system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does oil fry things but water boils things?
gpt
The oil can be heated to a higher temperature before it vaporizes, meaning that you can drop food into it and have the water boil in the food while the oil isn't boiling itself. This forces the water out, forming crispy bubbles frozen in cooked starches and allowing the oil to soak into the food.