What Oil Should You Cook With?
Olive Oil - A Beautiful Thing
Of all the oils available, Olive Oil takes the cake....when used properly!
It’s delicious, smooth, velvety, beautiful to look at and it's a healthier option than most cooking oils.
Olive Oil is perfect for drizzling over top your favorite pasta, finishing a rich smooth hummus, creating the perfect vinaigrette or infused with other ingredient for that perfect bread dipping. Yes, for my palette, a great Olive Oil tastes more delicious than butter ever will.
Watch Points
Here’s a few watch points you should know before you grab your favourite bottle of oil and begin cooking with it.
If Olive Oil is your go to oil, here's what you need to know. Olive Oil has a low smoke point (325F-375F) Other cooking oils such as Safflower Oil (475F- 500F), Canola Oil (425F-475F), or Corn Oil (400F-450F) have much higher smoke point and should be considered instead when cooking at high heat levels.
In fact, if you are heating Olive Oil above its smoke point, it will begin to break down chemically. The oil will loose its antioxidants and releases toxic chemicals in forms of smoke. As a result, your food will char and taste bitter.
When searing meats, you may have been told to coat your pan with a little olive oil and crank up the heat to achieve that desired colour and caramelization. This will not turn out well. Your favourite Olive Oil will begin to smoke well before you reach the needed temperatures for such a reaction and can harm you if ingested.
Much the same can be said about roasting your favorite vegetables tossed or drizzled with a little Olive Oil. When the oil reaches above its smoke point you'll have the same undesired burnt, bitter, and carcinogenic vegetables.
How to cook like a chef!
To cook like a chef, you want to add flavour while you cook, without compromising the taste of your food. High smoke point oils such as the ones mentioned above are ideal when searing and roasting.
This secret ingredient wins every time
While butter almost always makes everything taste better, butter should never be used when cooking above its smoke point of 350F. Ghee however, is a derivative of butter and tells a completely different story (and will be featured in my next blog post). It has a smoke point of 450F and deliverers an impressive butterier flavour than butter and it’s healthier for you!
If you would like to learn more about Ghee and how its made or how to cook like a chef in your kitchen, check out my blog at bobfriesenonline.com and be sure to download my 44 Secrets to Cook Like a Chef for free!
Yours in food,
Chef Bob
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