Shallow frying vs. Deep Fry - What's the difference?

If you regularly prepare food, you may have heard of shallow frying and deep frying. They’ve been getting more and more popular lately, and it’s something we get asked about a lot!

Many people assume that this method applies to one technique, but in reality they are very different.

Not only do they have different uses for different types of food, but they also produce very different flavors and textures.

So what is the difference between shallow frying and deep frying? The main difference between both techniques is the amount of oil that is used. For deep frying, you need enough frying oil to submerge the entire item in the oil. On the other hand, for superficial frying you only need to submerge parts of the food.

In today’s article, we’ll look at the differences between shallow frying and deep frying, including the different techniques, the equipment needed, the oils used, and even the types of food used.

What is the use of frying food?

Honestly, it’s just delicious! There’s nothing quite as good as a crispy chicken wing, crispy onions, or even fried mozzarella sticks.

The list is endless, but basically it’s a way to add a different flavor and texture to food as it cooks.

Consider cooking potatoes, an extremely versatile vegetable. There are a hundred ways to cook a potato, each producing wildly different flavors and textures.

You can steam or boil them, sauté or roast them, and of course, fry them.

By steaming and boiling your potatoes, you basically just soften them. These methods help to maintain the natural color and flavor of the potatoes, but also help preserve their nutrients.

Both the inside and the skin (if it’s still on) are softened and can then be pureed to create a totally different texture as well.

Then you can roast them. There are different ways to roast potatoes, but most of the time you want the inside to be soft and the skin crispy or toasty. Grilling helps to retain moisture and only “dries out” the skin.

On the other hand, frying is an extreme version of roasting.

It uses very high heat (higher than any oven) and makes that outer layer extremely crunchy and sticky. It also cooks food much faster compared to many other methods.

How frying works

Regardless of the amount of oil you use, all frying techniques work scientifically the same.

The frying oil is heated over very high heat. When food is placed in the oil, the moisture forms a vapor and evaporates. This dries out the food, especially the skin.

That’s why fried foods create bubbles, because oil and water (the moisture inside the food) react like this when heated.

When frying, any food becomes crispy, regardless of the ingredients used, the size of the food and, of course, its shape. If it fits in the frying pan, it can be fried!

shallow frying

Shallow frying is a technique very similar to deep frying, but much less oil is used. A good frame of reference is that half of the food should be covered in oil , although many people only aim for a third.

The food will also hit the bottom of the pot or pan, since it won’t be able to float on top of the oil.

frying temperatures

For shallow frying, you will almost always use a pot or pan. The size of the cooking container will depend on what you are going to fry and, of course, on the quantity. You will never use an electronic deep fryer to fry food at a shallow depth.

When heating the oil in a pot or pan it is more difficult to control the exact temperature and you will need a thermometer to help you indicate the heat of the oil.

Shallow frying typically requires a temperature of around 320°F (160°C). However, it can be as low as 284°F (140°C).

Since you’re generally working at lower temperatures (compared to deep frying), you’ll also be frying your food longer so it cooks through and gives it a crispy exterior.

Types of oil used

One big advantage of shallow frying is that you can use a wide variety of frying oils. It uses much less oil, so you can use even the most expensive ones.

Using different frying or cooking oils will help add a unique flavor to your food that regular frying oils don’t really achieve.

The most common (and in our opinion tasteless) frying oils (for both shallow and deep frying) are palm oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil.

These are typically the least expensive oils, easiest to find, and also have higher smoke points due to how refined they are.

If you choose a different type of oil than these, those that have been refined will have a higher smoke point and can be used for slow frying.

Techniques used for shallow frying

To shallow fry foods, you can either fry them as is or add some type of coating. There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong method because shallow frying is mostly used for browning, not crisping.

Many people add a layer of cornstarch to their food to help achieve an even golden color and even add a slight crunch. 

Of course, you can also fry foods with pan, although these are difficult to fry at a shallow depth. Panning is a cooking method used to add a great crispiness.  You pass the food through seasoned flour, then through egg and then through breadcrumbs.

This method is also not very common for shallow frying due to the difficulty of achieving an even crisp around the product.

difficulty and time

Shallow frying is very easy and relatively fast. What primarily determines the amount of time a food item takes to cook is the temperature of the frying oil and the size of the item.

Larger items will take longer to shallow fry, while smaller items will take less time. It will also take longer for food to fully fry if the oil temperature is lower.

In terms of difficulty, shallow frying is still relatively easy. The biggest problem you will run into is completely cooking your food and getting it to an even brown color.

Since the food is not fully submerged, you have to turn it often and keep a close eye on it. And getting a uniform color is almost impossible. You also have to prevent the food from burning on the bottom, where it touches the pan.

However, since you work at lower temperatures (usually), you can more easily control the degree of cooking of the piece and prevent it from drying out completely.

