Healthy salading tips on frying vegetables

In our journey through the different methods of cooking vegetables, we could not skip the option of frying. Although it may be very delicious, it is the least healthy cooking method. Too much fried food can be responsible for many cardiovascular problems. Furthermore, we can loose many fat-soluble vitamins when vegetables are cooked in this way.

When frying vegetables (usually in tempura or bread crumbs) it is best to work with very hot oil (about 170 ° C) and not to exceed 180 ° C because the oil starts to degrade at that temperature which can be harmful to our body. This is because the oil is an unsaturated fat (liquid at room temperature) and when heated to such high temperature becomes saturated. Also frying vegetables should be quick to prevent buring (not more than two minutes for vegetables is recommend. And lastly, the oil should cover the food to cook evenly.

Although it is the most unhealthy way, occasionally we can afford an exception and eat vegetables in tempura batter, which is delicious. So let's look at a few tips to make our frying as healthy as possible:

Fry in olive oil: it is true that sunflower oil is a neutral oil that adds flavour to the food you fry, but it is also true that this oil and other seed oils begin to degrade at temperatures below 180 ° C the temperature we need for frying. But olive oil withstands temperatures higher than other oils. So it is important not to mix different oils, such as olive and sunflower, as their temperature gradients are different.
Fry at the right temperature: never overheat the oil for the reason that we have discussed above. We must never let smoke out of the pan. That will mean that the oil is burning. However we also should not place the food to be fried too early when the oil is not hot enough either, because they will absorb all the fat which we will then eat!
Use absorbent paper: once our vegetables have been fried, we drain the excess fat as much as possible.
Don't reuse the oil too many times: it is true that olive oil allows us to reuse it several times due to better endure high temperatures.

There is a false myth that fried foods are high in cholesterol. Cholesterol is exclusively of animal origin, so fried food that is high in cholesterol will always be of animal origin such as meat, chicken or eggs etc. Vegetables are really the healthier option in this regard. Contrary to popular belief, frying with olive oil is good for cholesterol because it is an unsaturated fat. What is certain is that added fat means added calories, and that's not good for our heart, our arteries, and our figure.

So of course we can enjoy delicious fried vegetables - occasionly!