Olive oil for frying: features of choice, recommendations for cooking and reviews

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

There are real legends about the benefits of olive oil. 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-frying, 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 oil with 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 produce the best olive oil for frying, baking and salads, but also carefully monitor its quality.

According to the producers themselves, they personally, almost by hand, select each harvest 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.

While extra virgin can be used for frying, it's still best used in salads, baked goods, or added to beauty products to improve skin and hair. By the way, the price of such a high-quality oil bites very much. For example, inItaly 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 plant foods. 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 (unlike sunflower oil) several times in the same oil.

Refined, or refined oil, takes an honorable third place in the above line. It is also considered good and 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 butter made of?

According to many oil producers, there is practically no waste from the olive, as literally all of them are used. 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 a different 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 this 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 and sunflower oil to pomace. Despite all this, such an 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 you can use it for baking flour products.

Look at the geography of production

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 (the northern region of Italy) they produce a transparent oil for frying (olive oil is best for this process) of a light, light green color.

Umbrian product, according to numerous reviews, has a special aroma and dark color. In addition, many housewives claim thatit is in Sicily that they produce a dark, sometimes cloudy and thick oil, which is distinguished by its excellent taste and richness of useful substances.

What is the ideal oil?

The 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%.

At 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.

User reviews and cooking tips

It is enough to read the reviews of hostesses who regularly cook with olive oil. For example, many women buy exclusively virgin. According to them, it can be fried "at least 10-20 times." It gives salads a unique aroma and taste. There are also fans of the product marked refined. For them, this is an excellent value for money. It is added to pastries, salads, vegetables are fried on it.

Some users advise to use refined for frying meat and vegetables, and pomace for fish. Salads, according to them, are better cooked on virgin or extra virgin.

When should you give up your olive oil choice?

At the moment, the number of manufacturers of the described product simply rolls over, so many buyers have difficulty deciding which olive oil to use.frying, baking or salads choose for the home. And if you carefully study all our advice, this problem will be settled. But sometimes there are cases when it is still worth refusing to purchase oil. For example, if a country of origin is indicated on it, in which a priori olive trees do not grow.

It is necessary to refuse the purchase even if there is no manufacturer's address on the label. Companies that have nothing to be afraid of, as a rule, paint a full address with the mention of contact numbers and even e-mail. The same goes for products with too small print, which can be problematic to read. Do not buy oil that has an acidity level of more than 0.8% or none at all.

Do not buy a product with a questionable smell and floating third-party elements. For example, even high-quality oil, when placed in the cold, can get white flakes. And, of course, you don't have to choose a product, despite the tempting discounted price, that has expired (or is about to expire)

In a word, be vigilant. And feel free to study the label for a long time, despite the disapproving looks and sighs of the seller.