What Are The Types Of Olive Oils Available For Cooking

Opting for a change in the cooking medium from white oil to olive oil can at times be a reason for considerable confusion. This is because the moment a person opts for buying olive oil, he is faced with numerous choices each claiming to be the best olive oil available in India. This diversity of choice is for brands as well as types. While opting for a specific brand is a matter of personal choice, there are several points to be considered when opting for a specific type of olive oil.

As a cooking medium, generally three varieties of olive oils are available. While all of these have health benefits, it is the process by which they are extracted which differentiates them into:

·         Extra virgin olive oil: This is olive oil with the best flavour and highest quality. Olives and pits of good quality are cold pressed to obtain extra virgin olive oil. This way of production eliminates the need for the use of either chemicals or heat and is thus absolutely “virgin” in its composition. The olives and pits are given a further second press to get what is known as virgin olive oil which is of a lighter flavour. Both these virgin olive oils are generally used as salad dressings, bread dips, stir fries etc. so that people can enjoy their strong flavour.

·         Pure olive oil: This is a mixture of extra virgin, in minute quantities of about 5% , and processed, quantity percentage is about 95%, olive oils. It is thus much less expensive than olive oil of extra virgin variety and is generally used for baking to obtain a fruity flavour which is quite strong.

·         Light olive oil: This is also known as extra light olive oil and is of much inferior quality since they are subjected to heat and chemicals so as to remove any impurities that are present. They are also blended sometimes with other oils and are thus light in flavour and colour making it cost much less than extra virgin olive oil in India and elsewhere in the world. This light olive oil is also used for baking.

The health benefits of olive oil comes from the presence of Vitamin E which is fat-soluble and polyphenol antioxidants. Nutritionally it contains no cholesterol since it is a plant-based product. It also has a fat content of only 14grams in a tablespoon of the same. This fat content can further be broken down into:

·         Saturated fats of 1.9grams,

·         Monounsaturated fats of 10.3grams and

·         Polyunsaturated fats of 1.2grams.

The low saturated fat content of this oil makes it a far healthier option than any other cooking medium available in India. Thus there is a growing awareness for the use of olive oils in India, a country known for its oily and spicy food. Olive oils available in the markets and stores tend to be rather expensive in comparison to the other cooking mediums available but the fact that only a small quantity is enough to add a flavour to the food being cooked tends to negate this to some extent in the long run. Consequently people, who understand this and are health conscious, generally opt for the best olive oil in India despite it being costly. 

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Created on Feb 1st 2018 01:06. Viewed 656 times.

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