Results

Shallow frying definitely cooks food completely, you just have to monitor the temperature of the oil. You don’t want the food to burn before it’s fully cooked.

For larger foods, either precook them before shallow frying, or use lower temperatures for initial cooking.

Shallow frying gives food a golden color and only adds a slight crunch to food when cooked at higher temperatures. You should also be careful not to dry out the food before it is fully cooked.

However, shallow frying can produce food that is well-cooked, tender, and retains its moisture.

From a health standpoint, shallow-fried foods use less oil, which means the food is exposed to less oil.

It’s technically healthier than deep frying, though fried food, in general, doesn’t have the best reputation (Health-wise. Taste-wise, yes, it’s delicious).

The best foods for deep frying

Of course, you can fry basically any food, but there are some that work better with this method than deep frying.

Shallow frying works best with foods that need to be tender, are smaller in size, and only need to be cooked for a short period of time.

This includes foods like

• Sausage (such as breakfast sausage or pork sausage)
• Fish (fillets or small whole fish)
• Wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole or in portions
• Poultry
• Red meat (preferably chops, steaks, or steaks)

deep fry

Frying food is very different from shallow frying technique.

For this method, you need a ton of frying oil: enough to completely cover the item to be fried, and enough to make sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot, pan, or deep fryer.

frying temperatures

Deep frying can be done in pots, but not in skillets . You can use a very deep pan, but we don’t recommend it. Most people buy electronic fryers.

What makes these fryers so great is that they control the temperatures. So if you set the fryer to 320°F (160°C), it will automatically stop when the oil reaches that temperature.

And once it cools down a bit, the fryer will automatically reheat the oil until it reaches the set temperature.

Fried foods are often fried at much higher temperatures, between 320-392°F (160-200°C). 

As with shallow frying and many other cooking methods, the temperature of the heat source (in this case the oil) and the size of the food will determine the amount of time it takes to fry.

Types of oil used

As we generally work with higher temperatures, the frying technique mainly uses oils with very high smoking points.

And since you need quite a bit of oil to fry food, using expensive oils is also not recommended. Once the oil has been fried, it will never be the same and should not be used for anything other than frying.

This means you have limited flavor, and unless you want to spend a fortune, you’re limited to cheaper oils.

You can also reuse the oil after frying. Just run the cooled oil through a coffee filter once or twice to catch any errant debris and you can reuse this oil another four to five times.

These oils include palm oil, canola oil, and sunflower oil. Many times you can buy oil blends that are also very affordable and easy to find.

None of these oils add any additional flavor, which can be a good thing. If you want to enhance the spices used in the crumb of your food, you don’t want the flavor of coconut or avocado oil to overpower it.

Techniques used for surface frying

To fry foods, you can also use them as is, like French fries; however, most fried foods have some type of coating to make them crispier.

Most fried foods are coated in breadcrumbs. This method is called pane. As we have mentioned in the shallow frying section, to fry a product you simply pass it through seasoned flour, egg and then breadcrumbs.

This step is often repeated to achieve a crispier product.

There are plenty of other coatings that are used, such as a tempura batter, coconut crumb coating, or simple cornstarch.

difficulty and time

Frying food is effortless. All you have to do is place the food in the preheated oil and let it cook. Some foods may need to be rotated if they do not rotate automatically.

Lower temperatures and larger foods will increase the frying time needed, so keep that in mind.

The biggest difficulty with deep frying is choosing the right temperatures. Because you’re working with higher temperatures, some foods will brown and crisp before the insides have fully cooked.

To avoid this, you can pre-cook an item or fry it first at a lower temperature before raising the heat to give it a crispy exterior. However, this is only necessary in most cases for the largest products.

Results

Deep frying gives food an extremely crispy exterior while remaining juicy and tender on the inside.

This is because the oil completely cooks the outside of the food. This allows it to crisp up and create a seal. As the “seal” becomes crispier, the interior heats up and cooks without drying out.

Plus, your food will have a beautiful, even crispy coating.

Fried food is notoriously “unhealthy” and should be eaten in moderation. You are exposed to a ton of oil that has many health repercussions. We always recommend moderation when it comes to fatty foods.

The best foods to fry

You can practically fry anything! Whether you choose to fry raw or crumbled ingredients, the possibilities are endless and extremely delicious.

These include foods like

• battered fish
• Battered poultry
• Battered fruits and vegetables
• fritters
• Fritters or other fried pastries

So what is the difference?

In short, the main difference is the amount of oil used.  Shallow frying does not cover the entire product, while deep frying does.

The amount of oil will end up affecting the final result of the food. Shallow fried foods produce tender ingredients with well-browned exteriors.

Fried foods produce very juicy foods with an extremely crispy exterior.

Take a look at our table below to compare all the differences between shallow frying and deep frying.