Frying | Definition, Process, & Uses (2024)

frying, the cooking of food in hot fats or oils, usually done with a shallow oil bath in a pan over a fire or as so-called deep fat frying, in which the food is completely immersed in a deeper vessel of hot oil. Because the food is heated through a greasy medium, some authorities consider frying to be technically a dry-heat cooking process.

The technique of frying is ancient, ubiquitous, and highly versatile; it has been used since antiquity and in most cultures to prepare meats and fish, vegetables, and breads. This popularity, together with the fairly low cost of large-scale frying, made fried foods staples of the late 20th-century fast-food industry.

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Fatty meats such as bacon and ground beef are usually fried in their own rendered fat. Relatively lean meats, fish, and vegetables are often floured or dipped in batter before being fried. More delicate cooking often calls for meats and vegetables to be sautéed—that is, lightly browned in a small amount of butter, light shortening, or oil. In addition to meat drippings, butter, and lard, once easily rendered in the home, commercially produced corn, peanut, and other seed oils are common frying mediums.