Since I left home, my parents gave me a 5 liter can of extra virgin olive oil Oro de Genave every year, which lasted me a year and then received a new can in December. Just in time because the old can was empty. As far as I could remember, this was the only cooking oil I used besides occasionally some butter and sunflower oil for oriental dishes.
Since I started my webshop, I have found many myths and rumors on the internet that advise against cooking with extra virgin olive oil because it is said to be unhealthy. I have therefore decided to delve a little deeper and read various studies, and I want to share the conclusions in this blog.
Scientific research into cooking with extra virgin olive oil
A recent study on cooking with various oils from the Modern Olives Laboratory Services in Australia refutes this claim and shows that cooking with extra virgin olive oil is the best way to cook.
The main findings from this study are:
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Smoke point of extra virgin olive oil: Although the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is lower than normal cooking temperatures, it is incorrect that extra virgin olive oil is unsuitable for cooking. The Modern Olives Laboratory Services study showed that an oil's stability did not correlate with its smoke point. Even in this study, extra virgin olive oil proved to be more stable than oils with higher smoke points.
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Polyunsaturated fats are more unstable: Oils high in polyunsaturated fats, such as grapeseed oil and canola oil, performed worse at higher temperatures.
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Antioxidants of extra virgin olive oil: The study highlighted that the antioxidants in extra virgin olive oil contributed to its stability when heated. This is in contrast to the myth that antioxidants and polyphenols in olive oil are destroyed by heat, which has already been debunked by a scientific study in 2008, published in Food Chemistry. The gist of this research is that the antioxidants do not burn, but can be found in the food.
In addition to these studies, it also appears that the type of olive influences the stability of olive oil, for example, research has been conducted into whether frying in olive oil made from Arbequina, Picual olives and sunflower oil differs from each other. The conclusion from this research is that frying in Picual olive oil is more stable compared to the other oil types and does not deteriorate as quickly.
Conclusion
The conclusion from these studies is what many top chefs and everyone in the Mediterranean already knows: extra virgin olive oil is not only safe to cook with, but also a healthy way to prepare food. In addition, the olive oil made from the Picual olive type is the best choice for frying, because it remains stable for longer. I therefore recommend the Oro de Genave for baking.
Sources:
- “Is it safe to cook with olive oil?” - aboutoliveoil.org
- "What happens to olive oil when you heat it?" - aboutoliveoil.org
- Health effects of replacing butter, margarine, milk fats and mayonnaise with olive oil
- Changes in the physicochemical and nutritional parameters of Picual and Arbequina olive oils during frying