How do I log oil used in frying?

__down__togo
__down__togo Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
[Disclaimer: sorry if this has been answered before. I did a search and couldn't find anything.]

I know that ideally I wouldn't be frying at all, but today my lunch consisted entirely of vegetable pancakes: shredded carrots, scallions, and mushrooms with a little flour and water, pan-fried. I don't know how to count the oil because I can't account for all of it that ended up on paper towels, spattered on the stove, filming the cast-iron pan and spatula, etc. Any tips? Thanks!

Replies

  • ThereAreManyNames
    ThereAreManyNames Posts: 54 Member
    I'm curious about this too, I fry eggs fairly often and most of the oil is left in the pan, plus I set them on a paper towel when I take them out, so I've never been sure what it adds.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    I generally count the whole amount I used for shallow pan frying. What ends up on paper towels, spattered on the stove, and filming the pan and spatula really isn't that much. If I'm overcounting by three or four grams, there's probably something else in the day that got undercounted, and if not, an extra 40 calories to my deficit isn't a huge deal.
  • __down__togo
    __down__togo Posts: 5 Member
    edited July 2018
    Another problem is that I didn't count how much oil I added to the pan, but I estimated 2 tablespoons of oil consumed and the number of calories is horrifying. I poured off at least a tablespoon when I was done.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I take the lid off the container, place it on the kitchen scale and turn it on/tare, so it shows zero. Pour what I am using, and then place it back on the scale. The negative number is the amount used, and I log the whole thing.
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    I will add the amount of oil I added to the pan - or maybe 1/2 if there is some left, just make a reasonable guess. Many of the food listings include the oil - I just use the listing for fried egg - close enough
  • ssurvivor
    ssurvivor Posts: 142 Member
    When I saute (1-2 tbsp oil), I just count all of it. I tbsp oil is about 100 calories so the amount used isn't going to make or break my calorie bank.

    But FD: I rarely find myself netting within 200 calories of my daily goal. I'm either way under or way over.



    When I fry (at least 1/4 cup oil), I divide the quantity used by four.

    Depending on the oil temp, your food absorbs 7-15% of the oil used for frying.

    Cooking quantities are measured in eighths (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, etc.) and thirds (1/3, 2/3).

    If I know that the frying oil temp is always over 325 degrees (the oil temp always drops once you add your food), then dividing by eight would be fine. But I'm too lazy to use a candy thermometer every time I fry something (which isn't often, but still...) so, to cover my bases, I simply divide by four to get the amount of oil likely absorbed by my food.

    For example, if I were making a pound of "Buffalo Bitez" for a game viewing party, I'll use two cups of oil for frying. When I enter the recipe, I'll log 1/2 cup (2 cups/4 = 1/2 cup)
  • __down__togo
    __down__togo Posts: 5 Member
    Perfect, thank you, ssurvivor. I was looking for a rule of thumb, and this fits the bill. I did use a little excess oil to get the right crispness (not just a film, more like 1/8 inch) and I didn’t want to count the entire amount.

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