3 Simple Cooking Hacks To Make Fried Foods (A Bit) Healthier
If you’re trying to eat healthier, there are a couple of simple changes you can make right away. Cutting out sugar is an obvious one, and fried foods are probably off-limits too. The problem is, fried foods are so delicious and it’s tough to stick to a diet when you completely deprive yourself of the things you love. In an ideal world, you would be able to make fried foods that are perfectly healthy for you, but that’s never going to happen. However, there are some simple ways that you can make them by cutting some of the fat and oil, so you can enjoy the occasional indulgence without undoing all of your hard work. Check out these simple hacks below and try them out for your self.
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3 Simple Cooking Hacks to Make Fried Foods a bit Healthier
Invest In An Air Fryer
If you want to stick to a healthy diet and still enjoy delicious food, buying an air fryer is the best thing you can do. They can give you the same effect you get from deep frying with a fraction of the oil. You can make some delicious things like taquitos or flautas in air fryer as well as all of the classic dishes like fried chicken or fries. In fact, you can cook pretty much anything you like in there. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s completely healthy and you can eat as much as you like because if you eat fried chicken every day is not a healthy option. However, an air fryer is a great way to eat fried foods with much less oil.
2. Choose Healthy Oils
Even when you are shallow frying things, you should be cautious about the oil content and the type of oil that you use. Olive oil is one of the healthiest oils you can use and it has a lot of nutritional value, so make the switch from vegetable oil. You can also try coconut oil too. By choosing a healthier oil, you add more nutrition to your meals and offset some of the negative effects of frying.
3. Change Your Batter Recipe
The way that you make batter has a big impact on the amount of oil that is absorbed. In recent years, eating habits have changed a lot and we are now seeing more dairy-free and gluten-free foods on the market. If you use milk in your batter, dairy-free alternatives have a lower fat content. Using gluten-free flour is also a great change to make because the batter will absorb a lot less oil when you fry it.
Some batter recipes also use carbonated water to make it light and fluffy, and this can also make it healthier. When you use carbonated water, it causes bubbles to emerge during the cooking process and these push oil out of the batter, replacing it with air.
Fried foods are never going to be completely healthy and maintaining a good diet is all about balance and moderation. But people are far more likely to stick to a healthy eating routine if they are able to indulge themselves every now and again. By using these simple cooking hacks, you can make fried foods a bit healthier and treat yourself without ruining your diet.