Can you fry in olive oil? Is it possible to fry vegetables, fish, meat in olive oil. What vegetable oil can be used to fry without consequences and harm to health? What is important to consider
Although sunflower oil is the most common cooking oil, it is recommended to limit its use as much as possible. The reason lies in the fact that sunflower oil contains a significant amount of omega-6 fats - unlike omega-3 fats, regular consumption of omega-6 negatively affects health.
Alternatives to sunflower oil include unrefined olive and coconut oils, as well as cheaper canola oil. As for frying with olive oil, it is important to note that although it loses some of its beneficial properties when heated, its composition does not change - as a result, the body receives Omega-9 fatty acids that are classified as safe for health.
Why is sunflower oil harmful?
Any type of sunflower oil (including unrefined oil) is approximately 60-80% omega-6 fats. Although these fats do not cause direct harm to the body, their use in large quantities disrupts metabolism, significantly increasing the body's need. In contrast, omega-9 fats from olive oil do not increase this need.
Research suggests that the best ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fats is 1 to 1 - in order to balance the harm of sunflower oil, 10 g of omega-3 fats should fall on each tablespoon of this oil, which is equivalent. In reality, most people do not think about it, consuming Omega-3 and 6 in proportions of 1 to 10 or even 1 to 20.
Omega-6 and Omega-3 imbalance
The result of an imbalance of Omega-3 and 6 is the occurrence of all kinds of micro-inflammation in the body and disruption of cell regeneration processes (1) . The situation is aggravated if the diet is initially deficient in Omega-3 - which is quite typical. In fact, to maintain health, sunflower oil should be used in extremely small quantities.
Unfortunately, refined sunflower oil and corn oil similar to it are widely used not only in convenience foods and fast food (hamburgers and french fries are fried on them), but also in most ordinary restaurants. The reason is cheapness, long shelf life, neutral taste and the ability to tolerate high temperatures (about 200-250˚C) without burning through.
Can you fry in olive oil?
Safe alternatives to sunflower oil are olive oil and canola oil. These oils consist predominantly of omega-9 monosaturated fatty acids, which are neutral for health and do not affect the balance of omega-6 and omega-3. However, the main question often becomes whether it is safe to fry in olive oil and whether it loses its properties when heated.
The good news is that although when olive oil is heated to high temperatures (and frying means heating above 200˚C), the antioxidants contained in it partially lose their properties, harmful elements do not appear in the composition. In other words, olive oil is safe both for frying food and for regular consumption in reasonable amounts.
Refined olive oil
It is also important to know that for everyday frying you do not need expensive cold-pressed olive oil at all - it is more suitable for adding to salads. For regular cooking, you can use refined olive oil or canola oil - they are much cheaper and are sold in any large supermarket.
However, remember that manufacturers often try to mislead consumers by releasing sunflower oil with the addition of olive oil. Unfortunately, most often the content of olive oil in such mixtures is no more than 5-10% - in other words, this is ordinary sunflower oil. Before buying, always carefully study the composition of the oil on the package.
Coconut oil for frying
Apart from olive oil, another good option for cooking is coconut oil. It perfectly tolerates high frying temperatures, has a pleasant taste and a unique fatty acid profile in its composition. Essentially, coconut oil is a plant-based version of saturated animal fats, but contains no cholesterol.
FitSeven has written at length about how a person's body is extremely reluctant to convert their calories into subcutaneous fat - making it ideal for a diet. Coconut oil fatty acids are mainly used by the body as a source of daily energy and a material for the synthesis of hormones (primarily testosterone).
Can you fry in butter?
Unfortunately, regular butter is completely unsuitable for frying, as it starts to burn at temperatures above 150˚C. An alternative may be, widely used for cooking in India and South Asian countries. Unlike butter, ghee tolerates high temperatures well and has a much longer shelf life.
Cooked with ghee, food acquires a pleasant caramel flavor and amber color, and the oil itself contains a large amount of vitamin A and vitamin E. You can buy ready-made ghee butter or cook it at home from regular unsalted butter. Separately, we note that there are practically no harmful Omega-6s in ghee oil - since they are not found in milk either.
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The worst choices for cooking are sunflower, soybean and corn oils, which contain a large amount of omega-6 fatty acids harmful to metabolism. The best oils for frying are olive, coconut and canola oils (including refined versions of these oils), as well as ghee.
Scientific sources:
- The Shocking Truth About Sunflower Oil,
- Why it's best not to cook with extra virgin olive oil,
- debunking the common myths about palm oil,
There are real legends. It not only relieves the body of cholesterol and prevents the development of cardiovascular insufficiency, but also prolongs youth. That is why the Greeks and Italians, who are considered the pioneers and the best producers of such a unique product, live much longer than ordinary people. And they use it both for deep-fried food, baking, and for heating food in a pan. But how to choose the right oil for frying (olive)? And what to look for when buying a product?
