Fellow Europeans, which oil do you use for cooking?
Fellow Europeans, which oil do you use for cooking?
Did a quick research, there doesn't seem to be a scientific consensus on which oil is healthier. The few articles are found don't have a clear consensus (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200903-which-cooking-oil-is-the-healthiest)
Another 2023 study involving 12,000 people followed for up to 11 years found that consuming up to 1.5 tablespoons of virgin olive oil per day was associated with a third lower risk of death, and half the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. However, this wasn't the case for olive oil. But since this was a population study, researchers aren't able to fully separate cause and effect.
But while numerous studies suggest it's a healthy choice of oil, researchers have argued that the quality of avocado oil can differ depending on how ripe the avocado is and how oil is extracted from it.
However, a 2020 review of studies looking into the effects of sesame oil on our health found that there is some evidence to suggest it may improve certain biomarkers (levels in our blood that indicate risk of developing certain diseases). However, the evidence base is weak, and more studies are needed.
However, in 2017, scientists published their findings after feeding canola oil-rich diet to mice, and concluded that they gained much more weight than mice who stuck to a canola oil-free diet. It also led to deficits in the memories of the canola oil mice. They concluded that their findings don't support other studies showing that regularly consuming canola oil can be beneficial to our health.
Also, other factors come into play, such as fuming temperature. I'm really not the best cook, so if there is any advice on that that would be cool too.
So, what is preferred choice?
Sunflower oil and olive oil. Cooking on virgin olive oil is harder, and sunflower oil if not deodorated has really nice smell.
As for health benefits, olive oil is 2-3 times more expensive, so people who can afford more expensive oil usually can afford healthier diet in general, I think.
Thanks!
Can you explain what you mean by cooking with virgin olive oil is harder?
Yea, virgin olive oil has distinct flavor and low smoke point, as in so low that you can't actually fry anything on it without oil burning. So you buy second pressed oil (don't know how it is called in english) it has higher smoke point and less flavor, often you can find mixed oil where olive oil is mixed with sunflower or another neutral oil that can be used for frying. Also it's much cheaper.
Rapeseed oil because I don't use much fat for cooking anyway and it is cheap compared to sunflower seed oil and olive oil. For salads a teaspoon of styrian pumpkin seed oil because it is not capable of handling heat and has a special taste.
Butter. It tastes the best in most dishes. Factors like the rest of your diet, amount and type of exercise, and access to publicly funded healthcare are orders of magnitude more important.
I usually keep a bottle of virgin olive oil and a bottle of sunflower oil in the kitchen. Different oils for different jobs. Sunflower oil doesn't taste of much and can handle higher heat - not as high as avocado oil, but pretty close - whereas olive has that lovely flavour. I sometimes get sesame oil if I'm doing a lot of east Asian cooking, but only ever a small bottle. That stuff tastes too strong to be a general-usage oil outside of the cuisines that work with it.
I'm not personally too concerned about the health benefits of each one. It's oil. I shouldn't be having an excess of it no matter which sort it is.
Thanks!
Olive oil.
The joke has often been that the invisible line dividing northern and southern europe is the Olive Oil vs Butter for cooking line.
(Other proposals are often, Potato vs Tomato europe, or Wine vs Beer europe.)
Indeed, but I always feel like over time people nowadays try to avoid butter and prefer oil, and this all over Europe
I like cold-pressed rapeseed oil. It kind of goes with everything and adds a nice taste.
Olive oil can be nice, but it's real hit-and-miss how it tastes, so I'll often end up with a bottle that I don't like the taste of, which then lasts me forever...
Edit: I guess, this might be less of an issue, if you're from a region where olives grow natively. I'm not, so we get imported olive oil from all over Italy and Greece. This afterthought brought to you by me eating a tomato salad with balsamico just now, while only having Greek olive oil at home...
I find olive oil a bit hit and miss too. I always have more than one bottle. The more flavoursome, I use for salads and dipping bread. The less liked, I use for roasting or sometimes frying. What's crazy is that around here (Australia), the regular olive oil is the same price often as extra virgin. I feel awful using evoo for frying, but I don't want to have more bottles, lol.
Does no one use avocado oil in Europe?
Neutral and high smoke point makes for a great frying oil.
It's quite expensive here. I occasionally get a small bottle if I see an unusually good price, but the vast majority of the time sunflower oil does the same job for far less cost
This sounds like I can not afford it. Normally I use Rapeseed Oil or Sunflower Oil
Virgin olive oil and I use as little as possible (probably not even a tea spoon) because it's so expensive. It's only because my girlfriend wants it and buys it with work benefits – my mother only used butter for everything when I grew up.
I've never heard of avocado oil but judging by the price of a single avocado, it's probably not for people like me.
Canola oil, but now I'm worried after the mice reference.
We don't know from this excerpt if the control group was mice eating different kind of oil or just less oil at all.
Olive oil, sesame oil, grape seed oil, peanut oil, kokos, self made wok oil (peanut oil with lots of onion, garlic and ginger fried till dark brown and then filtered). I use it for bami and nasi.
Olive oil, butter and coconut oil are the ones that get used in my kitchen, none of it has to do with what you discussed in the OP, the reason for using them is basically flavour above everything else. I also have roasted sesame and pumpkin seed oil for finishing.
Im not european so apologies but my wife believes it healthier to switch around so we use olive, coconut, and avocado but if I had my way we would also use peanut as its super tastey.
FWIW it's best not to use virgin olive oil for cooking, the flavor is too intense and a waste of good oil.
Olive oil is good to cook with, but people tend to buy the cheapest they can find which is usually 'pommace' olive oil (US term) Orujo de oliva (ES), which is the absolute shit left over, reprocessed and bottled. Horrible, bitter, and not worth it.
An excellent middle ground is blending your olive oil (not virgin, not Orujo) with a neutral low cost cooking oil (sunflower is prevalent where we oive). 75% to 25% is a good ratio to start.
I started doing this when prices shot up & I could still get a good on bulk (3l cans).
Now, this is for cooking. The best olive oil for eating uncooked, finishing dishes, marinating vegetables etc.(IMO) is Mosto, or unfiltered.
An excellent middle ground is blending your olive oil (not virgin, not Orujo) with a neutral low cost cooking oil (sunflower is prevalent where we oive). 75% to 25% is a good ratio to start.
Thanks for the tips!
I only use Sunflower oil.
Corn seed oil is my go to cooking oil, but I also use olive oil (mostly for Mediterranean dishes), rapeseed oil and clarified butter.
Olive oil, grapeseed oil and sesame oil.
Around these parts the only oil which can be present in the kitchen is the olive oil. But, recently I am experimenting with some french cooking techniques and they tend to mix it with butter. It's ok.