One of the great myths of cooking and nutrition is that olive oil is not suitable for frying. Since large quantities of oil have to be used to prepare this type of dish, it seems that using extra virgin olive oil for frying is a waste. In addition, sometimes it seems that recipes with fried foods are no longer current because, in fact, the fat and calorie content of fried foods is really high.
However, you can fry in extra virgin olive oil. And in fact, if you are going to consume fried foods occasionally, it is essential to use the best quality oil possible to avoid ingesting harmful by-products of overheated oil such as acrolein.
Frying with EVOO: less fried and better quality
Olive oil denatures less when heated and therefore maintains its nutritional properties without becoming harmful like other seed oils. Furthermore, thanks to this resistance, it can be reused, unlike other oils whose chemical structure changes after increasing the temperature.
Since extra virgin olive oil oxidizes less, when preparing fried foods with it, we can reach higher cooking temperatures and finish cooking sooner, which means that the food loses fewer nutrients. So take note: a fried food made with extra virgin olive oil will always be of better quality.
Pros and cons of frying in extra virgin olive oil
It is true that the taste of olive oil is better perceived raw, but we have just found out that extra virgin olive oil is the best option for frying. Here it is a matter of carefully choosing an appropriate variety, and that flavour, in the right amount, can significantly improve frying, removing the unpleasant taste of fried food .
Using extra virgin olive oil for frying is not that expensive
Indeed, extra virgin olive oil is more expensive than sunflower oil, but it is also much healthier and less processed. Many families, looking to save money, opt for other varieties, but forget that EVOO does not over-soak food, which means there is always some left over. In addition, thanks to its stability in heat, it can be reused many times in complete safety.
Did you know that olive oil increases in volume when heated? In fact, you always need less!
What extra virgin olive oils do you use for frying?
