According to Cherry, pan-frying or deep-frying is different from steaming or blanching the same ingredients in terms of caloric value and fat content (Table 1). Moreover, most deep-fried foods have a coating of either batter or breadcrumbs, which significantly increases the overall caloric value of the foods. Deep-fried fish fillet at 100 g, for example, contains twice the calories and over 40 times the total fat of a steamed fish. A serving of deep-fried onion has a fat content 80 times that of stir-fried onion.

Vegetable oils do not contribute to weight gain?

Basically all types of cooking oil have roughly the same calorific value. Overconsumption of any fat – animal or vegetable – results in weight gain.

The Chinese Nutrition Society suggests that adults should limit their consumption of cooking oil to 2 teaspoons per meal. If 3 teaspoons of oil (135 Kcal) or its equivalent is consumed on a daily basis without additional exercise done, surplus fat will accumulate and the person can gain 2.1 kg (about 5 pounds) in 4 months. So don’t overlook the long-term effect of excessive oil intake!

Table 1: Energy, carbohydrates, protein and total fat content of food cooked by different methods

Food item (per 100g)	Cooking method	Calories (kcal)	Carbohydrates (g)	Protein (g)	Fat (g)
Fried rice w/ tomato and beef	Stir-fying (rice)	150	22	5.2	4.9
Tomato and beef on rice	Steaming (rice)	120	21	4.6	1.8
Deep-fried onion rings	Deep-frying	326	37.4	4.4	16.6
Deep-fried prawns	Deep-frying	50	7.6	2.7	0.2
Deep-fried prawns	Deep-frying	242	11.47	21.39	12.28
Braised prawns	Steaming/ braising	99	0	20.91	1.08
Deep-fried fish fillets	Deep-frying	248	18.0	17.0	11.6
Steamed fish	Steaming	126	0	30.3	0.2
Deep-fried drumsticks	Deep-frying	273	8.72	21.77	16.17
Grilled drumsticks	Grilling	184	0	24.03	8.99

Source: Centre for Food Safety,