With my friend we are having the following discussion, many articles clarify that frying with little oil is less healthy than immerse food in hot oil, but what about:
Is cooking on the grill with little oil (drops) and that that oil burns is less healthy than eating that same food submerged in oil?
Is frying with little oil the same as cooking on the grill with little oil?
There’s two things that are relevant here.
First, the caloric content of food. Cooking oils are basically pure fat, so the more oil that makes it into your mouth, the more calories you’ll be consuming. Generally, the more oil you cook with, the more oil you’ll end up eating. This is the main reason deep-fried foods are so unhealthy.
Second, the question of whether oils produce toxic compounds when heated/burnt. I’m not an expert, but I believe this mostly has to do with the oxidative stability (not smoke point) of the oil you’re using, the temperature you’re cooking at, and how long you’re cooking for. Contrary to popular belief, olive oil is one of the safest oils to cook with at high temperatures. Unfortunately the cheapest kitchen cooking oils (canola, peanut, sunflower) tend to be the least oxidatively stable.
TL;DR: Less oil is pretty much always healthier.
This is a science question!
Most fried food is high in calories due to the breading, and not the oil itself. Furthermore, food that is improperly fried will be higher in absorbed oil than those that are fried properly. Generally, a food fried at a lower temperature and cooked longer will absorb more oil. Food fried at a higher temperature and for shorter periods will absorb less oil. The key is to listen to that sizzle and watch for air bubbles. If a food is releasing airbubbles, it is not absorbing as much oil.
Some techniques add carbonated soda to batter or baking soda to increase aeration.
Back to your question: Frying in less oil, or that which the food is not fully immersed in, would result in a higher cook time, as well as parts of the food being double exposed to fry time. In a deep fryer, you fry the entire item all at once. This is different from sautéing.
In everything, remember to let the food drip after frying to allow removal of excess oil. You can also pat it off with a napkin. This is important because it is at that cooler temperature out of the oil that food absorbs more oil.
With the grill, you might end up adding more oil than with frying. Depending on the fuel, you can also add burning. Some people use a grill in a way that is more like roasting. Too many variables to say what is healthier.
Everything is fine in moderation.