It’s Fried Friday again! Go anywhere and you will find fried food lovers. Be it a food festival or dinner at a friend’s place, deep fried food remains the showstopper. Deep frying any food not only makes it crispy but also satisfies a foodie. However, it isn’t the healthiest way to cook your food. So, how do you make it healthy, by using the healthy olive oil, right? But, haven’t you always believed that deep frying your food with olive oil makes it unhealthy? No, in fact it makes the food healthier.
Enjoying a few deep fried treats every once in a while is not a bad idea after all. But, if you are indulging in this sinful adventure, why not make it healthier by using olive oil. You must be wondering, frying and healthy, how is it possible? Well, with olive oil it definitely is. We tell you why deep frying with olive oil a healthy idea.
Whether you are stir frying, pan frying, deep frying or sautéing, the one thing that remains common is the temperature of the cooking oil. To get a crispy exterior while letting the heat penetrate all the way through, the oil must reach a temperature of 350 to 370 degrees before the food is put into it. The smoking point of olive oil is well below the aforementioned temperature.
Extra virgin olive oil has high levels of antioxidants, which makes olive oil heat stable and also an excellent choice for cooking or frying. Studies have compared the heating of various oils, and the results state that olive oil is the best performer under high heat conditions. This magical oil is more stable than many oils for frying at temperatures between 320 and 374 °F.
The heat, which is required to raise the temperature of olive oil for frying food does not change the composition of the oil from good to bad. Not only does extra virgin olive oil perform well under high heat conditions, but the regular olive oil also does fairly well. Olive oil is way much safer than your sunflower oil if you need to fry any food item.
If you didn’t know, deep frying in olive oil adds a distinct flavour to it, improving the taste of the dish prepared. Frying your food in olive oil not only satiates your desire of eating your favourite food, but it also adds to the nutritional requirements for a healthy dietary fat. So, the next time you decide to deep fry food, fry it in olive oil to remain healthy.
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