Is deep fat frying actually any more unhealthy than shallow frying?
I was under the impression that deep fat frying was actually better in that the food absorbed less oil, so long as the oil is hot (375º F).
Frying food isn’t necessarily unhealthy.
If performed properly, deep-frying does not make food excessively greasy because the moisture in the food repels the oil: The hot oil heats the water within the food, steaming it from the inside out, oil cannot go against the direction of this powerful flow. (reference.com)
This is a fast run down of the history and science of frying:
http://www.dgfett.de/material/hagen2004/stier_science.pdf