Fried foods taste good because:


1. Oil tastes good.
2. Oil reaches very hot temperatures and that, for some reason, makes
food taste good.
3. Crunch (which is actually related to the 2nd reason in that the
crunch comes when the temperature is just right).


The logic behind removing the oil after frying is an attempt to cash in
on the last 2 benefits while removing the 1st. There are better ways.


Saturated fats reach higher temperatures before smoking than unsaturated
ones. In fact, that's a good easy way to tell how saturated the fat is.
Ask yourself how solid it is at different temperatures. Lard is solid
at room temperature. Butter is still fairly solid but starting to melt.
Olive oil is liquid.


You run into a conundrum. Fry in lard, and you get hotter temperatures
which means the food absorbs less oil which means the food tastes
better. Or you could fry in safflower oil which doesn't get as hot
which means the food doesn't taste as good and you probably get more oil
of a less health threatening sort. (Which oils are really good or bad
for you is the subject of a whole 'nother debate.)


So you could fry in less saturated fats to start and take care to get
the oil exactly the right temperature. Use a thermometer.


I believe the commercial food producers are using dry heat under
pressure, not removing the oil after using it.


Hot water + oil = Bad Idea. Third degree burns are far worse for you in
the short run than heart disease in the long run.


--Lia