Fresh pork chops with crispy skin? A delicious beef burger? If the thought of these dishes makes your mouth water, you've probably had a lot of experience with frying. Many people think it's one of the easiest ways to prepare meals. Is this true, and can you fry "healthily"? Find out in our article!
Why can't all oils be used for frying?
Frying is one of the most commonly used fat-based cooking methods. Although this process is less healthy than cooking or baking, it's difficult to completely avoid it. It's important to remember, however, that frying exposes oils to high temperatures, significantly altering their structure and composition. Harmful carcinogenic and toxic substances, such as acrolein and acrylamide, are produced. Fortunately, by choosing the right frying products, we can reduce the amount of unhealthy substances produced.
The best frying oils are those with a high smoke point and the lowest possible polyunsaturated fatty acids , as these are most susceptible to the negative effects of temperature. Unfortunately, a beneficial combination of these two elements contains few products. By default, almost all extra virgin oils can be ruled out, as they have a much lower smoke point compared to refined vegetable fats. But which options are the best?
Canola oil
Many people will be surprised to learn that one of the best oils for frying is one made from domestic rapeseed. In its refined form, it has a high smoke point (205°C) and a suitable composition, with a low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This makes it ideal for most applications.
Coconut oil
Refined coconut oil is also very good for frying. It contains saturated fats that perform well at high temperatures, and its smoke point of 200°C allows for easy frying. It's important to remember that cold-pressed coconut oil doesn't have these properties.
Odorless Coconut Oil - Organic - Ecological
Olive oil
Olive oil is one of the few popular vegetable oils that can be used for limited frying in its Extra Virgin form. Its smoke point of around 160°C allows for frying some foods. However, for serious frying, the refined version should be used, which performs at much higher temperatures.
Organic Olive Oil - Extra Virgin - Organic - 500ml
Clarified butter
Animal fats can be an alternative to vegetable oils. While regular butter isn't suitable for frying—unless you're making scrambled eggs—ghee (clarified butter) is. This is a specially formulated product, made by purifying butter of its solids and characterized by a high smoke point (around 235°C). It's worth noting that refined ghee is a very good choice in the kitchen—it contains more vitamins and trace elements than most refined oils.
Of course, there are other oils and fats worth including in your daily diet. Check out our selection of vegetable oils..
Clarified Butter - Ghee - Primär
How to fry healthily?
It's worth noting that frying isn't the healthiest method of cooking. The amount of harmful compounds produced depends not only on the type of fat used, but also on following the principles of proper and healthy frying.
- Never fry in the same fat as it was used before, as this will cause harmful substances to accumulate and come into contact with the food from the very beginning of preparation.
- Always fry in hot (but not smoking!) fat. This will limit its absorption by the food.
- Never add fresh fat when frying, as this will accelerate the release of harmful substances.
- Don't fry longer than necessary, and don't re-fry foods. This will reduce the amount of fat absorbed.
Frying is definitely an essential element of Polish cuisine. Fortunately, if you care about your health, you don't have to give it up completely! Just follow the rules mentioned in the text!
You will learn a lot about coconut oil from the text entitled: Do you like coconut oil - here are 4 facts you should know?
See also other entries:
Ghee - everything you wanted to know about clarified butter
Unrefined and refined coconut oil - in the kitchen and in cosmetics?
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