Authors' reply

Abstract

Cheng's point is correct in that a fried egg absorbed/adsorbed less fat than a scrambled egg when the same amount of oil was used. The utensil used also makes a difference. More oil was absorbed into the egg in a wok than in a nonstick pan, possibly because the concave shape of the wok increases the area of the egg in contact with the oil.Cheng's letter brought up an important point that the oil content of a dish is not solely determined by the general cooking method. The amount of oil used as well as other conditions such as cooking time, size, shape, and nature of the foods, water content, and utensils used can all modify the amount of oil absorbed/adsorbed into the foods.The intention of the article was to suggest a balanced approach in assessing intake of cooking oil in response to the practice of adding 5 g oil to every 100 g foods stir-fried and assuming that the oil used is all ingested by households in the inventory method, which is often used in nutritional surveys of Asian countries. By knowing how much oil is used during cooking and the kinds of foods stir-fried, an estimate of oil actually ingested can be obtained using the proper equations.I would like to remind the readers that whereas certain foods absorbed/adsorbed most of the oil used in stir-frying, the amount of oil left in the juices is substantial in dishes made with melons, gourds, beans, peas, green peppers, wood ears, sliced hard bean curds, and ground or sliced meats. The point is to stir-fry properly by using a small amount of oil and adding water or broth if foods become dry in the process. Stir-frying has a lot of merit — it not only produces food with good texture and appearance but it also preserves vitamins. Cheng's point is correct in that a fried egg absorbed/adsorbed less fat than a scrambled egg when the same amount of oil was used. The utensil used also makes a difference. More oil was absorbed into the egg in a wok than in a nonstick pan, possibly because the concave shape of the wok increases the area of the egg in contact with the oil. Cheng's letter brought up an important point that the oil content of a dish is not solely determined by the general cooking method. The amount of oil used as well as other conditions such as cooking time, size, shape, and nature of the foods, water content, and utensils used can all modify the amount of oil absorbed/adsorbed into the foods. The intention of the article was to suggest a balanced approach in assessing intake of cooking oil in response to the practice of adding 5 g oil to every 100 g foods stir-fried and assuming that the oil used is all ingested by households in the inventory method, which is often used in nutritional surveys of Asian countries. By knowing how much oil is used during cooking and the kinds of foods stir-fried, an estimate of oil actually ingested can be obtained using the proper equations. I would like to remind the readers that whereas certain foods absorbed/adsorbed most of the oil used in stir-frying, the amount of oil left in the juices is substantial in dishes made with melons, gourds, beans, peas, green peppers, wood ears, sliced hard bean curds, and ground or sliced meats. The point is to stir-fry properly by using a small amount of oil and adding water or broth if foods become dry in the process. Stir-frying has a lot of merit — it not only produces food with good texture and appearance but it also preserves vitamins.