Alternatives to Frying
Historians are not exactly sure of the origins of frying, but historic accounts note that the cooking technique had been practiced by the Ancient Egyptians in pastry dough-type desserts which were fried in fat.
The cooking process is also mentioned in the circa-900 AD “Apicius” (a collection of Ancient Roman cooking recipes), and records also note that it was popular among elite classes in the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. These hint of how centuries-spanning the cooking technique is.
But as spotty as its origin can be described, one thing about frying has been ascertained: the overconsumption of fried food is not healthy, with various studies suggesting that fried food influences the onset of health problems like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
With staying fit and healthy being a priority nowadays, here are some healthier alternatives to frying.
Stewing and Braising – Stewing and braising are cooking techniques that involve slowly cooking ingredients in flavorful liquids. Stewed/braised dishes could take somewhere between 15 minutes to several hours to prepare, and hearty crops like beans and potatoes – along with protein-rich meats like beef – are popular choices to make dishes with this cooking technique.
Roasting – Roasting is arguably one of the easiest ways to cook food – a process which utilizes dry heat to cook ingredients. Notorious for enhancing flavors through caramelization, roasting can be done with a covered roasting pan on a stove or with an oven or a rotisserie. The idea in roasting is to cook ingredients by surrounding them in heat.
Baking – Like roasting, baking is a cooking technique that entails the use of dry heat to cook ingredients. It is different from roasting in the sense that it requires the use of an oven to properly pull off, although the availability of multi-cooking type machines/cooking appliances have bridged baking and roasting techniques together.
Steaming – Within the ranks of cooking methods, steaming is often associated with unfavorable descriptions like “bland” and “boring” dishes. However, dishes made from the cooking technique are far from what popular culture think of them, since the process keeps the nutrients of ingredients in while letting out their natural flavors. Hearty vegetables like carrots and potatoes are among the many ingredients whose flavors stand out when steamed.