On Food and Cooking

with the characteristic notes contributed by
the oil itself. A food may be fried partly or
fully immersed in oil, or just well lubricated
with it (sautéing); and typical oil temperatures
range from 325–375ºF/160–190ºC. True
frying is faster than oven frying because oil is
much denser than air, so energetic oil
molecules collide with the food much more
frequently. The key to successful frying is
getting the piece size and frying temperature
right, so that the pieces cook through in the
time that the surfaces require to be properly
browned. Starchy vegetables are the most
commonly fried plant foods, and I describe
the important example of potatoes in detail in
chapter 6 (p. 303). Many more delicate
vegetables and even fruits are fried with a
protective surface coating of batter (p. 553) or
breading, which browns and crisps while the
food inside is insulated from direct contact
with the high heat.