What is Deep Frying?
Deep frying is a cooking technique in which food is totally immersed in extremely hot oil or fat. Because oil conducts heat very well, deep frying is a very rapid cooking technique, and it produces foods which are ideally crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. Many cultures have a long tradition of deep frying, especially for the purpose of creating snack foods, and deep fried foods are commonly on offer at restaurants and street stands around the world. Cooks can also deep fry at home. Although this cooking process sounds simple, it is actually a bit tricky. The goal is to get the oil hot enough to sear the outside of the food without penetrating into the inner layers, so that the food actually steams from inside out as the water in the food is heated by the surrounding oil. If the temperature is too high, the outside of the food will be burned, and the inside will be raw, but if it is too low, the oil will penetrate the food, making it greasy and heavy.
