The extra virgin olive oil is the base of the mediterranean diet and it\u2019s not only an everyday food but it\u2019s a superfood that has several nutritional properties and when it\u2019s full of polyphenols it can add so much flavour to your dishes.
\n\u2028One of the most frequently asked questions about this liquid gold is \u201cCan I cook with EVOO?\u201d YES.\u2028Many believe they should use extra virgin olive oil only for dressing raw vegetables or finishing already cooked dishes, but actually it\u2019s very recommended for many cooking methods: roasting, marinating, grilling, braising, but also baking and deep-frying. <\/p>\n
\u2028<\/p>\n
This is determined by its high level of poliphenols that actually protect the EVOO and raise its smoke point, and that\u2019s why EVOO is a very healthy oil to cook with.\u2028But exactly, what is the smoke point?
\nThe smoke point is the temperature at which an oil or a fat starts to burn and show off some chemical changes such as the release of carcinogenic cells, acrolein and free radicals. The factors that predict an oil’s safety and stability at high heat and its smoke point are the percentage of polyunsaturated fats, the free fatty acid and antioxidants content and the level of refinement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2028
\nThe high temperatures that are required for cooking and frying cause the breakdown of complex fat molecules in oils, producing free circulating lipids, acrolein and other chemical changes like lipids oxidation that in the long run can affect both our health and the sensory and nutritional properties of EVOO. Indeed, acrolein is the acrid principle of fatty substances, which is toxic and irritating to the mucous membranes of our body. It derives from the catabolism of glycerol and is produced significantly when we exceed the smoke point during cooking, especially when frying.<\/p>\n
The oil that releases the least acrolein during cooking is extra virgin olive oil, followed by peanut oil, because it contains 35% polyunsaturated fats, and sunflower seed oil (55%). However, it is necessary to specify that all seed oils undergo a significant release of acrolein after just one frying session, and therefore should NOT be reused. On the contrary, extra virgin olive oil stands out for its good smoke point (thanks to the prevalence of monounsaturated fatty acids) and can withstand up to 2-3 consecutive frying sessions; this characteristic is justified by the high antioxidant content that limits the presence of acrolein in the oil.<\/p>\n
Extra virgin olive oil is highly resistant to oxidative degradation, due to a low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as the presence of phenolic compounds and tocopherols.
\nThe EVOO resistance to oxidative deterioration differs depending on its quality and its composition.
\n\u2028First, it\u2019s important to mention that we are exclusively referring to premium quality extra virgin olive oil which thanks to the presence of pholyphenols, tocopherols, lignans, flavones, oleic acid and other minor compounds make the extra virgin olive oil very stable, so even after being exposed to heat for a reasonable long amount of time the EVOO particles are less likely to break down, oxidate and release free radicals compared to other oils commonly used. \u2028The main factors affecting the fatty acid profile and triacylglycerol composition of EVOO are the climate in which the olives are cultivated, stocked, havervested, their cultivar and stage of maturity when harvested.
\n\u2028<\/p>\n
Of course, the problem arises because in most of the cases you won\u2019t find these informations, nor the smocking point nor the polyphenols cointined on the label. In any case, the extra virgin olive oil smocking point that is around 210\u00b0\/230\u00b0 (410\/446 F) goes beyond every standard domestic cooking temperature: if you are pan saut\u00e9ning you will touch 120\u00b0\/248 F; during roasting you can reach up to 150\u00b0\/300 F, while deep frying it occures heating in between 160\u00b0\/190\u00b0 (320\/374 F) and we also need to consider that in many cases people don\u2019t use a cooking thermometer at home and they are not really aware of the actual temperature at which they cook. <\/p>\n
\u2028<\/p>\n
We recommend to cook with our Favola Moresca, that thanks to its low intensity of bitterness and spice it\u2019s not going to cover the taste of food you are cooking with it.\u2028We suggest to choose for an high quality EVOO, not only for the taste but for your own health, the caring attention that we put during the harvesting, milling and storage process allow you to cook safely and savoury, enjoying the taste of the Sicilian culinary identity.<\/p>\n
\u2028\u2028Source: The Olive Oil Diet (Dr Simon Poole, Judy Ridgway); Extra Virginity (Tom Mueller), Antioxidant Journal (MDPI); Elsevier Science Direct; Acta Scientific, Citizen of Soil, North American Olive Association, Olive Oil Times, MyPersonalTrainer, Enciclopedia Treccani.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cooking with extra virgin olive oil The extra virgin olive oil is the base of the mediterranean diet and it\u2019s not only an everyday food but it\u2019s a superfood that has several nutritional properties and when it\u2019s full of polyphenols it can add so much flavour to your dishes. \u2028One of the most frequently asked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-favola-en","category-lifestyle-en"],"yoast_head":"\n