Olive oil: features of choice, cooking advice and feedback

The true legends go about the benefits of olive oil . It not only relieves the body of cholesterol and prevents the development of cardiovascular insufficiency, but also prolongs youth. That's why the Greeks and Italians, who are considered pioneers and the best producers of such a unique product, live much longer than ordinary people. And they use it both for cooking deep-fried foods, baking, and for reheating food in a frying pan. But how to choose the oil for frying (olive)? And what to look for when buying a product?

Look for butter with a good "pedigree"

If you decide to buy really high-quality oil, pay attention to its "pedigree". In particular, some Italian manufacturers transfer their business to their family members, hence their enterprise has a long history. For example, the most famous is the Monino clan.

Representatives of this family own several large olive groves in Umbria. It is known that Monini not only produces the best olive oil for frying, baking and salads, but also carefully monitor its quality.

As the manufacturers themselves say, they personally, almost manually, take out each crop and test the finished product before it enters the bottles.

Read the label carefully

If you pay attention to the oil label, you will be able to learn more about not only its composition and manufacturer, but also about what category it belongs to. For example, the bottle may contain the following words:

• Extra virgin;
• Virgin;
• Refined;
• Pomace.

Extra virgin from this list is considered the most elite. This is olive oil for frying, which is better to spend a little. The fact is that this product is the first oil and is considered the most concentrated. If you taste it, you can catch bright notes of astringency and pershenia in the larynx. At the same time, it is these taste qualities that indicate the freshness and value of the product, for the preparation of which no heat treatment was used.

And although extra virgin can be used for frying, it is still better to use it for cooking salads, baking or adding to cosmetic products in order to improve the condition of the skin and hair. By the way, the price of such a quality oil is very biting. For example, in Italy for a similar product you need to pay at least 10 euros.

Features and differences of oils virgin and refined

Virgin is also one of the best products of plant origin. However, it is somewhat inferior to taste, color and aroma vyshisisannomu. In general, frying in olive oil of this type will bring you pleasure, as it does not foam or splash. And most importantly, on the same oil you can fry (as opposed to sunflower) several times.

Refined, or refined oil, occupies an honorary third place in the above list. It is also considered good and is classified as a high-quality natural vegetable product.

That's just, unlike the two previous species, it was used to make certain cleaning technology, which slightly reduces the characteristics of the oil. In addition, according to well-known manufacturers, during the preparation of a similar product, not selected olives are used, but everything, including spoiled ones. Therefore, it is a suitable oil for frying (olive, and to all other - refined).

What is pomace made from?

According to many oil producers, the olive has practically no waste, since literally they all go into business. This statement is the best way to display the essence of the product with the notation pomace. It turns out that for the production of such a product, oil is extracted from the remains of olives, which have already been squeezed out and used to prepare another variety. In this case, such a cake is additionally treated with a special solution, placed under the press or subjected to a centrifuge.

And although a small amount of useful antioxidants in such an oil is present, it is significantly inferior to all other types of product according to its taste qualities. In addition, for greater effect, producers can add cotton and sunflower oil to pomace. Despite all this, such olive oil for frying (how to choose it, you can learn from this article) is suitable. It is least used for salads. But for baking flour products it can be used.

Look at the geography of production

Almost always on the product package there is information not only about the country of the producer, but even about the region. So, the best suppliers and manufacturers of oil are countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain. It is there that all the necessary geographical and climatic conditions are in place for good growth and ripening of the olive fruit.

Meanwhile, each of these countries has its own regions, which are leaders in the production of high-quality olive products. And for each specific city is characterized by its taste and other characteristics. For example, in Liguria (northern region of Italy) produce transparent oil for frying (olive for this process fits best) light light green color.

Umbrian product, according to numerous reviews, has a special flavor and dark color. In addition, many housewives claim that it is in Sicily that they produce a dark, sometimes turbid and dense oil, characterized by excellent taste and a wealth of nutrients.

Which oil is ideal?

Ideal is called olive oil for frying and for salads, in which the whole process of assembling, processing and squeezing fruit, including production itself, occurred in one region and in one country. In addition, the packer of the finished product should also be the manufacturer himself. How can you find out?

In order to find out such information, you should again look at the label. For example, there may be a PDO / DOP label on it. It means that the whole process of manufacturing the product was carried out in the same place.

IGP - this marking means that the product was produced in one place, and, for example, it is packed in another. At the same time, such oil meets all European standards. And, finally, there is a third kind of marking - Bio. It shows that in the manufacture of such oils, genetically modified products were not used. And the process of processing olive from pests was carried out using only natural protective equipment.

Olive oil: look at the acidity level

Another important point that must be considered when choosing olive oil in the store is the so-called acidity index. It is noteworthy that such information is also on the label. What is acidity in oil?

It's all about its composition, that is, in each product there is an unlimited number of free fatty acids that contribute to the destruction of cells in our body. And the less such acids, the better the quality of the oil. For example, in the extra virgin of such substances - slightly less than 0.8%.

In refined, this figure corresponds to the 0.5% mark. But here's the paradox: this percentage, although it looks less than the previous one, is associated with the loss of an important nutritional element. So, in the process of heat treatment, this oil loses oleic acid, which is a permanent participant in the correct metabolism in our body.

User feedback and recommendations for cooking

It is enough to read the reviews of the housewives, which are regularly cooked in olive oil. For example, many women buy exclusively virgin. According to them, you can fry "at least 10-20 times" on it. It gives salads a unique flavor and taste. There are fans and the product with the mark refined. For them, this is an excellent balance of quality and price. It is added to baked goods, salads, vegetables are fried on it.

Some users advise to use meat refined for frying meat and vegetables, and for fish - pomace. Salads, in their words, are better prepared for virgin or extra virgin.

When is it worth not to choose olive oil?

At the moment, the number of manufacturers of the described product is just off scale, so many buyers also have difficulty with what olive oil for frying, baking or salads to choose for a home. And if we carefully study all our advice, this problem will be exhausted. But only occasionally there are cases when it is still worth not to purchase oil. For example, if it indicates the producing country, in which the olive trees do not grow a priori .

It is necessary to cancel the purchase even if the label does not contain the manufacturer's address. Companies that have nothing to fear, as a rule, paint a full address with the mention of contact phones and even e-mail. The same goes for products with too small a font, which can cause problems when reading. Do not buy an oil that has an acidity level above 0.8% or none at all.

Do not purchase a product with a dubious odor and floating third-party elements. For example, even a quality oil can be exposed to white flakes when placed in the cold. And, of course, you do not need to choose a product, despite the tempting reduced price, which has expired (or is about to end) expiration date.

In a word, be vigilant. And do not hesitate to study the label for a long time, despite the disapproving looks and sighs of the seller.