French fries are popular for their crunch and flavor, but they can also soak up a lot of oil during cooking. That raises the fat and calorie content of the food, which researchers say is part of why they are looking for ways to make frying healthier.
Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are studying whether microwave energy can help fries absorb less oil without sacrificing the texture people expect. According to ScienceDaily, their work suggests that combining microwave frying with conventional frying could reduce cooking time and oil uptake while still producing a crisp exterior.
Principal investigator Pawan Singh Takhar said his team is trying to lower fat content without making major changes to taste or texture. He and doctoral student Yash Shah published two studies on the physical changes that happen when fries are cooked with microwave energy.
In the experiments, the researchers compared microwave and conventional frying and found that microwave heating moved moisture out of the potatoes more quickly and reduced oil absorption. But fries cooked only with microwaves stayed soft, so the team says a combined method would be needed to keep the crispy texture while limiting how much oil gets inside the food.
