Olive oil: use nutrient-rich oil for frying

• Production and properties of olive oil for frying
• Which olive oil for frying? The smoke point is decisive!
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This high-quality oil comes from olives, as the name suggests. Olives are the fruit of the olive tree, which belongs to the Oleaceae family of plants. Olive trees feel particularly at home in areas with hot summers and cold winters, which is why a large proportion of olives are cultivated in countries in the Mediterranean region. However, there are differences in the taste of the oil depending on its variety, the production techniques used and the unique microclimate of the region the olives are grown in. So not all olive oil is the same!

On bottles of olive oil, the indication of origin provides information about where the olives were grown. We can also choose between different quality classes of olive oil. Virgin olive oil is obtained exclusively by mechanical pressing without the addition of heat and is therefore also referred to as cold-pressed oil. The extra virgin olive oil designation ensures a particularly high quality. A large amount of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and nutritionally beneficial fat-soluble vitamins are what make virgin olive oil so healthy.

Other pressing processes require the addition of heat and the extracted oil must then undergo a purification process known as refining. Refined oil loses a large proportion of its beneficial ingredients and is for the most part colourless and neutral tasting. However, it also has a longer shelf life and can withstand higher temperatures during cooking than virgin olive oil. You should also use refined oil for preparing baby food because of the purification process.

The crucial factor when you’re deciding whether you can heat olive oil is to consider the smoke point. At this temperature, an oil visibly begins to smoke as the fatty acids begin to break down. In general, the more unsaturated fatty acids an oil contains, the lower its smoke point. However, with a high proportion of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, the smoke point is higher than for oil that has a high proportion of poly-unsaturated fatty acids. Virgin olive oil, with its high proportion of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, has a smoke point around 180°C. Refined olive oil has an even higher smoke point. Some unsaturated fatty acids are converted into saturated fatty acids during refining.

Do not heat an oil to temperatures above its smoke point. Since virgin olive oil has numerous health benefits, it is preferable to use it for cooking methods that do not exceed 180 °C. Therefore, use virgin olive oil for cold dishes, meals cooked in the oven below 180 °C and gentle frying. For hot frying, however, refined oil is preferable.