There is no doubt that fried foods are among the most popular types of food in America. Whether it is fried chicken or french fries, everyone has at least one guilty fried pleasure.

Although frying foods can certainly make them taste a lot better, it also has the potential to make the nutritional value decrease, if not prepared correctly.

So, if you are looking to eat healthier, without sacrificing eating fried foods, be sure to follow these hacks.

Improve your batter. Go gluten-free

Having a good batter for your food is super important to have a great-tasting meal, but how you make your batter can determine if your fried delights are going to be a healthy treat or a greasy mess.

A lot of people probably use all-purpose flour for their batter. All-purpose flour works well because it contains gluten, which helps stick to the food well, but it can also absorb a lot of oil. Instead of high gluten all-purpose flour, you can use gluten-free ingredients, like cornmeal or rice flour in your batter.

Use olive oil

Olive oil is probably the best kind of oil you can use to make your fried foods. Olive oil itself holds many health benefits, so it has an advantage against its other competitors.

Olive oil is more stable at high temperatures compared to corn oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil, meaning you can use it longer than the other kinds of frying oil, and it will still maintain its quality and nutrition.

The best olive oils to use would be Virgin or Extra Virgin; this label indicates that there were fewer chemicals used for extraction, which can decrease nutritional value.

Use fresh oil

The more oil is exposed to high temperatures, the more readily it breaks down and releases free radicals, etc into your food. Another reason to avoid your local takeaway joint.

Do reuse oil but tend to start afresh after about 3 times. It does make frying more expensive, but for the sake of our health, it’s a price to pay.

Use correct temps

Frying is a bit like Goldilocks in that the temperature needs to be ‘just right. Too cool and the food is likely to soak up excess oil and be super greasy. Too hot and your oil can start to break down, releasing nasty into your food.

It is highly recommended that investing in one good digital thermometer for the kitchen is best.

Some other quick tips to keep in mind is to always try to use a deep fryer, rather than a pan. This will decrease safety risks, and it is easier to maintain the condition of the oil.

Also, always allow your food to sit on a bed of paper towels, or something to help soak up the excess oil on the exterior.  Remember, you don’t have to give up fried foods to eat healthily, you just have to know how to do it right!