Olive oil has already settled in almost every kitchen. But many housewives still treat him with some apprehension. We decided to dedicate this material to the questions that are most often asked about olive oil.
What kind of oil is the best?
Virgin- oil obtained by mechanical pressing from selected olives. It's absolutely natural product. And most best oil. It is used for salads, sprinkled with second courses, sandwiches.Extra virgin is the best in the virgin category. This virgin oil is obtained at a temperature of no more than 27 degrees. Its acidity is less than 1%.
Extra virgin DOP or IGP is a vintage olive oil made from olives from a particular region.
Virgin olive oil or Olio di oliva vergine - produced by cold pressing from lower quality olives.
Refinado- refined olive oil. In order to improve the taste, it was subjected to industrial processing. You can cook and fry on it.
pure olive oil or olive oil - a mixture of refined and unrefined oils.
pomace olive oil- second pressing oil. It is made from pomace and mixed with a small amount of virgin oil.
lampante oil(lamp oil) - olive oil not intended for human consumption. It is applied in industrial needs.
How to store olive oil?
In a dark cool place. In the refrigerator, olive oil thickens and precipitates in it. Minus temperatures do not affect the taste, the danger is that the oil can absorb the smell of other products.
What color should quality oil be?
Olive oil comes in various shades of yellow and green. Moreover, it cannot be said that the best green, or vice versa, yellow oil. Taste does not depend on color.
Which country produces the most delicious olive oil?
Olive oil is produced in many countries, most of all in Spain. Each manufacturing country has its own characteristics. So, for example, in Tunisia they produce more tart butter than in Spain and Italy. But it is difficult to name the best country. Olive oil is delicious everywhere, although it differs from each other.
Can you cook with olive oil?
You can, the combustion temperature of refined olive oil is 240 degrees. So it is quite possible to fry on it. Unrefined virgin oil can be heated up to 170-180 degrees. So it can be used when baking in the oven, cook on it in a slow cooker.
Species vegetable oil there are many - exactly as many as oilseeds 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). It's fragrant and useful product, retaining all 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, which 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.
10:00 28.05.2014
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 is able to heat up 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. protective layer, formed on the surface of 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
Olive oil itself high class extra virgin (first pressing) retains the maximum 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. Besides frying, there are other ways heat treatment such as braising, roasting or steaming. They are more suitable for healthy lifestyle life.
Whatever oil 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
Ekaterina Yankevich
Olive oil is considered one of the most useful, and therefore in demand. It is used not only in the home kitchen or businesses Catering, but also in the cosmetic industry, as well as in the manufacture of non-traditional medicines. The composition of the product is unique and multifunctional, so ordinary people often have the question of whether it is possible to fry pies, potatoes, meatballs and other dishes in olive oil.
Can you fry in olive oil?
The olive product has a pleasant aftertaste, a dense structure and a rich yellow color. It has many benefits due to various substances in the composition, especially fatty acids, which help lower cholesterol in the body.
Tip: If a person wants his food to be healthy, then he should not doubt whether it is possible to fry in olive oil, but prefer it to others.
Raw olive oil is often used as a salad dressing. But you should not refuse to use in thermal cooking. If the question is whether it is allowed to fry fish and fish fillet cutlets in refined olive oil, you can safely take it and cook any seafood, since sea and ocean gifts are perfectly combined with an olive product in their composition.
What oil is best for frying?
Many housewives are at a loss as to whether it is possible to fry pancakes in olive oil. The fact is that pancakes do not have a pronounced aftertaste, and they are often stuffed with various sweet and meat fillings. To make pancakes pleasant to eat, you can use a special product category and fry pancakes in Pure olive oil.
Can you fry eggs in olive oil? Yes, because it helps to preserve the special flavor and aroma of the egg. The omelette will turn out juicy and tasty both on a vegetable ingredient for frying, and on a mixture of creamy and olive products.
Whether it is possible to use a mixture of two fatty ingredients or fry scrambled eggs strictly in olive oil only depends on the taste of the chef and his family and guests. You can not overdo it with the amount, there should be a little fat in the pan, the mode should be medium.
When cooking for children, nutritionists recommend using olive or coconut ingredients for frying. Young mothers, and not only in the age of popularization of various oils, sometimes do not realize whether it is possible to fry, for example, cheesecakes in olive oil. Experts say that it is not at all contraindicated, and will not harm children in moderation and when used correctly.
Whether it is possible, or still not, to fry pies in refined olive oil or direct extraction oil, has an affirmative answer if a refined type is used, since direct-pressed products will retain all their benefits only in their raw form, and it is not cheap to purchase them.
Egg dishes go well with olives. Whether or not eggs can be fried in a not-so-expensive olive oil specifically for frying oil is a matter of preference, but cooks usually appreciate such combinations. AT cookbooks there are many recipes for eggs with tomatoes or other additives, where it is best to use products from olives, and not seeds, as is more common among the people.
