Vacuum Frying

Vacuum frying is a deep frying technique carried out inside a sealed vacuum chamber at reduced atmospheric pressure. Because water boils at a lower temperature when pressure is lowered, food can be fried at around 130 degrees Celsius, well below the roughly 170 degrees Celsius used in ordinary atmospheric deep frying. The lower temperature helps food keep its natural color and flavor, significantly reduces formation of the suspected carcinogen acrylamide, and lowers how much oil the food absorbs compared with atmospheric frying. It also lets heat sensitive foods that would otherwise scorch in ordinary deep frying be processed successfully. Vacuum frying is used mainly for fruit chip production, particularly in Southeast Asia.