Frying

cooking · heat · chemistry

Oil gets hot fast. When you heat oil or fat, it reaches much higher temperatures than boiling water, which cooks food super quickly and makes it golden and crispy on the outside.

Water escapes quickly. As food fries, the water inside it evaporates rapidly, leaving behind a crunchy texture instead of a soggy one.

Chemical changes happen. Frying doesn't just warm food, it causes proteins to break down, starches to change, and a brown layer to form on the surface, which all create new flavors you can't get any other way.

You flip it over. Pan-fried foods need to be turned once or twice with tongs or a spatula to make sure both sides cook evenly and get that perfect golden color.

Oil soaks in. The hot oil doesn't just cook the food from outside, some of it also gets absorbed into the food, which makes fried foods rich and satisfying.