This is one of the enduring myths that just won't go away. In fact it has become so engrained in the minds of many, that I have heard leading chefs repeating the fallacy that good extra virgin olive oil should only be used chilly and never to cook with.
So let's knock this on its head once and for all. Yes you can cook and really should cook with extra virgin olive oil. Here's why.
OK this is the science piece -- you can bypass it if you'd like and head straight to the end, but to really bust this myth I want to convince one fully.
Oils are made up predominantly of fats called triglycerides. These are made up of three (therefore the'tri') fatty acids attached to a compound called glycerol.
Oils also contain a very small number of free fatty acids -- in other words fatty acids that are not attached to glycerol and are'floating' in their own. The degree of free fatty acids varies between oils and varies with the quality of the oil. This is important, as we will discover.
The fatty acids within the petroleum, either as part of a triglyceride or free, can be saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. These names come from the chemical structure of the fats and the amount of what are called 'double bonds'. Saturated fats have no double bonds, monounsaturated fats have one, and polyunsaturated fats, as the name implies, have many.
You don't have to understand what these are school chemistry may be a distant memory -- but suffice to say that they are important because a double bond is the part of the fat that is prone to damage.
Damage (technically called oxidative damage) to double bonds is what creates trans fats -- the most damaging to our health -- and what makes a fat turn rancid. A rancid fat won't taste great, but it also contains potentially harmful compounds.
This damage to oils can happen with exposure to light, to air and also to heat, especially very high heat and heat. This is why you are best to keep any petroleum at a dark, cool pantry and also to use it up before the best before date to ensure freshness. It is also the reason we will need to take care with our choice of oils when cooking.
The smoke point is a term used to describe the temperature at which you will notice a bluish smoke rising constantly from the oil. (Notice that extra virgin olive oil is a natural product and so contains a little water.
This means that if you heat it into the pan you will often see steam rising well before the oil reaches its smoke stage -- don't confuse this and believe you are damaging the oil.) Heating the oil above its smoke point increases the odds of oxidative damage and the creation of potentially harmful compounds.
Since polyunsaturated fats have a lot of double bonds these fats are the most fragile and prone to damage. In contrast, saturated fats without a double bonds are really stable, whereas monounsaturated fats with just double bond are also exceptionally resistant to oxidative damage.
Free fatty acids are also more prone to oxidative damage and so oils with higher amounts of free fatty acids are also more fragile, especially during cooking.
The smoke point is usually provided as the definitive guide as to whether a kind of petroleum can be used for cooking. But, it is not the only important factor and it varies, even amongst one type of oil. This is where much of the confusion has come from.
Looking just at olive oils you'll find different smoke tips given, based on the source of the information. That's because it depends on the quality of the petroleum, how fresh it is, how it has been kept, the levels of free fatty acids and the levels of protective antioxidants.
So here is the crux of the matter. Extra virgin olive oil has three important qualities that make it an excellent cooking oil: it contains predominantly stable monounsaturated fatty acids, it has a low level of free fatty acids and it has a high level of protective antioxidants.
If we look at the smoke points of extra virgin olive oils, these range from about 190-220°C. The highest quality oils, such as Cobram Estate extra virgin olive oils, come in at the higher end of the range.
How does this relate to cooking? Well sautéing on the cooker equates to a temperature of around 120°C, deep-frying is usually in the range 160-180°C and roasting in the oven 180°C. It is not often you'd cook at any temperature higher than this.
Importantly there is no further advantage to using an oil or fat with an even higher smoke point. In other words, if you are roasting your veggies in the oven at 180°C, your extra virgin olive oil is perfect as it has a smoke point above this. Choosing an oil with a smoke point higher than 220°C is not any safer.
Several excellent studies have confirmed the stability of extra virgin olive oil during cooking. Importantly these studies have really pushed the boat out to test the point at which various oils will break down. They repeatedly heat the oils, heat them for long amounts of time and take them up to extremely substantial temperatures.
These conditions could almost never happen in home cooking so the fact that extra virgin olive oil stands up consistently well in these tests really does confirm the safety of using the oil at home. The same is true of oils high in polyunsaturated fats such as sunflower or generic 'vegetable' oil.
Plus we have research showing that if we cook veggies in extra virgin olive oil, the overall level of antioxidants and other beneficial compounds rises significantly. So we get a double whammy benefit of the fats present and a greater availability of protective compounds.
Extra virgin olive oil has an unequaled body of research supporting its function as a protective, beneficial food in a healthy diet. It is very versatile and can be used cold in dressings and for drizzling, as well as in almost all cooking applications. In this regard it is not just safe but also beneficial for our health, and of course delivering exceptional flavor!
So do as the Mediterranean countries have traditionally done for hundreds of years and enjoy cooking with your extra virgin olive oil.
We have shared some tips about how best to get and taste olive oil. But all that isn't going to make any difference if you do not know how to use it correctly. So with this post we want to demonstrate how olive oil is used to get maximum benefits and taste.
As we mentioned in prior articles, olives are fruit and olive oil is best when it is fresh. Best by dates usually are about 18 months to 2 years after harvest, but the fact is you need to use your olive oil in a much shorter interval than that. Ideally, use olive oil over a year of harvest.
That is different though from as soon as you open a bottle of olive oil. An open jar of olive oil ought to be used within 3-6 months or less, so make sure to buy as much as you need for that period of time.
