fried

fried — adjective

1. Fried food has been cooked in very hot oil until it develops a brown, crisp oute

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

Fried food has been cooked in very hot oil until it develops a brown, crisp outer surface.

Example

Min ordered a plate of fried chicken for lunch.

common food pairing: fried chicken

The fried rice at Apinya's restaurant has a smoky flavour from the wok.

common food pairing: fried rice

Common collocations
  • fried chicken
  • fried rice
  • fried egg
  • fried fish
  • fried potatoes
  • fried tofu
  • fried spring rolls
  • fried dumplings
  • fried noodles
  • fried vegetables
  • lighty fried
  • deep fried
Synonyms
  • deep-fried

    specifically means the food was fully submerged in oil, giving a thicker, crunchier coating

  • pan-fried

    cooked in a shallow pan with a small amount of oil, usually over medium heat

  • stir-fried

    cooked quickly in a wok with a little oil while tossing the ingredients, common in East Asian cooking

  • sautéed

    cooked quickly in a small amount of oil or butter over high heat, often for vegetables or small pieces of meat

Antonyms
  • boiled

    cooked in water at 100°C rather than in oil

  • steamed

    cooked with hot steam instead of hot oil

  • grilled

    cooked over a fire or on a hot metal surface without oil

  • raw

    not cooked at all

Usage Note

Frequently placed before a food noun (chicken, rice, egg, fish, tofu, vegetables) to show that the item was cooked in hot oil rather than by another method such as boiling or steaming.

Common Mistakes

I ate fried for dinner.
I ate fried chicken for dinner.
'fried' is an adjective and needs to modify a noun; it cannot stand alone as a noun.
I fried the potatoes for thirty minutes.' (when describing the finished dish as a property)
I made fried potatoes.
'fried' as an adjective describes the final state of the food; the cooking action uses the verb 'fry.'

Word family

  • fry
    verbA2
  • fry
    nounB1
  • frying
    nounB1
  • fryer
    nounB2
  • deep-fried
    adjectiveB1
  • pan-fried
    adjectiveB1
  • stir-fried
    adjectiveB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe food cooked with oil, but the amount of oil and the cooking method differ. 'Fried' is the broadest term and can cover any oil-based cooking method. 'Deep-fried' means the food is fully submerged in oil, producing a thick, crunchy crust. 'Pan-fried' uses just enough oil to cover the bottom of a shallow pan, giving a lighter browning. 'Stir-fried' is a quick method in a wok with a small amount of oil while tossing the ingredients constantly — typical of Chinese-style cooking. 'Sautéed' is similar to pan-frying but uses higher heat and smaller pieces, often with butter or olive oil in Western kitchens. For example, you would say 'deep-fried squid rings' for a pub snack, 'pan-fried salmon fillet' for a home-cooked dinner, and 'stir-fried greens with garlic' for a quick side dish.

fried ↗deep-friedpan-friedstir-friedsautéed

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • fried to perfection
  • lightly fried

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanLatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'fried' comes from the Old French 'frire,' which goes back to the Latin verb 'frīgere' meaning 'to roast or fry.' The Latin root itself traces further to the Proto-Indo-European base '*bher-,' meaning 'to cook or bake.' The word entered English around the 13th century and has been used for food cooked in hot oil ever since.