Frying vs. Grilling — What's the Difference?

Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat. Similar to sautéing, pan-fried foods are generally turned over once or twice during cooking, using tongs or a spatula, while sautéed foods are cooked by "tossing in the pan".

Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat and vegetables quickly.

To cook over direct heat in hot oil or fat.

To broil on a gridiron.

(Slang) To destroy (electronic circuitry) with excessive heat or current

To torture or afflict as if by broiling.

To be cooked in a pan over direct heat in hot oil or fat.

(Informal) To question relentlessly; cross-examine.

(Slang) To undergo execution in an electric chair.

To mark or emboss with a gridiron.

A french fry

A cooking surface of parallel metal bars; a gridiron.

A dish of a fried food.

Food cooked by broiling or grilling.

A social gathering at which food is fried and eaten

An informal restaurant or a room in a restaurant where grilled foods are served. Also called grillroom.

Present participle of fry

A series of marks grilled or embossed on a surface.

The action of the verb fry.

Variant of grille.

The process denoted by the verb fry.

Present participle of grill

Cooking in fat or oil in a pan or griddle

(informal) A thorough interrogation.

The act or process of grilling, or broiling.

Cooking by direct exposure to radiant heat (as over a fire or under a grill)