Should you cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
We all need some form of fat in our diet to help absorb vitamins, but which is the best one?
I use extra virgin olive oil, this is because it contains “good fats” which helps your blood cholesterol to lower and protects you against heart disease (1).
When I say use, I mean cook with it and use it to dress salads (expensive I know!) but here’s why.
When you heat any oil, it begins to break down and the beneficial qualities of the oil can reduce. Olive oil, under the proper conditions without overheating, undergoes no substantial change as it has a higher smoke point than other oils. The smoke point for olive oil during frying is suggested to be 180 degrees, but it is even lower for virgin olive oils and sits around 160-170 degrees, so you do have to be careful not to overheat it when cooking with it (2).
It’s best to use it without heating it If possible, I usually add it at the end of cooking my meals to dress things like a salad or drizzle it over a pasta.
Now the big question.. is Deep Frying bad for you? Well… kind of
Interestingly, it is not clear whether the use of vegetable oils for cooking increases the risk of chronic diseases (3). The myth that frying foods is associated with a higher risk heart disease is not supported by available evidence (3) but it is probably related to a higher risk of weight gain. Additionally, when deep frying, steam limits the penetration of oil into the food in the first stage. The hot oil then penetrates the food and a crunchy crust is formed, this can then prevent the excessive absorption of oil. The actual period of time the hot oil is acting on the food is quite short so one can assume that on this basis, the frying can be considered less aggressive and may not cause the degradation of oil.
So to conclude, do not scrimp and save on the oil you use for cooking. The fact is, if you are eating it raw or cooked, it is still going to have an effect on your health so go with the good stuff, extra virgin olive oil always.
Sources
NHS : Fat: the facts. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/different-fats-nutrition/
Sayon-Orea C, Carlos S, Martínez-Gonzalez MA. Does cooking with vegetable oils increase the risk of chronic diseases?: a systematic review. Br J Nutr. 2015 Apr;113 Suppl 2:S36-48. doi: 10.1017/S0007114514002931. PMID: 26148920.
Chiou A, Kalogeropoulos N. Virgin Olive Oil as Frying Oil. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2017 Jul;16(4):632-646. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12268. Epub 2017 May 12. PMID: 33371562.