The popularity of fried food has much to do with its texture. The crisp exterior, contrasted with the moist, tender interior, is a large part of the appeal. But how can we reconcile what we want with what we ought to have? Is there a way to duplicate what we love about fried food without its hefty nutritional price tag?

After much experimentation, I've found that creating crisp, crunchy faux-fried food in the oven is possible.

THREE SIMPLE TECHNIQUES FOR CRISP, CRUNCHY FAUX-FRIED FOOD:

Breading, breading, breading. With the exception of french fries, most foods are well served by a double dip—sometimes even a triple dip—in flour or some other breading to create a substantial crunchy coating. For instance, our Oven-Fried Chicken is dipped in buttermilk, then dusted with flour, then sprayed with cooking spray, then dusted with flour again. Our Coconut Shrimp are dipped in cornstarch, then egg white, then rolled in flaked coconut.

Oil up. Give the food a shot of cooking spray after breading it, just before it goes in the oven. This helps brown and crisp the surface.

Heat it up. The higher the heat, the browner and crispier the coating will get. All these recipes bake in at least 400-degree ovens.

Now you can have the crisp, the crunch, the chewy satisfaction of fried food—and guilt-free pleasure as well.

OVEN-FRIED VS. OIL FRIED FAT COMPARISONS

Coconut Shrimp 11.4 g
Fried shrimp 25 g

Oven-Fried Chicken 4.4 g
Fast food fried chicken breast 24 g

Garlic Fries 7.7 g
Fast food large fries 22 g

Savory Stuffed Mushrooms 4.2 g
Fried mushrooms 9 g

Jalapeño Chile Poppers 4.5 g
Fried jalapeño poppers 7.3 g