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Food

Frying Vegetables Can Actually Make Them Healthier

A new study has found that frying vegetables in extra-virgin olive oil actually gives them health benefits that other cooking methods, like boiling, do not.
Photo via Flickr user bookchen

In what may be the single greatest bit of scientific news of this century, a new study has found that frying vegetables in extra-virgin olive oil actually gives them health benefits that other cooking methods, like boiling, do not. In fact, frying veggies in EVOO is healthier than eating them raw.

We are not kidding.

Frying is good, say scientists from the University of Granada in Spain. In the study, which was published in the journal Food Chemistry, the scientists set out to discover whether the old adage that eating vegetables raw is really the healthiest way to consume them.

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And no, it's actually healthier to fry your vegetables.

It seems to be all about the olive oil, which adds something called phenolic compounds to the cooked vegetables. Phenolic compounds have antioxidant properties, and antioxidants have been associated with reducing the risk of several diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's Disease.

The scientists cooked potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, and pumpkins using four different methods: deep-frying, sautéing, boiling in water, and boiling in a water-and-oil mixture. In what they are calling "a breakthrough in food science," the researchers found that although deep-frying and sautéing in extra-virgin olive oil increased the fat content of the cooked veggies, the total phenolic compound levels also increased. None of the benefits associated with phenolic compounds were seen in boiled vegetables. And raw vegetables don't have the added phenolic bump, either.

So we are very proud to announce that our dream has come true: Scientists have found that French fries can be good for you! Or at least better for you than an unboiled potato.

But here's the thing—and you knew there would be a "but," didn't you? The antioxidant boost comes from the extra-virgin olive oil, which transfers its own phenolic compounds to the vegetables. So frying vegetables in other types of oil have not been demonstrated to have similar benefits. Most French fries in American restaurants are made in corn-based oils, which do not boast the same health-related benefits as extra-virgin olive oil.

Cristina Samaniego Sánchez, one of the authors of the work, says, "We can conclude that frying in EVOO was the technique with the highest associated increases of phenols and can therefore be considered an improvement in the cooking process."

Sure, she says, the caloric content of the foods increases when cooked in olive oil. But still, she explains, "If the concentration of phenols found in the raw ingredients is high to start with, the overall concentration level is further increased if EVOO is employed during the cooking process, while boiling does not significantly affect the concentration levels."

So no more boring boiled or steamed vegetables. And screw raw veggies. Fire up the fryer. Just make sure the oil is extra-virgin olive.