Immersion frying: a healthy eating with QualityFry

What is frying by immersion? It consists of cooking food by immersing it in hot oil. The process is quite simple: the oil works as a heat exchange medium that reaches the food. The heat covers the product and turns the water in the food into steam. This steam goes from the inside to the outside of the food and finally reaches the oil. At the end, we will have a dry, crunchy and golden food.

As experts and manufacturers of the most technologically advanced automatic frying machines in the Horeca sector, the QualityFry iQ models, we have verified that immersion frying is less aggressive than other culinary techniques, since it manages to maintain the nutritional value of food.

In immersion frying, times must be short and the contact with the oil must be superficial so the oil absorption is low. The formation of acrylamides* is minimal, when frying is carried out at appropriate temperatures and for a short time, guaranteeing a quality product.

Each food, depending on its characteristics, size and coverage, requires an adequate frying time and temperature. It is important to find the balance between them to avoid excessive heating of the oil and thus reduce its degradation. It is advisable to use thermally insulated fryers that minimize temperature loss and have an effective drying system, with which the amount of oil absorbed by the food can be reduced as much as possible.

Oil and temperature

It is necessary to keep the temperature of the oil stable during the frying process. The proper range for frying any food is between 150 and 190 degrees, always you have consider the type of oil used and the characteristics, size and coverage required by each product. In addition, it is essential to remove the product from the oil as soon as it is ready and this can only be optimally achieved by using an automatic fryer that controls the times and temperature of the oil, an advantage that is difficult to achieve with a traditional fryer.

Using extra virgin olive oil ensures better preservation of the properties of fried foods, but we also recommend the use of high oleic sunflower oil with E900 defoamer. High oleic sunflower oil has a composition very similar to extra virgin olive oil, with an 80% oleic acid content, which is more stable to heat and better resists frying temperatures.

Hydrolysis and Oxidation in frying

Oil hydrolysis is the most important part of the frying process; It is caused by the presence of water from the food during frying. Hydrolysis causes the darkening of the oil, the production of smoke and the increase in the acidity of the oil.

Therefore, it is advisable to use frying equipment that efficiently and continuously eliminates “in situ”, all the water vapor generated during frying, thus keeping the oil free of water and reducing hydrolysis.

On the other hand, the oil oxidation process is produced by the presence of oxygen and is accelerated by light. Oxidation is responsible for the increase in viscosity and darkening of the oil, as well as the formation of foams and the development of abnormal tastes and odors, so it is recommended to use equipment or fryers that keep the oil in a closed vat, preventing the entry of air and the incidence of light.

A healthy frying depends mainly on the frying practices or way of frying -among which we highlight immersion frying-, on the characteristics of the oil and finally, on the equipment for frying the food. Find out how our technology works and why QualityFry’s iQ models are ideal for your business, request a demo here.

*Compound that forms during heating at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius. Its formation depends on four factors: the type of oil used, the characteristics of the food, the baking or frying temperature and also the time that this heating takes place.