As Americans have become increasingly weight-wary, “oven-frying” has become a legitimate cooking technique, not just an offbeat alternative for dieters only.

Purists might quibble over the term, focusing on how you do it instead of what you get. But if you’re more concerned with results than methodology (and you care about calories), oven-frying is the way to go.

What is oven-frying? It’s a low-fat technique for cooking crumb-coated foods in a very hot oven in an effort to duplicate the crisp and golden exterior of food that has been breaded and deep-fat fried.

Why try to “fry” in the oven? Mainly to cut down on fat and calories. Conventional deep-fat frying is the most fattening cooking technique there is. It’s the method of choice for fast-food franchises, and the primary reason why “fast food” is so ruinously fattening! Reason enough, but there are other advantages to oven-frying: It’s cheaper and less trouble. You don’t need a quart of oil to fill up a fryer. No smoke and spattering grease to mess up your kitchen, either.

How do you “oven-fry”? First, the oven is preheated to a high temperature. How hot depends on the food to be “fried” and how long it will be in the oven.

Then the food is coated in a seasoned-crumb mixture and arranged in a single layer on a shallow non-stick pan that has been liberally sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking. When the oven is hot enough (and not before), the food is put in the oven. The high heat combines with the crumb coating and the small amount of fat in the coating or the food to create the exterior taste and texture usually associated with food fried in fat, but without the fat calories!

Commercial oven-frying mixes are available, but they generally represent a poor value. The ingredients themselves are worth pennies; you’re paying for the packaging and advertising. Commercial mixes may also contain unlikely ingredients waistline-watchers would rather not have: sugar, for example, or too much salt. It’s easy enough to make your own mix, seasoned and salted (or NOT salted) to suit yourself. Some ideas follow. You can vary the seasonings according to your tastes without materially affecting the calorie counts.

OVEN-FRYING MIX

1/2cups unseasoned bread crumbs

1/2cup all-purpose flour

2teaspoons each: celery salt, onion salt, paprika

1/2teaspoon pepper

Optional: 2 teaspoons monosodium glutamate

Stir ingredients together until well-blended. Store in a covered container. Does not need refrigeration. Makes about 2 cups (enough for 8 or 9 cut-up frying chickens). Adds approximately 30 to 35 calories per serving.

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN

Cut-up frying chicken (2 pounds)

5tablespoons Oven-Frying Mix

Trim fringe fat, if any, from chicken. Rinse chicken in cold water. Put mix in large paper bag and add moist chicken pieces. Fold over top of bag; shake well.

Spray a shallow non-stick pan or cookie tin with cooking spray. Add chicken skin-side up. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven about 50 minutes, until chicken is crisp and cooked through. Blot with paper towels and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings, 245 calories each.

Food that is virtually fat-free — fish fillets and vegetables, for example — should be lightly coated in oil before it is coated with crumbs.

OVEN-FRIED FILLETS OF SOLE

1pound fresh (or thawed) sole (or other fish) fillets

4tablespoons Oven-Frying Mix (recipe given)

1tablespoon salad oil

Defrost fish if frozen. Rinse fish and pat dry. Sprinkle crumb mix on a shallow platter or paper plate. Coat each side of fish lightly with oil, then with crumbs.

Arrange in a single layer on a shallow non-stick baking pan or cookie tin that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Makes 4 servings, 145 calories each.

FRIED ZUCCHINI SPEARS

2zucchini, quartered lengthwise

1tablespoon salad oil (or regular mayonnaise)

3tablespoons Oven-Frying Mix

Coat zucchini spears lightly with oil (or mayonnaise), then roll in crumb mixture to coat lightly. Spray a shallow non-stick baking dish with cooking spray and bake uncovered in a preheated 450- to 475-degree oven, until coating browns and crisps, about 6 to 8 minutes. Makes 4 servings, 65 calories each.