Do not buy massive bottles that you won't utilize for months, recall air and time eventually will lead to reduction of antioxidants and flavor. So make sure that you use the olive oil in a fairly short time. If it is part of your regular diet you will not have a problem with saving as you will be using it regularly.
We all know that one of the main characteristics of the Mediterranean diet is using olive oil as the main source of fatloss. While here in Greece we use quite a bit of olive oil, studies show that minimally you want 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil a day. To put this in perspective the average amount consumed in the U.S. is 1 teaspoon a day.
We hear many men and women wonder: how am I supposed to consume 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil a day? They believe it is too much, or that they will gain weight. But when the olive oil consumed inside a Mediterranean style diet, you won't gain weight. That means that you'll be eating mainly vegetables as a main course with a little bit of bread and cheese resulting in average calorie amount.
Here is the way we use olive oil on a normal weekday: For lunch (that is the largest meal in Greece and takes place between 1 and 3 pm) we usually have a typical vegetable dish (lathero), which we make with seasonal vegetables, olive oil and tomato and herbs in a casserole. In some cases we may roast the vegetables in the ovenagain using olive oil. We utilize about 1/4 cup olive oil for 1 pound of vegetables or beans. This makes about 2-3 servings and corresponds to 1 1/2 -2 tablespoons of olive oil each person.
For supper we usually have large hearty salads using whatever is in season (summer: largely tomatoes and cucumbers and other seasonal greens- winter: spinach, lettuce and other greens) with nuts and cheese and fruit and we'll again use at least two tablespoons of olive oil. In the case we eat meat, such as poultry, again it is cooked Greek style in olive oil and tomato or in the oven with potatoes and olive oil.
So with this pattern we usually consume about 2-3 tablespoons a day and the remaining portion of the calories will come from vegetables, some bread (rice, potato or pasta), cheese, cheese and fruit (and wine).
As soon as we say olive oil is the main fat, we do not mean just in salads but as you can see it is employed for most cooking requirements. We do understand that some people may not like the taste of olive oil, but honestly from the Mediterranean cuisine, olive oil is part of the flavor of the dish.
Also I shall once again, mention that yes you can fry with olive oil, as the smoke point is sufficient for home frying needs, and you will not even reach the smoke point which is about 410 degrees F for extra virgin olive oil. By gently sautéing, you may shed a small amount of antioxidants but can retain most, so you are definitely still getting the benefits.
Many men and women re-use olive oil after they have fried together with it, that is a big no-no. Obviously this used oil will not taste as good, or fresh and the heat oxidizes it as well. While frying or sautéing the first time with olive oil can cause a small loss of antioxidants, repeated usage more than once or twice will cause greater reduction of the nutrition and flavor qualities.
A Spanish study published last year, based on information gathered from over 40000 Spaniards, revealed that there was no association between eating fried food and coronary heart disease, however one of the details was that the food was fried in olive oil and was not reused, in other words they didn't fry with the same oil over and over again.
When folks think of oil, the first thing that comes to their mind is how unhealthy it could be into the body. Experts said that olive oil, particularly extra virgin olive oil, is good for the body although the health benefits of several dietary fats are controversial.
Scientists have proven that olive oil is effective in preventing and treating various health conditions. According to HealthSite, olive oil is extracted from olives which are comprised of 73% monounsaturated fat, called oleic acid, 14% saturated fat, and 11% polyunsaturated fat.
Studies indicate that lipoic acid has anti-inflammatory properties and has beneficial effects on some kinds of cancer. Anyway, extra virgin olive oil is recommended to use for healthy cooking because monosaturated fats are known to be heat-resistant. Below are the top five health benefits of olive oil.
Research indicates that those living in the Mediterranean nations have a lower risk of having some types of cancer as a result of their dietary traditions that demand using olive oil. Cancer is just one of the top diseases that cause death among people around the globe. However, there is absolutely no cure yet for this disease so avoidance is still the best.
The antioxidants in olive oil are believed to kill free radicals, which are the leading driver of cancer. Studies have demonstrated that this special kind of petroleum can fight cancer cells. But experts said that more studies are required to confirm that it lessens the risk of having cancer.
According to an article in Healthline, olive oil contains nutrients that inhibit or kill pathogens. One of these is Helicobacter pylori, which resides within the stomach that could cause stomach cancer. Research suggests that the oil fights eight strains of this bacterium, wherein three strains of it are already resistant to antibiotics.
Taking 30 grams of extra virgin olive oil each day can eliminate H. pylori in 10%-40% of people in just two weeks.
The use of excess fat is always associated with weight gain. But the Mediterranean diet that is full of olive oil has surprisingly beneficial effects on body fat. According to a 30-month study on 7,000 Spanish college students, consuming a great deal of olive oil didn't cause an increase in their weight.
According to observational studies conducted decades ago, heart disease is not as common in Mediterranean countries that led to extensive research on the Mediterranean diet. It revealed that olive oil may significantly lessen the risk of heart disease. It protects the heart from the bad LDL cholesterol that boosts the lining of the blood vessels to avoid excessive blood clotting.
Olive oil contains antiseptic and antibacterial properties so that it can also be utilized to speed up the healing process of wounds. It is often used as one of the components in making homemade antiseptic cream to treat and disinfect minor wounds.
According to a study published in Burns, taking olive oil orally can speed up recovery from burn-related wounds. Olive oil can be added to salad dressings, gravy, and sauces.
