Fried fish sticks on a bed of lettuce.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 72 million Americans are living with obesity. Unfortunately, obesity dramatically increases your risks for health problems ranging from diabetes to cancer. One way to help manage your weight is through your choice of cooking techniques, especially in relation to baking verses frying.
One of the main differences between baking and frying is the heat source used to cook the food. In baking, heating elements are used to heat the air around a food, which in turn cooks the food in the oven. With frying, heating elements are used to heat the oil that surrounds a food. The heat from the oil is the imparted to the food, cooking it.
Because ovens heat air, and air has no calories, baking in an oven does not add additional calories or fat to the foods you cook. This is why baking is a smarter option when working on controlling calorie, cholesterol or fat intake, as you are left only with the calories and fat from the foods in the pan. However, since frying relies on the addition of oil to cook the food, the oil seeps into whatever you are cooking, as well as coats the final product. This means as you consume the food, you also consume the calories and fat content of whatever oil or fat you use to fry your food.
Another difference between baking and frying is how long it takes to cook your food. The heat from an oven takes longer to cook food than the direct contact of hot oil on your food in a fryer. The short cooking time makes frying ideal for foods like french fries or donuts, but more complicated for larger foods like a full turkey or roast. This is where an oven's size and ability to cook low and slow becomes important. Although an oven may take longer to cook, unless you have a commercial fryer, an oven can cook more food at one time than a traditional home fryer.
Along with the additional fat from frying, a fryer can cause other issues with the taste of food. While a fryer can get a crispness that is hard to mimic in an oven, the frying oil can take on the flavor of the foods you cook. For example, frying fish can make your oil take on a fish-like flavor, making anything else you fry in the same oil take on the under-flavor of fish. With an oven, you can cook multiple types of food at once with little risk of affecting the flavor of other foods in the oven.
FAQs
One of the main differences between baking and frying is the heat source used to cook the food. In baking, heating elements are used to heat the air around a food, which in turn cooks the food in the oven. With frying, heating elements are used to heat the oil that surrounds a food.
What is the main difference between baking and cooking? ›
Well, broadly speaking, cooking is a blanket term used for any sort of food preparation involving heat and combining ingredients, while baking is a subset of cooking using dry heat (usually an oven) and precise measurements.
What is the calorie difference between frying and baking? ›
Generally speaking, fried foods are significantly higher in fat and calories than their non-fried counterparts. For example, one small baked potato (138 grams [g]) contains 128 calories and 0.18 g of fat, while the same amount (138 g) of french fries contains 431 calories and 20 g of fat ( 2 , 3 ).
What is the difference between fried and baked fish? ›
Baking removes the concern of adding extra fats since it doesn't require oil or grease to cook the fish. There is another unique benefit to baking over frying. Since frying, both deep-frying and pan-frying alike, use higher temperatures than baking, there is some loss of important nutrients.
Can you bake something that is supposed to be fried? ›
If you are keen to bake when a recipe says to fry, try the convection setting (if you've got one). As McGee explains, convection ovens increase the rate of heat transfer and reduce baking times.
What is the difference between baking and frying? ›
In baking, heating elements are used to heat the air around a food, which in turn cooks the food in the oven. With frying, heating elements are used to heat the oil that surrounds a food. The heat from the oil is the imparted to the food, cooking it.
Why bake instead of fry? ›
The oxidised oils can cause many possible health problems including damage to the heart, kidney and lungs. Consuming oxidised oils can also lead to the increased risk of high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. As baking requires no addition of oils, it does not cause any oxidation.
What is better for you, fried chicken or baked chicken? ›
But there's a healthier, equally delicious way to eat comfort food like fried chicken. And it's all thanks to your oven. By cooking chicken in the oven, you'll use little oil, which will minimize heart health risks. Aside from being healthier for your heart, this chicken is also high in protein (8 g per serving).
Why is deep frying unhealthy? ›
Compared to other cooking methods, deep frying adds a lot of calories. When foods are fried in oil, they lose water and absorb fat, which further increases their calorie content. The reason of why are fried foods unhealthy is because they are significantly higher in fat and calories than their non-fried counterparts.
Is it healthier to bake or fry fries? ›
There are many advantages of baked fries over fried fries. Baked fries are lower in calories and fat, and they're also much easier to make at home. When you fry potatoes, a lot of the potato's natural nutrients are lost in the process. But when you bake potatoes, they retain more of their vitamins and minerals.
To answer your main question, you can bake very just about any type of fish. Looking at that recipe though, down in the "tips" section, it suggests you use a flaky white fish. So in that category, you have lots of options, snapper, cod, tilapia, for starters.
Is chicken better baked or pan-fried? ›
While both baking and pan frying can give you tasty, juicy chicken, if you are in a hurry, it is better to pan fry it. Because baked chicken breast is easy to dry out, it needs time to brine or marinade before you cook it.
Is it healthier to bake or fry food? ›
Reduces Health Problems: Since baking requires little or no added oil, there is a reduced risk of heart disease and other unhealthy conditions. Retains Nutrients: Baking helps retain the nutrients in foods without adding any extra salt or fat.
How to substitute baking for frying? ›
Any kitchen supply company can provide you with a sprayer, which you can fill with cooking oil & pump up. Then simply coat your food with breading & put it onto a non-stick tray, then spray it with olive oil (or other type of cooking oil), and then bake it at 400–425F.
What is the best definition of cooking? ›
a. : the act of preparing food for eating especially by heating : the act of cooking food. I do most of the cooking for our family. b. : a manner of preparing food : cuisine.
What is the difference between bakery and culinary? ›
Culinary arts is about preparing main dishes. Chefs and cooks prepare meats, seafood and vegetables for appetizers and main entrees at restaurants, cafeterias, and other venues. Whereas pastry and baking arts is more about desserts.
What is considered cooking? ›
cooking, the act of using heat to prepare food for consumption. Cooking is as old as civilization itself, and observers have perceived it as both an art and a science.
Is baking or cooking healthier? ›
Baked foods retain more nutrients
Your body benefits more from the higher nutrient content of baked food. With baked food, you can eat delicious food while keeping healthy. Just remember to cook at the right temperature and length of time for each dish. You must also have the right oven to cook delicious healthy meals.