Look for an oil with a good "pedigree"
If you decide to purchase a really high-quality oil, pay attention to its "pedigree". In particular, some Italian manufacturers transfer their business to members of their family, therefore, their enterprise has a long history. For example, the Monini clan is considered the most famous.
Representatives of this family are the owners of several large olive groves located in Umbria. It is known that Monini not only produces the best for frying, baking and salads, but also carefully monitor its quality.
According to the producers themselves, they personally, almost by hand, select each crop and test the finished product before it enters the bottle.
Read the label carefully
If you pay attention to the label of the oil, you can learn more about not only its composition and manufacturer, but also about which category it belongs to. For example, the following words may be present on the bottle:
- extra virgin;
- virgin;
- refined;
- pomace.
Extra virgin from this list is considered the most elite. This is an olive oil for frying, which is better to use little by little. The fact is that this product is a virgin oil and is considered the most concentrated. If you taste it, you can catch bright notes of astringency and perspiration in the larynx. At the same time, it is precisely such taste qualities that indicate the freshness and value of the product, for the preparation of which no heat treatment was used.
And although extra virgin can be used for frying, it is still better to use it in salads, pastries, or when added to cosmetics to improve the condition of the skin and hair. By the way, the price of such a high-quality oil bites very much. For example, in Italy for a similar product you need to pay at least 10 euros.
Features and differences between virgin and refined oils
Virgin is also one of the best herbal products. However, it is somewhat inferior in taste, color and aroma to the above. In general, frying with this type of olive oil is a real pleasure because it doesn't foam or splatter. And most importantly, you can fry in the same oil (unlike sunflower oil) several times.
Refined, or takes an honorable third place in the above line. It is also considered good and is classified as a high quality herbal natural product.
But, unlike the two previous types, a certain purification technology was used in its preparation, which somewhat reduces the characteristics of the oil. In addition, according to well-known manufacturers, during the preparation of such a product, not selected olives are used, but everything in a row, including spoiled ones. Therefore, this is a suitable oil for frying (olive, and everything else - refined).
What is pomace oil made from?
According to many oil producers, there is practically no waste from the olive, since literally all of them go to work. This statement perfectly reflects the essence of the product marked pomace. It turns out that for the production of such a product, oil is extracted from the remains of olives that have already been previously squeezed and used to prepare another variety. At the same time, such cake is additionally processed with a special solution, placed under a press or exposed to a centrifuge.
And although a small amount of useful antioxidants is present in such an oil, it is significantly inferior to all other types of product in terms of its taste. In addition, for greater effect, manufacturers can add cottonseed to the composition of pomace and Despite all this, such olive oil for frying (how to choose it, you can learn from this article) is suitable. Least of all it is intended for salads. But for baking flour products it can be used.
Almost always on the packaging of the product there is information not only about the country of origin, but even about the region. So, countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain are considered the best suppliers and manufacturers of oil. It is there that there are all the necessary geographical and climatic conditions for good growth and ripening of olive fruits.
Meanwhile, each of these countries has its own regions that are leaders in the production of high quality olive products. Moreover, each particular city has its own taste and other features. For example, in Liguria (northern they produce transparent oil for frying (olive oil is best suited for this process) of a light light green color.
The Umbrian product, according to numerous reviews, has a special aroma and dark color. In addition, many housewives claim that it is in Sicily that they produce dark, sometimes cloudy and thick oil, which is distinguished by excellent taste and a wealth of useful substances.
What oil is considered ideal?
An ideal olive oil is called such an olive oil for frying and for salads, in which the entire process of harvesting, processing and squeezing the fruits, including the production itself, took place in one region and in one country. In addition, the manufacturer himself must also be the packer of the finished product. How can you find out?
In order to find out such information, you should again look at the label. For example, it may have a PDO / DOP marking. It means that the entire manufacturing process of the product was carried out in the same place.
IGP - this marking means that the product was produced in one place, but, for example, packaged in another. At the same time, this oil complies with all European standards. And, finally, there is a third type of labeling - Bio. It shows that genetically modified products were not used in the manufacture of such oil. Moreover, the process of processing olives from pests was carried out using exclusively natural remedies.
Olive oil for frying: look at the level of acidity
Another important point to consider when choosing olive oil in the store is the so-called acidity index. It is noteworthy that such information is also on the label. What is acidity in oil?
