National Greasy Foods Day

What the day is

National Greasy Foods Day is observed on October 25. It celebrates fried food of every description, with the usual dietary commentary suspended for the day.

Origin and background

The origin of the observance is not documented.

What frying does is specific and hard to replicate by other means. Oil reaches temperatures far above boiling water, so the surface of the food dehydrates rapidly and browns through the Maillard reaction, producing hundreds of aromatic compounds that simply do not form in a moist environment at lower heat. The interior meanwhile steams in its own moisture, which is why a properly fried item is crisp outside and soft inside.

Well-executed frying absorbs less oil than people assume. Water escaping as steam creates outward pressure that keeps oil from soaking in, so food dropped into properly hot oil takes on relatively little. Food dropped into oil that is too cool has no such pressure and absorbs it freely, which is the actual mechanism behind greasy, heavy results.

That is the single most useful thing to know: greasiness is a temperature failure rather than an inherent property of frying.

Fried food has an unusually wide cultural spread, from tempura to churros to fritto misto to fish and chips to samosas, largely because the technique is fast, forgiving of imperfect ingredients and produces intense flavor from very little.

How to take part

• Use a thermometer. Most home frying fails because the oil is twenty or thirty degrees too cool.
• Fry in small batches. Crowding the pan drops the temperature immediately.
• Dry the food thoroughly first. Surface water cools the oil and spits violently.
• Drain on a wire rack rather than paper. Paper traps steam and softens the crust from underneath.
• Keep a lid within reach, and never put water near an oil fire.
• Strain and store the oil afterward; it is good for several more uses.