Are you aware that it is possible to make your favorite fried foods healthier? That chicken you have been eyeing since your diet began—you can have it. Those French fries you love so much—yours.
How to Make Fried Foods Healthier
To make fried foods healthier, you only have to know a couple of useful secrets. Now, this doesn’t mean that you can cheat on your diet all the time or gorge yourself irresponsibly. But if you are going to eat fried foods, then why not do what you can to make them less harmful to your health?
Method One: Find the Goldilocks Temperature
Frying your foods is easy and produces crispy and delicious dishes, but that is only if you do it right. Have you ever tried a fried food that was simply too greasy to eat? That was probably because it was not cooked properly. To make fried foods healthier, you need to prepare them at just the right temperature—not too hot and not too cold. Foods that are fried too low can absorb more of the oil, and foods that are fried too high just get burnt. Find that Goldilocks temperature to enjoy healthier fried foods.
Method Two: Use Fresh, Healthy Oil
Using fresh oil instead of some old stuff you have sitting around from the last time you fried foods is a great way to make your favorite dishes healthier. Instead of using lard, try using something like canola oil or even vegetable stock if you’re lightly frying in a pan. These are tasty alternatives to standard frying methods that can easily make fried foods healthier.
Method Three: Only Fry Healthy Things
Frying a big vat of cheese or some sort of prepackaged junk may seem like a tasty idea at times, but ultimately it can wreak havoc on your health and fitness. Try instead to fry things like cauliflower, tomatoes, or potatoes. These options can be seasoned to perfection and added to almost any meal as a healthy side dish.
Method Four: Air Fry
An air fryer isn’t perfect. Despite the marketing, it doesn’t make the concept of deep frying a healthy one. That said, this method is actually a glorified convection oven that does add a tiny bit of oil. Most of these devices require you to cook a tiny amount at a time in order to achieve that desired crispiness, but as long as you don’t over-fill the basket and have enough time to make the portion sizes you require (and you have the counter space to spare!), then you can indeed make crispy, delicious fries – and other fried foods – without having to sink them under a massive amount of oil.
It doesn’t necessarily make them healthy, but it will make fried foods healthier than they would be if you were tossing them into the deep fryer.
Make Fried Foods Healthier and Enjoy in Moderation
Being able to enjoy your favorite fried foods is possible when you understand the slight changes that need to be made to ensure you are eating as healthy as possible. Choosing the best oils and healthy ingredients, and cooking things properly, are simple measures for anyone. Although eating an abundance of fried foods is never a good idea, you can make fried foods healthier if you follow these simple methods.
These methods allow you to improve the nutrition you’re enjoying when you make these meals but keep in mind that they should still be consumed in moderation. It’s not a good idea to fry your food every day no matter what you’ve done to make them healthier. Still, when it comes time to enjoy those special treats, this is a great way to go for it!