It's all about its composition, that is, in each product there is a certain number of free fatty acids that contribute to the destruction of the cells of our body. And the less such acids, the higher the quality of the oil. For example, in extra virgin such substances are slightly less than 0.8%.
For refined, this figure corresponds to 0.5%. But here's the paradox: this percentage, although it looks less than the previous one, is associated with the loss of an important nutrient. So, in the process of heat treatment, this oil loses oleic acid, which is a permanent participant in the proper metabolism in our body.
When asked if it is possible to fry in olive oil, the answer is unequivocal: yes. Olive oil is one of the best for frying - it can be heated to very high temperatures (170-180 degrees) without splitting and losing its valuable properties. In order for food fried in such oil to benefit the body, you should understand all the intricacies of the process.
1. Olive oil is high in calories, which means that foods will become more caloric during frying.
Olive oil contains about 900 kcal per 100 ml. But at the same time, it almost entirely consists of unsaturated fatty acids.
Unlike saturated ones, they are well absorbed by the body. It is believed that the main component of olive oil - oleic acid - helps to reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol and increases the level of "good". In addition, it improves digestion and metabolism.
Due to its high heating temperature, olive oil allows you to cook food faster, which means more nutrients are retained. The protective layer formed on the surface of the proteins does not allow a large amount of olive oil to penetrate inside.
As a result, the products do not become more fatty, and vitamins and minerals are preserved. Thus, the calorie content of the dish does not increase, but the benefits remain.
2. Which oil is better to fry, extra virgin or refined
Extra virgin olive oil of the highest class (first pressing) retains a maximum of useful properties. It is best to add it to salads as a dressing.
The heating temperature of this oil allows you to fry foods with a high water content, such as vegetables, without harm. They are cooked at 130ºС-140ºС. Food cut into pieces or quick preparations, such as egg dishes, potatoes, meatballs, convenience foods, dishes in batter or breadcrumbs, are fried at a temperature of 160ºС-180ºС. They can also be fried in this oil.
Refined olive oil is more suitable for frying food at high temperatures (up to 230ºС-240ºС). Remember that dishes cooked with a crispy crust are no longer healthy. In addition to frying, there are other methods of heat treatment, such as stewing, baking or steaming. They are more suitable for a healthy lifestyle.
Whichever you choose, make sure it doesn't burn in the pan. In this case, it forms harmful substances with carcinogenic properties.
3. Is it possible to fry in olive oil mixed with sunflower
Perhaps such a product will cost you less, after all, natural extra virgin olive oil costs quite decent money in our country. But frying on such a hybrid of oils is impossible.
This is all due to the difference in combustion temperature - sunflower oil has a lower temperature, and it will begin to smoke when the olive oil is just warmed up. Consequently, we will again receive substances that are toxic to the body.
4. Secrets of frying in olive oil
Culinary experts recommend using dishes with a small diameter and high walls for frying in olive oil. This will allow you to use more oil in a smaller area, as it expands when heated.
Products should be laid out gradually, in order to avoid a sharp drop in oil temperature. They must be dry so that the oil does not splatter. In addition, you can pre-marinate meat in it, including for cooking on charcoal. So it will become more juicy and tasty.
Reuse of oil in a pan is acceptable if it has not been heated above 190ºС.
5. Store frying oil in the refrigerator
It is known that over time, oils lose their properties and deteriorate. It is best to use them within the first year after manufacture. If you put olive oil in the refrigerator, a natural sediment appears in it. This is not harmful - the precipitate completely disappears when heated. A dry, dark and cool place without extraneous odors is more suitable for storing oil.
Using materials: kuking.net and wikipedia
There are many types of vegetable oil - exactly as many as oil plants on all continents, from the components of which oil extraction is extracted.
Sunflower seeds and olives, coconuts, peanuts, flax and mustard seeds, rice grains - this is an incomplete list of these components.
To answer the question of whether it is possible to fry in unrefined oil, you must first find out what kind of oil we are talking about.
The most delicious - unrefined, but ...
Raw unrefined butter is the tastiest. It is pressed under pressure from fresh raw materials, without being subjected to any thermal or chemical treatment. The technology allows only a slight increase in temperature (up to +45 °C) for greater cleaning and filtration efficiency from unwanted impurities (small residues of sunflower husks, olive pulp or coconut cake, pieces of nut shells). This is a fragrant and healthy product that retains all the useful components.
The oil is also clarified in the old fashioned way - through filters or in centrifuges.
It is excellent in salad dressing, but it is not intended for frying: the products in the pan will certainly burn. Any unrefined oil cannot withstand high temperatures.
