Olive Oil, The Gold Of The Gods, The Essence Of Life

Can I or can I not? There is great uncertainty in Germany’s kitchens as to whether one can also use high-quality cold-pressed olive oil for frying, braising and stewing or not. Well, not only can you use it, but you should!

In the Mediterranean area, natural olive oil has always been used for warm dishes also. It is superbly suited as frying fat, both in terms of nutritional science and taste. Especially when frying and braising, the spicy aroma of a good oil gives meals a special touch. But it is important to differentiate and consider the difference between the various olive oils.

Frying, stewing and deep-frying

Virgin olive oil differs from other natural cooking oils in many ways. It can be kept for longer, and it shows the least chemical changes when heated up. Food chemistry also has an explanation for this: as soon as oxygen, light, heat or metal surfaces act on vegetable oils, the fatty acids oxidize and disintegrate. If the oil is heated up, this process is accelerated. And the more unsaturated the fatty acids are, the more unstable and vulnerable they are regarding disintegration processes.

Virgin olive oil on the other hand is relatively stable. This is because of the high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil. Moreover, it contains a sufficient amount of natural fat-accompanying substances such as Tochopherol. These substances, also known as vitamin E, give the olive oil additional protection from the oxidation processes. Vitamin E is an umbrella term for a group of sixteen fat-soluble substances with an antioxidant and non-antioxidant effect. Thanks to these special characteristics there is no need to think twice before using virgin olive oil for braising stewing, frying and even for deep-frying, as long as a few rules are followed.

A few basic rules for using olive oil

Oils are very different, and this also applies for high-quality olive oils. Some should preferably be used for salads and cold foods, whilst others can be heated up without a second thought. The touch of flavor you wish to give to a dish is also shaped very strongly by the oil used. Some oils makes herb aromas develop fully and blend in with them, while other oils have a very strong taste of their own and overpower finer aromas of herbs and spices.

Virgin oils can be heated up to 180 0C

When cooking and braising or when baking and frying up to 180 0C, virgin olive oil does not show any substantial chemical changes. Both “extra virgin olive oil” and “virgin olive oil” can therefore be heated up to this temperature. This is the most expressed view on the subject. And this is perfectly adequate for most dishes.

There are some producers who advise against heating virgin olive oils to over 140 0C, claiming that the natural fat-accompanying substances such as the colorant chlorophyll or even fine fruit strands are damaged at this temperatures. They also say that substances may develop in the oil that could be detrimental to your health, and in addition, that the valuable vitamin E is destroyed when heated up. Well-known food chemists such as Udo Pollmer , scientific director of the European Institute of Food and Nutrition sciences, say the following to this: “there is not the slightest scientific explanation for any negative health impacts which could arise when heating virgin olive oil up to 180 0C”.

Refined olive oil can be heated up to 210 0C

Refined olive oil is extremely heat-stable and outstandingly suited for heating up to 210 0C. Using it for frying and deep-frying is wholeheartedly recommended. This makes sense, since much higher temperatures arise during the refining process of the oils than later on in the pan or deep fat fryer.

Too good to fry

Having clarified the technical and health-related aspects of frying with virgin olive oil, we should now speak about the ratio of taste to the merit of a good cold-pressed oil. You can heat high-quality “extra virgin” oils up to 180 0C with no problems, but they do lose some of their aroma as well as some vitamins and secondary ingredients. Very expensive extra virgin olive oils are actually far too good for frying and stewing. High-value natural olive oils should preferably be put on salads or cold meals, or used for refining soups, vegetables, mashed potatoes, etc. after the food has been taken from the stove. Instead of the cream or dab of butter we usually use, just put on a few drops of olive oil. This is healthy and brings an exotic Mediterranean touch to the table.