eat fried foods. Be a lot more careful with logging fried foods, it's harder to measure the amount of fat because it's absorbed during cooking, and it's hard to measure exactly how much is absorbed. And I don't consider oil used for frying to contain any omega 3s or vitamins, even olive oil; I aim to get those from non-fried foods (nuts, avocado, etc) or cold pressed oils eaten without cooking (e.g. as salad dressing). Maybe I'm too strict regarding that, but if I am then I'm getting more nutrients than I think I am... you have to be strict with logging calories from fat because it's so calorie dense.

MinnieInMaine

(snip) And scrambled eggs (in the database) have more calories than uncooked eggs. This didn't make sense to me since I don't add anything to the eggs. (snip)

FYI, a lot of the listings in the database are user entered and not entirely accurate. Could be this listing for scrambled eggs includes some butter or oil. If you cook your eggs without extra fat, just log them as raw eggs.

ItsCasey

If you're talking about fried meat or vegetables, they are usually dredged in flour or panko or some other kind of coating before they are fried. That adds calories. And, as others have said, it absorbs a lot more of the oil than roasting or baking, so you're consuming a lot more fat. Fat is not bad in and of itself, but fat is more than twice as a calorie-dense, per gram, as protein or carbs, so it's easy to use up a lot of calories when you eat fried foods.

I don't really consider pouring a tablespoon of oil over a chicken breast and then cooking it in a skillet on the stove top to be "frying," though. To me, frying is heating up a substantial amount of oil in a skillet or Dutch oven, dredging the meat, and dropping it in when the oil has reached proper frying temperature.

MelodyandBarbells

I actually learned and now use a ...hahah, I like what a previous poster said, "shallow fried" chicken strips recipe. Is it better or less calories than baking? Heck no. But I can make a small amount, it tastes great, hits the spot, and I'm not tempted to buy the burger, fries and shake I would buy with the strips at a fast food restaurant, and, strangely, I'm not tempted to eat the entire batch at once, either. So the "bad" fried food is actually helping me out in this case since I can eat it in moderation . But of course it generally would be less calories than baking the same amount with only a little bit of oil, and only because frying soaks up more of the 120 calories per tablespoon oil.

tempehforever

Huh, interested re: oil absorption! That makes sense.

Although, I'm going to keep pan-frying things, regardless.

And good point that many people consider "frying" to mean "breaded and deep fried," which is an association I don't make as much, because I rarely eat things cooked that way (except in restaurants, occasionally). I wouldn't even know how do deep fry something myself; sounds difficult and kind of scary! I guess I think of "pan fried" or "sauteed," which are a lot different than "deep fried."

neanderthin

Only if you consume so much of it compared to baking that it puts you over your calorie goals.