PrintHealthy Deep-Fried Oreos: Could It Be?
While I am pondering my need to lose 25 pounds the good folks at the Indiana State Fair are paying lip service to the health police this year by frying their Oreos, peanut butter cups, and Snickers bars in trans-fat free oil.
What do you make of this development?
The money quote:
"This is a slice of heaven,” said Ryan Howell, 31, as he cradled his Combo Plate, which, for the record, consists of one battered Snickers bar, two battered Oreos and a battered Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup — all deep-fried in oil that is trans-fat free, thank goodness."
And if Mr. Howell chooses he can wash his combo plate down with something just as deadly.
The story doesn't say if Mr. Howell washed down his "slice of heaven" with the latest lethal Indiana State Fair delicacy, deep-fried Pepsi.
Considering that this story appeared in the New York Times, the "thank goodness" phrase is dripping with sarcasm, served up with a super-sized side order of skepticism and irony. And rightfully so.
What used to be the ultimate three-way evil food trifecta (unhealthy food deep-fried in killer oil) has now been reduced to a duet of unhealthiness.
Does this mean that we can now order a double at the combo-plate booth and not feel guilty? Does this mean I can now throw away my copy of You On a Diet? Finally, does this mean I wasted the money I just spent on the new over-the-counter diet drug, Alli?
Even those of us who believe deeply in food as a keen source of pleasure in our lives have to be horrified reading about the trans-fat–free combo plate.
I have to go now. My deep-fried Twinkies are burning.
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9 Comments:
How do you deep fry pepsi?
hereandthe at 9:20AM on 08/21/07
I know, it's hard to believe, but if you click on the link they show you how. And in the photo in the Times and on its website you can make out the steps taken to deep-fry Pepsi.
Ed Levine at 9:28AM on 08/21/07
The Minnesota State Fair (starts this weekend) is renown for deep frying -anything- that isn't nailed down. You go to the state fair to eat fried foods - its as part of the experience as hitting machinery hill or watching the animal competitions. But is it really the oil that makes up the balk of what is bad about deep fry twinkies? If you remove the trans-fat from the oil aren't you still injecting loads of bad stuff into your system? I am not getting the point here.
(looking forward to deep fried cheese curbs and turkey legs with loads of trans-fat)
shea at 10:59AM on 08/21/07
I try, LORD, how I try to be proud of my home state. We've given you the Indy 500, Bobby Knight (sorry 'bout that one), the World Champion Colts, the Jackson 5 (sorry 'bout that one, too) and John Cougar Mellencamp (or John Cougar, or John Mellencamp depending on which stage of his career he was in when you were listening to him) so we had to slip up somewhere.
Can I point out some other good things? Orville Redenbacher's popcorn...Red Gold tomato products...Clabber Girl baking powder... Kraft marshmallows and caramels...James Dean...Fawn Liebowitz of Fort Wayne, Indiana.. :)
I'd truly like to know why people think fried foods are healthier just because the fat is TFA free. We're revisiting the 'fat-free' era when people decided just because the fat was gone the calories were gone, too, and they could eat an entire package of Snackwell's without gaining weight. Huh. Guess that plan backfired.
AuntJone at 11:14AM on 08/21/07
You deep fry Pepsi by adding it to the dough.
Make it even healthier by using Diet Pepsi.
mrbadideas at 12:37PM on 08/21/07
I honestly don't think that people really think they are "healthier" per se, but just you know, an eensy bit less likely TO KILL YOOOOOOOOOU. Or something. I don't know, it will probably taste the same either way, so it can't hurt to change the cooking oil, right?
katiekate at 12:43PM on 08/21/07
Healthier as in fewer carcinogens (free radicals and all that good stuff) not healther as in fewer calories. I don't think anyone is silly enough to think that changing the oil will make fried oreo's healthy. Also, unless "anal leakage" sounds fun to you I would steer clear of Alli. That stuff is horrible.
Kiana at 1:38PM on 08/21/07
oh god...deep-fried Diet Pepsi...i just died a little inside.
rebeccadiamond at 2:28PM on 08/21/07
Haha, AuntJone, I'm an original Hoosier too. You can find good food in Indy, but they certainly do hide it.
I've actually tried a deep-fried oreo and I was not impressed. Other than the novelty, what's the big deal, deliciousness-wise?
Recipe4Living at 12:15PM on 08/22/07