The main reason why it is better to fry scrambled eggs in butter, bread in olive oil, and meat in rapeseed is the heating temperature. The presence (or absence) of the smell and taste of the oil also plays a role – for example, salmon can be fried in coconut fat, which gives a pleasant sweetness.
Among other things, in proper nutrition, it is usually recommended to minimize the use of margarine and sunflower oil (both refined and unrefined). Sunflower oil disrupts the balance of omega-3 and omega-6 in the body, and margarine contains unhealthy trans fats.
Which oil is best for frying?
Most people traditionally use sunflower oil for cooking and frying food. Many people believe that animal fats (butter and lard) are more harmful because they contain cholesterol – unlike sunflower, corn, rapeseed, and other vegetable oils.
The use of sunflower oil is due to its cheapness, neutral taste, long shelf life, and ability to withstand high temperatures (about 200-250˚C) without burning.
Best oils for frying:
Worst frying oils:
- Palm
- Corn
- Soy
- Sunflower
Why are omega-6s harmful?
Harm to health is not sunflower oil itself (and omega-6), but its use in extremely large quantities.
The consequences of imbalance are micro-inflammation in the body and disruption of cell regeneration processes. The situation is exacerbated when a person does not consume salmon, salmon, fish oil, or other sources of omega-3. Note that the lack of omega-3 in the diet is quite a typical problem.
Margarine and palm oil
Natural palm oil remains liquid at room temperature and has a rich red color and a pungent odor. For use in the food industry and at home, this oil is purified, refined, and stabilized. After adding flavorings and dyes, margarine is obtained.
Unfortunately, with aggressive processing, the proportion of harmful trans fats increases significantly – it is for this reason that nutritionists strongly do not recommend the use of margarine in food.
However, you can safely cook with natural palm oil – it can withstand temperatures up to 200˚C.
Choosing oil for frying
Ultimately, the choice of oil for frying depends on the dish being prepared. In particular, deep frying requires an odorless refined oil that can withstand high temperatures – then even butter will do in the case of eggs and bread:
1. Fried eggs or scrambled eggs
Since frying eggs does not involve a long time or heating to high temperatures, you can use regular butter – it will give the omelet a pleasant creamy taste. In addition, it contains important vitamins A and E.
2. Croutons, pita bread, and bread
The combination of bread and olive oil is a traditional flavor of Mediterranean cuisine. In this case, it is best to use unrefined cold-pressed oil – it has the most vivid aroma. In turn, pasta or dumplings can be fried in refined olive oil.
3. Pancakes, and cheesecakes
For making pancakes, it is best to use clarified butter – also called “ghee butter”. Its difference from the usual is that it does not burn through when fried – retaining a soft creamy taste and structure of saturated fats.
4. Potatoes, zucchini, and eggplant
The most delicious is potatoes fried in vegetable oil with a high content of saturated fatty acids – for example, in rice. Palm and canola oils are also suitable. Moreover, the oil must be refined.
5. Deep-frying
Note that in terms of proper nutrition, deep-frying is the least healthy cooking option – primarily because of the high content of oil (and therefore calories). The best option, in this case, is canola oil, which is similar in composition to olive oil.
6. Steak
In the aforementioned Mediterranean cuisine, beef steak is also commonly fried in omega-9-rich olive oil – which adds a nice flavor to the meat. In addition, canola oil is suitable. The worst choice, as always, is sunflower oil – especially for pork.
7. Chicken breast
Chicken breast differs from other types of meat in its low-fat content, which, if not cooked properly, can cause excessive dryness. The best choices for breasts are rice and coconut oils (which contain saturated fats), as well as olive or canola oil.
8. Cutlets
Although hamburger patties are usually fried in sunflower oil (for example, McDonald’s uses a mixture of 80% high oleic and 20% regular refined and deodorized sunflower oil), refined olive or canola oil is better for nutrition.
9. Sausage, ham, and bacon
Unfortunately, sausage, ham, and bacon are not recommended to be fried – no matter what oil you use, when heated, the number of trans fats in these products that harm the body increases. In addition, proper nutrition, in principle, implies the restriction of sausage in the diet.
10. Salmon
The most delicious is salmon fried in coconut oil – it acquires a pleasant smell and a sweetish taste. In addition, the saturated fats found in coconut oil complement the nutritional profile of salmon, which is rich in omega-3s.
Refined or unrefined?
Before being marketed, most types of vegetable oils go through refining processes – that is, heat treatment and, often, chemical purification. Although refined oils are better for frying, their use can be harmful to health.
For example, refined palm oil may contain carcinogens and trans fats. On the other hand, refined olive oil is quite safe. Ultimately, it is the fat profile of the particular oil that plays the role, not the refining process.
Can you fry in olive oil?
Olive oil (exactly like canola oil) consists mainly of omega-9 monosaturated fatty acids, which are neutral for health and do not affect the balance of omega-6 and omega-3. However, the main question becomes whether it is safe to fry in olive oil and whether it does not lose its beneficial properties.
Although when olive oil is heated to high temperatures (and frying means temperatures above 200˚C), the antioxidants contained in it partially lose their properties, harmful elements do not appear in their composition. In other words, olive oil is completely safe for frying food.
The technology of pressing olives is based on the fact that first they get cold-pressed oil (unrefined olive oil), then – with the help of heating and centrifuges – refined. The latter is cheaper, and the difference lies rather in taste characteristics (refined oil is less bitter).
Refined olive oil
In the case of olive oil, you can fry both refined and unrefined. However, refined oil is quite suitable for everyday cooking – in the process of frying, the natural taste of cold-pressed oil is still almost lost.
Separately, we note that manufacturers often mislead consumers by releasing sunflower oil with the addition of olive oil. Unfortunately, most often the content of olive oil in such mixtures is no more than 5-10% – in other words, this is ordinary sunflower oil.
The best oils for frying are olive, coconut, and canola oils (including refined versions of these oils), as well as ghee. The worst choices for cooking are sunflower, soybean, and corn oils, which contain excessive amounts of omega-6 in their composition.