Exception to the rule
The only unrefined vegetable oil in the world that can be used for frying is olive oil.
Its structure is so resistant to high temperatures that it begins to irreversibly transform (burn) only when heated to about +180 °C. For frying food in a pan, the range of + 100-160 ° C is enough. The refined version of olive oil can withstand temperatures up to +240 °C.
In a word, any kind of olive oil can be safely poured into a pan.
Refined - heat resistant
The refining technology was invented just so that the processed oil could withstand high temperatures. In addition, it deprives the raw oil of its inherent odors, making it neutral. This makes it much easier to use in cooking.
Oil is deprived of combustible impurities by treatment with acids, alkalis, high-temperature steam. But with these impurities, not only aromatic substances disappear, but also useful trace elements, coupled with vitamins.
The result is sterilized fat. It can be stored for a long time: in this substance, in fact, there is nothing to spoil.
Temperature indicators
But not all types of processed spins are suitable for frying, even in a refined form.
Here is a small list of oils intended for safe frying with maximum temperature values:
- mustard: +255 ° С;
- rapeseed: +240 °С;
- soybean: +230 °С;
- sunflower: +230 °С;
- palm: +230 °С;
- rice: +220 °С;
Walnut oil presses are not suitable for frying. Exceptions are peanuts (+230 °С) and hazel (+220 °С).
Critical smoke point
Oil poured into a hot pan is safe for frying until a harmless whitish smoke appears over the pan. This means that the oil has reached its maximum heating temperature.
This boundary is called the smoke point.
Carcinogens
As soon as the oil in the pan begins to smoke, know that you yourself have started a dangerous high-temperature chemical reaction. At this second, harmful substances - carcinogens - begin to form in the overheated structure of the plant product. From medical Latin, this unpleasant word is translated even more terrible: “crustaceans” or “cancer agents”.
Breathing vapors of carcinogens (carbon monoxide) is no less harmful and dangerous than eating them. The effect is the same - "cancer agents" will penetrate the body.
But the experiment could end even worse.
Burning pan nightmares
At any second, an overheated pan can suddenly flare up, drops of hot oil will scatter around the kitchen.
At best, they will terribly stain everything they stick to. It will take a long time to wash the kitchen after the disaster. And plastic and film surfaces (headset, linoleum) will simply melt in the places where hissing drops fall, they will resemble the surface of the Moon with its craters.
Even a countertop made of artificial stone will not withstand such a test.
In the worst case, you yourself risk suffering and setting a serious fire in the apartment.
Keep the oil tightly closed, in a dark and cool place. In an open container, the product quickly oxidizes due to contact with air (oxygen), it starts to taste bitter.
A tasteless refined product can be “ennobled” with various herbs and spices. In a pan or in a salad, the flavors will be transferred to the cooked products.
Use any oil for frying or in the deep fryer only once. With repeated use, it will generously saturate the products with all the accumulated carcinogens.
The use of such "roasts" in food will greatly harm your health. Even one chop, cooked in overcooked deep fat, can provoke incurable pancreatitis in the eater - an inflammatory process in the pancreas.
Olive oil has been in great demand among many buyers for a long time, as it has many useful properties, as well as a refined taste, but many are interested in a simple but important question, is it possible to fry in olive oil, is it harmful to human health and with what kind of oil frying stop your choice.
Do they fry in olive oil and which olive oil is suitable for frying?
We note right away that it is possible to fry your favorite potatoes, meat, vegetables and other products in olive oil, but in order for the finished dish to turn out not only tasty, but also healthy for the body, it is important to observe the temperature regime and not fry “at the maximum”.
There is such a thing as the smoke point of oil (at which it begins to burn, smoke, and substances harmful to the body can be released) and it is important to take it into account when frying. For olive oil it is:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil(Extra Virgin - unrefined, cold pressed) = 210 degrees Celsius.
- Olive oil refined(Olive Oil) = 220 - 242 degrees Celsius.
As you can see from the example, refined olive oil is better for frying and withstands higher temperatures, while it is cheaper in cost and contains fewer nutrients (no need to worry that after frying it will become less useful, unlike quality cold oil). spin). Extra virgin olive oil can sometimes also be used for frying at a low temperature, but when frying, it will lose almost all of its beneficial properties.
Useful advice: when frying, olive oil is added less than regular sunflower oil, as it expands in volume when the temperature rises.
In conclusion to the article, it can be noted that knowing which olive oil for frying and which for salad and dressing various dishes, it will be easier for you to make your choice when buying olive oil later. Try to fry foods in olive oil at a low temperature and then it will not spoil the taste of the dish, and will also retain a small part of its beneficial properties and will not be harmful to health.
