Oil absorption in food

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I’m new to the concept of macro tracking...
As part of my weekly meal prep I generally cook about 30 or so chicken tenderloins on my outdoor griddle using EVOO. I’m curious how much of that oil is absorbed into each piece of chicken..I think guesstimating is skewing my calorie/fat/cholesterol #’s....thanks for any input!!

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  • kbushe3221
    kbushe3221 Posts: 176 Member
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    Good question I would also like to know
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Oil may sit on the surface of the chicken but chicken doesn't absorb oil. Measure the amount of oil you start with and the amount you finish with. It's not precise because some will evaporate off. Don't get hung up on the details. If it is throwing your fat off and you are not comfortable, cook them a different way. Grill them or oven roast them.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,080 Member
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    Most oil is going to cook off on an outdoor griddle. You mean over fire, right? I wouldn't think there would be enough left to worry about.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,080 Member
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    Oh. I looked at the picture.

    Still, I wouldn't worry about it.

    Or, make a recipe in the Recipe builder and account for it that way. Surely you aren't using that much oil...and spread out over all those pieces.
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    I had kind of wondered this myself at times. I usually just count the whole serving of oil if I use it in a recipe, though I know not all of it is getting into my food. Then again, usually I just use cooking spray and don't bother counting it at all.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    EVOO has a fairly low smoke point so it is generally not ideal for grilling. I would save my money and use something cheaper.

    While you are cooking the chicken is releasing water from inside. This is a natural barrier for oil absorption. As @mmapags says some may stick to the outside but unless it is breaded it should be minimal.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    I agree that it's minimal. Do you measure the oil you put on the griddle? If so, divide by 30 ... you'll get to minimal that way, too :wink: