Frying has fallen into some disfavor in recent years, with everyone watching their fat intake and cholesterol count.

As an occasional treat, it's better to fry foods at home than it is to go out to the takeout restaurant for fish and chips or fried chicken, since the cooking oil you'll use at home will be fresher and healthier.

Frying is also useful for recooking or reheating such small combinations as rissoles, croquettes and small, made dishes which hardly need more than heating through, and browning for the sake of giving them an attractive appearance. It is, however, one of the least understood methods of cooking as well as one of the most poorly performed; hence the discredit into which it has fallen. When fried foods are correctly prepared, they are crisp, lightly golden, and they do not absorb an undue amount of the oil in which they were cooked.

The difference between frying and sautéing should be clearly understood. The former needs sufficient fat to completely immerse the article to be fried; the latter requires only a little fat in the pan, but despite the seeming extravagance of "plenty of fat" the former is, for most foods, the better and more digestible form of preparation. When there is sufficient fat provided for frying, the temperature of the oil is more easily maintained at the proper level and does not drop to less than optimal temperatures as cold food is added. Proper temperature during the cooking is a very important aspect of achieving good results in frying foods.

The very best medium for all frying is olive oil, but the price is prohibitive for most people when used in large quantities, such as that required by deep frying.

Canola oil, if properly refined and carefully used, is economical, but it requires care to avoid unpleasant odor from overheating and, again, many persons object to canola oil because they have eaten food carelessly prepared with it.

Lard is commonly used, is somewhat economical, and adds an element of additional flavor. It is considered by many to be an unhealthful saturated fat, but is an acceptable medium for those not on cholesterol-conscious diets and for occasional use.

Cast steel or aluminum pans should be used as they retain the steady temperature required for frying. They should be fairly deep, and have straight sides. A frying basket made of wire mesh is exceedingly convenient where much frying is done. The advantage of the basket is that several articles can be lowered into and raised from the fat at one time, and the risk of breaking the food in lifting it from the fat is lessened. A wire dripper or spoon must be provided if there is no frying basket.

As mentioned previously, the temperature of frying-fat is very important. If you don't possess a frying thermometer, the following simple tests will serve to decide when fat is at the proper heat for the purpose desired:

For foods that have been previously cooked and need only reheating and browning, the fat should be so hot that a faint blue vapor is seen rising from it when the pan is held against the light. This applies when animal fat is used. Oil need not be quite so hot, and it should be tested by frying a small piece of crust in it. If this quickly turns brown, the fat is hot; but if slow to take color, heat a little longer before beginning to fry.

Doughnuts and crullers, being heavy and solid as compared with croquettes or other small fried foods, should be cooked in fat at a lower temperature. The best test is to put a small piece of dough in the pan and cook it. If it sinks to the bottom and almost immediately reappears, increases in bulk and slowly browns, the remainder of the dough should be cooked. Do not attempt to cook too many crullers or doughnuts at one time as they cool the fat and, consequently, absorb grease; four or five are the most that should be cooked at one time. Drain as soon as done, on paper towels as this absorbs grease; then sprinkle with sugar or shake them with a little sugar in a paper bag.

After frying any dough mixture the fat will appear cloudy from the flour that has fallen into it, but if a few raw potatoes are cooked in the fat the cloudiness will disappear.

Oil should always be strained through a fine sieve or cheese cloth after using, to remove any foreign particles that have fallen into it, from the food. If not removed these will burn and probably spoil the fat. Oil should be changed often. Some recommend changing oil after each use to reduce levels of saturated fat, but this may not be economical, and depending upon your budget and health regimen, you should consider changing the oil every 1-4 uses.

To prepare meats, fish and croquettes for frying they should be coated with egg and bread crumbs. For this, beat one egg yolk and white together and add a tablespoon of water, partly to thin it and partly to increase the bulk. Have ready on a paper or plate plenty of fine bread crumbs. Do not use cracker crumbs if it can be avoided as they absorb grease and do not give as pleasing a color.

Having trimmed and shaped the article to be fried, lay it in the beaten egg and with a small brush cover it completely; lift with the blade of a knife and place upside down in the bread crumbs. If the knife blade has displaced any of the egg, brush over again. Toss in the crumbs until completely covered, then shake off those which are loose that they may not fall off in the fat and burn. Continue till all are coated, then pass the remaining crumbs through a sieve and put away till needed again.