Sometimes you need to fry, for example, a steak or a chicken, is it possible to do this in olive oil, a reasonable question. Meat does not go well with olive products, it has its own specific taste and smell, respectively, it will give the meat dish an unusual flavor. But it won't harm the product either. It is better to serve fried meat with salads and potatoes, which are just good to fry in olive oil.
Chemical composition
cooking cookery different countries love to use olive products. The most useful is the oil of the first cold pressing. In him great content: oleic acid (60 to 80 percent); 4 to 14 percent omega9; about 1 percent palmitic acid; about 0.8 percent omega3s. The product is rich in vitamins of groups "A", "E", "K" and "D", as well as phenols, terpene alcohols, squalene and sitosterol.
Tip: It must be remembered that the olive product has a rather high burning temperature, it is more suitable than others for frying most types of food, since it is not carcinogenic.
Benefit and harm
Not everyone knows whether it is possible to fry food in unrefined olive oil, which is destroyed at too high temperatures, which belongs to the extra virgin category. It can be used for frying vegetables when the temperature mode does not exceed 140 degrees, as well as for cooking semi-finished products, potatoes and chicken eggs in a pan or in the oven, when the temperature is set to no more than 160 degrees.
A refined product is good for high cooking temperatures, 240 degrees is acceptable for it when you need to achieve a crisp.
Tip: It is impossible to allow the olive product to burn and smoke, and it is also harmful to mix the olive version with sunflower or something else, because other oils have different combustion temperatures.
Despite its great benefits, olive oil is contraindicated in those suffering from cholelithiasis, those who have cholesterol plaques, since the product is choleretic.
An abundance of vegetable fatty product puts a lot of work on the stomach. It is necessary to observe a daily dose that does not exceed a couple of tablespoons.
Is it possible, while following a diet, to fry food in unrefined or refined olive oil, worries almost all women. Here the answer of nutritionists will be negative, there are a lot of calories in the olive product, there are 990 of them in one hundred grams.
Is it necessary to dry the food before sending it to the pan to fry using olive oil, a question with a definite yes, then the fatty hot substance will not spread splashes from the pan.
It is necessary to store the product from olives in the dark, cool and dry for no longer than a year.
Olive trees are southerners. Their homeland is the coastal regions of the Mediterranean countries: Spain, Syria, Lebanon ... But what were these places called in prehistoric times, when someone came up with the idea of squeezing oil from olives? We are unlikely to know about this.
It is only known that in those parts for 7 thousand years, olive oil has been widely used in cooking. In some places, even thousand-year-old olives have been preserved, which regularly bear fruit today. In the old days, they did not think about whether it was possible to fry in olive oil - there was no other way. The inhabitants of the Mediterranean today will be amazed at such a question and will ask in response - what else to fry on?
non-stick oil
The structure of olive oil is very resistant to high temperatures. Dangerous carcinogens in it are formed only at temperatures much higher than those necessary for cooking. This property is a defining advantage when choosing a frying oil.
Compare yourself. Here are the temperatures at which refined (purified from impurities) oil begins to burn in a pan, forming harmful substances:
- combustion temperature of sunflower (rapeseed, corn, soybean) oil: +160..+190 °С.
- olive oil combustion temperature: +235..+240 °С.
But amber unrefined sunflower oil is categorically not suitable for frying. His role is salads and sauces. In a frying pan, it instantly catches fire, releasing a pungent odor and harmful smoke. Products will be simply hopelessly poisoned and spoiled.
The only unrefined oil that can be used for frying is olive oil. Its combustion temperature is lower than that of the refined version (about +200 ° C), but it is quite sufficient for home frying. In this case, neither the color nor the brand of oil does not matter.
Exception: it is better not to fry on this
There is, however, a single type of olive oil that cannot be used for frying. This is unfiltered fresh oil, just drained from the press after pressing. It still contains particles of shells and fibers of olives, and they are immediately charred when frying.
But there is no such oil in stores. It can only be found on the market somewhere in the outback of Greece or Morocco.
It is valued for its pristine taste precisely because of the microparticles of the fruit.
Unfiltered butter is never heated - it is used for rustic appetizers, salads with cheese and vegetables, or simply dipped in delicious homemade bread at dinner. This oil is used little by little - it is not stored for a long time.
For Russia, olive oil is an overseas product produced far away, because it is delivered from afar. Hence the high cost. If you have already decided to invest in olive oil, you should learn more about its properties.
How to distinguish a fake?
If there is any doubt about the authenticity of olive oil, pour a little bit into a small vial with a tight lid and refrigerate. After 10 minutes, everything will be clear - a natural product at 0 ° C will quickly thicken and become similar to dense fat. When mixing any vegetable oil (palm, for example), this will not happen.
At room temperature, the oil in the experimental vial will quickly return to its previous state, its taste and quality will not change.
How to store?
Ideally, the olive product should be stored in the dark at +12..+15 °C in an airtight bottle. Below +7 ° C for oil - the limit, it will begin to become cloudy, become bluish. One word - southern product.
