Why doesn't deep frying 'wet' the food?
If I placed bread crumbs in a pot of oil to deep fry and then take it out, it comes out crispy and not 'wet', although they are drenched in oil initially?
But if I place bread crumbs in boiling water, they just stay soaked?
Best Answer
Firstly I think you're having trouble making a distinguishment between water and oil absorption. Even though placing food in (room temp) oil may at first seem as if it had gotten it 'wet' it's a very different kind of soaked compared to doing the same thing with water, as the two liquids have profoundly different properties.
Oil when heated, however, behaves even more differently. The immense heat of the oil (160-270 ºC, 320-520 ºF depending on the type of oil you are using) actually vaporises moisture (water) contained inside of whatever it may be you are deep frying, which is why food thermally processed in this way is oily but not wet, and can even be dry if overcooked.
The key thing to remember here is that oils, being hydrophobic and lipophilic, are exceptionally different to water and should not and cannot be expected to behave even remotely similarly.
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Quick Answer about "Why doesn't deep frying 'wet' the food?"
The immense heat of the oil (160-270 ºC, 320-520 ºF depending on the type of oil you are using) actually vaporises moisture (water) contained inside of whatever it may be you are deep frying, which is why food thermally processed in this way is oily but not wet, and can even be dry if overcooked.Why fried food is not wet?
When deep frying is properly done, which is to say, at a very high temperature, the oil seals the outside of the food immediately, and no moisture can then penetrate it.Why does oil fry and not water?
Reason: We fry stuff in oil because oil has much higher boiling point in comparison to water. So after heating when oil reaches temperatures greater than the boiling point of water (100 C) it instantly vaporize the water present in food into steam.Why is deep frying a dry method?
Pick the Right Oil Deep frying is considered a Dry Heat Method of cooking. It uses heat conduction and natural convection to transfer heat to food submerged in fat. Thus begins that golden brown delight known as deep fried food.Is deep frying dry or wet?
Deep-frying is a dry-heat cooking method, utilizing fat or oil to cook pieces of food. The process works by completely submerging food in hot liquid.Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) [Official Video]
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