I wanted to know that whether shallow frying foods in a pan is a bit healthier than deep-frying food. Especially in terms of added calories in the food at the time of frying. The answer was very complicated but you’ll be surprised after knowing the fact. Here the topic of consideration is, how many calories does pan frying add to the food?
Here I’m presenting an article on how many calories are added from the oils that are used to fry foods.
It is difficult to know how many calories are added to food through the frying process. Most of the studies show that, whether you’re pan-frying or deep-frying food, expectedly 50 to 75 percent of total calories are added from fat.
Pan frying adds fewer calories than deep frying from cooking oils. Because pan frying doesn’t require much oil. About 120 calories are added per tablespoon of frying oil. Then analyze how much-added oil soaks up into the food compared to how much oil is left in the pan.
The taste of Deep-fried and pan-fried food is usually really good. Here the question arises, Why? the food science behind frying the food creates a crispier outside and tender inside due to the unique and intricate chemistry that takes place while frying the food.
Table of Contents
Oil Absportion When Deep Frying:
Moreover, The reason for crispier from deep frying is the heat which dehydrates the outside moisture of the meal. When it is done in the right way then the deep-fried food doesn’t remain oily or greasy.
During the cold period, oil gets absorbed back into the food. It happens because during the actual frying process the intense heat exposure causes moisture to escape from the food. it prevents oil from being absorbed.
If you want less greasy food, then use a paper towel and dry or soak up any extra oil from the food. You should do this process quickly after removing the food from the fryer but be careful don’t get burned.
How many calories does pan frying add and how many calories are there in cooking oils?
I’m giving a chart below to help you understand how many calories you should add to food while frying. Firstly, You should have a clear idea about how many calories are there in cooking oil by each serving.
How many calories does pan frying add? The serving size for most cooking oils is usually one tablespoon. Each serving contains 119 – 124 calories. There isn’t much difference in the types of oils and the calories they contain per serving. Olive, palm kernel and peanut oil contain the least amount of calories per serving.
In addition, Here the chart is given for your ease to show how many calories does each oil has per serving.
| Cooking Oil | Calories per Tablespoon |
| Palm Kernel Oil | 117 Calories |
| Olive Oil | 119 calories |
| Peanut Oil | 119 calories |
| Soybean Oil | 120 Calories |
| Sunflower Oil | 120 Calories |
| Palm Oil | 120 Calories |
| Coconut Oil | 121 Calories |
| Canola Oil | 124 Calories |
| Avocado Oil | 124 Calories |
Cooking oils contain a lot of calories due to the high amount of high-fat content. I would suggest, don’t add more than a tablespoon to the food while frying. Mainly it depends on the quantity and type of food.
Let’s figure out how many calories does pan frying add and does it add or not? So yes, it does add some fat and calories to your food.
Oil Frying is a Complicated Food Science Process:
The science of frying food is a pretty remarkable thing. The high-temperature oil dehydrates the food causing a change in the outer side of the food chemistry. The process of dehydration breaks down the proteins, gelatinizing starches, caramelizing sugars through the Maillard reaction. The Millard reaction steamed out the inner portion of the food.
How many calories does pan frying add? Keep in mind when you deep fry the food, the oil temperature should be up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and the food should be fully submerged in the oil. That’s the reason why deep-fried food has always a crispy outside. The high heat oil dehydrates the outside of the food and steams the inside of the food.
When you will fry the pan, the oil will heat around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s why pan-fried food is not as crispy as deep-fried food but it has a delicious flavor and desirable texture.
The Many Variables of Food Frying:
A study shows that 50-75 percent of total calories in fried food came from added fats during frying in the form of oil. However, that percentage varies depending on all of the following variables:
- Type of food that you are frying and its characteristics.
- Type of oil that you are using while frying the food
- Surface and volume mean the quantity of oil.
- Air volume incorporated into the frying oil
- Frying temperatures variations are either high or low.
- Time of frying the food.
- Material of the pan or container in which you are frying the food.
If you want to know the difference between calories added to a battered fish by a deep fryer and a pan fryer. It would probably be similar. The reason for this is, pan frying essentially does the same thing as deep frying, but not all at once.
The more important variable is the thing which you are frying, and it also depends on the type of batter. For instance, a piece of chicken having more batter will absorb more oil than a piece of chicken having light batter. This happens due to more surface area.
Apart from the oil, the water content of the food also tells a lot about how many calories does pan frying add. The water loss from the food is directly proportional to the amount of oil the food absorbs. So, food with higher water content like vegetables absorbs more oil in the frying process.
How many calories does pan frying add and how to measure it?
The calorimeter is an accurate and most reliable way of determining how many calories does deep pan frying adds to food.
A food calorimeter is a device that determines how much heat is lost from the food, and how many calories are left in the food. If you want to determine that how many calories does pan frying add. Simply, add an unfried piece of chicken and a fried chicken piece then make a comparison among the calories.
You shouldn’t consider a food-grade calorimeter an average kitchen tool. Keep in mind, both deep and pan frying take a healthy amount of fats minimum of between 50-75 percent of the total calories of your food.