🍟 Much less greasy but still crispy fries, is it possible?

Who doesn't love crispy fries? Yet, their fat content often raises questions. Scientists are now exploring an original avenue to lighten this popular dish by changing the cooking process itself.

To do this, researchers at the University of Illinois studied a technique called microwave... frying. And we're not talking about the classic microwave oven here. Their goal: to obtain fries that cook faster and absorb less oil, while keeping their beloved texture. The solution might come from marrying this method with traditional frying.


During classic frying, oil penetrates mainly when water vapor escapes from the food, leaving a void. This phenomenon draws oil inward, like a straw. Thus, most of the cooking occurs under this suction effect, which explains the high fat content.

Microwave heating reverses this principle by acting from the inside. The waves make water molecules vibrate, producing steam quickly and creating internal overpressure. Consequently, this pressure pushes oil away and limits its entry. Experiments indicate this process speeds up moisture loss and reduces oil absorption.

However, using microwaves alone yields an unappealing result, with soggy food. The typical crispy texture comes mainly from the direct heat of hot oil on the surface. That's why the team advances the idea of integrating both systems into a single appliance, to combine their respective strengths.

This innovation could interest the food industry. Industrial fryers could be equipped with microwave generators, affordable and inexpensive components. This combination would allow large-scale production of foods with similar taste and texture, but with a reduced proportion of fats.

This work, presented in the Journal of Food Science and Current Research in Food Science, also relies on mathematical modeling. The latter makes it possible to precisely predict the circulation of heat, moisture, and oil under different conditions, thus perfecting the control of the process.