Doctors Hate Our Diets
It’s pretty well established that most doctors and nutritionists would love for us to quit deep frying our food. Bread batters soak up loads of oil, adding extra fat and calories to basic foods.
Consuming deep fried foods can lead to unhealthy issues such as:
Obesity. We can only hide behind bulky sweaters for so long before it shows. Covering it up won’t cover the possible resulting conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and a compromised immune system.
Heart Disease. This isn’t just related to weight gain. You can step on the scale and look like a million dollars but if your diet is loaded with fat and plaque, your arteries can clog up like rush hour and put you right into the ER with no warning.
High Blood Pressure. This is another silent killer. Your blood pressure can warn you of underlying health problems before you ever see an uptick on the scale. Stroke can be a big, scary event that we never saw coming.
The problem is that we actually crave deep fried foods. If you’ve ever been on a low fat diet and suddenly couldn’t stop yourself from hitting a local drive through for fried chicken, you’ve been there. It doesn’t really take too much fat to satisfy the craving but that isn’t what we’re thinking when we’re getting ready to munch on that fourth piece of chicken.
The Problems with Deep Frying Food
Deep frying food usually involves creating a batter to coat the food. This is then dipped into boiling oil. The food on the inside cooks thoroughly and retains its juicy flavor. The batter crisps up, absorbing the oil in the process. It’s a popular way to cook but there can be significant risks and drawbacks.
Oil Splatter. Oil splatter can be dangerous on the floor and even deadly. One slip can cause knock over a pan. The result can be as mild as a mess or as deadly as a house fire. Oil is combustible and a significant amount that’s already reached the boiling point can be ignited by a stove burner.
Expense. The amount of oil needed to deep fry is not cheap. This is why so many restaurants try to cut corners by frying their foods in batches in the same oil. You’re paying for that oil and grease whether in a restaurant or at home.
Digestion. Digesting oil is also a problem. What your body doesn’t need is stored as fat. Getting your body to eliminate fat is often a factor in constipation. A few rounds of this can lead to serious internal problems such as colon cancer.
Still, we deep fry foods in large quantities because the food really just tastes that good.
It goes beyond cravings to an inner satisfaction often associated with comfort food. We’re often willing to risk the drawbacks in order to satisfy our primal self.
Is Air Frying the Answer to Deep Frying?
There have been many attempts to find a healthier way to cook up a batch of delicious French fries. The latest attempt involves air frying.
Obesity and other health concerns are driving everyone to search for healthier foods can still satisfy a craving for deep fried treats. Air frying seems to meet the points that drive us: tasty, crunchy food.
To use an air fryer, you spritz your favorite foods with less than a tablespoon of oil and put them in a basket. The air fryer works by creating a whirlwind of hot air around the food. It cooks up quickly and when it’s finished, your favorite foods are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Most people agree that the results are much better than most microwave alternatives. It’s the crispiness that bowls over people. Plus, there’s an advantage that the popularity of these countertop marvels is driving R&D departments to create new versions that answer the questions and concerns of current consumers. These can be anything from turning the food themselves to lower temperatures settings that will result in the unit being used as a dehydrator.
While you can’t dispute that foods cooked in an air fryer don’t taste exactly the same as a deep oil fryer, the air fryer is winning fans everywhere because of the economical side and the fact that they’re fairly portable. Many college students can use them in their dorm rooms and most families have added air fryers to their RV homes.
Air fryers offer you options that deep fryers can’t compete with. Whether you’re boiling an egg, making a Frittata or whipping up a batch of chicken wings, the air fryer is a great way to get it all done.
