system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does putting a grain/starchy food in boiling water soften it, but in boiling oil it turns crispy?

Like pasta or potatoes. I assume it has something to do with the chemistry, but I don't fully understand it...
gpt
It's the result of the boiling point of water.  Water softens starchy foods, and removing water makes them crispy.  

When boiled, they're submerged in water that is still a liquid (otherwise they'd be steamed).  So they are less wet that the water and they increase their water content.  

When put in oil the oil is considerably hotter (usually 360 to 400 F or about 180-200C).  At that temperature the smaller amount of water in the food expands rapidly and is forced out (this is the source of the bubbles in fryers).  This process results in the outside of the food to ending up much drier and crispier than when it entered.