I want to make me some potatos and I see that online mashed potatoes have a way lower calories count than hash browns. The difference is 326 calories for 100g of hash and 88 calories for 100g of mash. Are those extra calories from the oil alone? Is google using a different recipe for the hash browns that has more ingredients than just potatoes, is that where the big difference comes from? Or does the simple act of frying a potato change it’s molecular structure and somehow make it have more calories?
Yea, the potato absorbs the fat in frying. And deep fat frying actually can absorb less fat because of the Leidenfrost effect, the water being boiled out of the cells creates a protective barrier. Where slow cooking hash browns, the temp isn’t high enough, and fat leeches in. Potatoes and fat are some of the most calorie dense foods we have.