Is Extra Light Olive Oil Good For Frying

Extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke so it s good for cold dishes and recipes that don t require much heat.

Is extra light olive oil good for frying.

Extra virgin olive oil has the touchiest smoke point of all oils because of its lack of oleic acid and is therefore the easiest to burn. Much lower concentrations of aldehydes form when shallow frying fish in extra virgin olive oil compared to sunflower oil. Olive oil is considered a heart healthy fat because of its high monounsaturated fat content making it a good choice when we need to use fat in our cooking or dressings. The study found that both extra virgin and regular olive oil were healthier than canola oil.

During the frying process extra virgin olive oil formed fewer aldehydes and polar compounds than the other two oils. In one trial potatoes were deep fried in either extra virgin olive oil peanut oil or canola oil. Do not heat is above 375 degrees. Pure olive oil or regular olive oil being the blend of virgin olive oil and refined olive oil makes the best high heat frying oil as its viscosity holds up the best at high.

Similarly you ll find that all types of olive oil have about 120 calories per tablespoon. Extra virgin olive oil smoking point is only 320 f making it unsuitable for deep frying. Light olive oil with a smoke point of 460 f can be used to deep fry but deep frying with olive oil does not make food healthier than frying with other kinds of polyunsaturated oils. Then keep a great bottle of extra virgin on hand for finishing and a good plain olive oil for general cooking.

Chefs food writers and an importer gave us their recommendations on the best olive oils for finishing salads cooking from regular grocery stores and from the usa italy spain and greece. Olive oil is also good for shallow frying a 2016 study experimented with shallow frying fish at 340 f in both extra virgin olive oil and sunflower oil. Olive oil performed better showing more resistance to oxidation and degradation. However nearly all olive oil contains 14 grams of fat per tablespoon even if the label describes it as light or extra light.

Keep in mind that oils deteriorate and become stale over time so be sure to use your oil while it s fresh and after a year even the best extra virgin probably won t be good for raw applications but can still be used for cooking.