Deep-fat Frying for the Soul

This week, we’re going to discuss fried foods and why we like them so much. When we think of fried foods, we think of stuff like French fries, onion rings, chicken strips, etc. Deep-fat fryers are very common in almost every restaurant across America, and they can be a big moneymaker, especially in places like dive bars. The foods above aren’t the only things that can be fried, however; did you know you can fry a candy bar and a piece of pizza?

One of the newer traditions for Thanksgiving over the last couple decades or so has been to deep-fry a turkey. When a turkey has been deep-fried in peanut oil, it brings out the flavor of the bird so well while also having the juiciness and crispiness of the skin, creating a flavor explosion. This method is much faster than roasting a bird in the oven, which is why many people have chosen to deep-fry a turkey instead of using the oven. Cooking a turkey in a fryer can take about 30 minutes or so, depending on the size of the bird.

Frying foods can also be bad for our health. It seems that many of our food choices in America involve a hot, oily fryer to prepare them, but we eat the foods frequently. Many restaurants have resorted to using oils that contain no trans fats or has less cholesterol in them due to society looking for healthier alternatives to our crispy, deep-fried and fattening meals. Deep-fat frying will always be around and will always be a questionable way to prepare all our meals, but when used in moderation, frying your food will save you time and also give your food an added dimension that cannot be achieved by using an oven.

Do you eat deep-fried foods? What are some of your deep-fried favorites? Go ahead and create a list of how often you eat fried foods and what you tend to gravitate towards when you do. Would you eat those foods if they were cooked in an oven? Would they taste better? Let me know what you think about deep frying versus oven cooking.