Difference Between Cold Pressed And Blended Olive Oil

Food , Cooking & Drink

Olive oil is considered one of the best for cooking food, considering it has many health benefits. Most of the chefs or cooking books refer to the usage of extra virgin olive oil, which is sold at a higher price compared to regular olive oil. But what is the reason for this disparity?

The extra virgin olive oil is manufactured by the extraction process known as cold pressed olive oil, which provides high quality and pure olive oil. At the same time, regular olive oil is a blend of cold press and processed oil.

Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of Olea europaea; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. Olive oil is the most common vegetable oil. It is commonly used in cooking, for frying foods or as a salad dressing. It is also used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps, and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps, and has additional uses in some religions. There is limited evidence of its possible health benefits. The olive is one of three core food plants in Mediterranean cuisine; the other two are wheat and grapes. Olive trees have been grown around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC.

The top five producers of olive oil by volume are Spain, Morocco, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. However, per capita national consumption is highest in Greece, followed by Spain and Italy.

The composition of olive oil varies with the cultivar, altitude, time of harvest and extraction process. It consists mainly of oleic acid (up to 83%), with smaller amounts of other fatty acids including linoleic acid (up to 21%) and palmitic acid (up to 20%). Extra virgin olive oil is required to have no more than 0.8% free acidity and is considered to have favorable flavor characteristics.

– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil

In the cold processed olive oil, olive is ground into a paste then they are pressed to extract the extra virgin olive oil.

As heat is not involved in the process, it is known as a cold pressed process. The oil extracted is green in color and has a fruity aroma and peppery flavor. Though this process provides pure and high-quality olive oil, it is a time-consuming process. All these entities bring forth high pricing of the extra virgin olive oil.

If the cold processed olive oil doesn’t meet the extra virgin olive oil standard, it is then refined to remove the undesirable impurities, which make the oil lighter in color and more neutral. This product is then blended with a little bit of premium extra virgin olive oil and is labeled as just olive oil. It is suggested to keep both kinds of olive oil, the regular oil for cooking purpose, and the extra virgin as dips or dressing on the plate so that you can enjoy it distinguish flavor.

Though there is a unanimous opinion that olive oil has health benefits and should be used while cooking, all olive oil is not created equally. People do get confused between extra virgin olive oil and regular olive oil. The main three factors that affect olive oil is light, air, and heat.

So, while selecting the best olive oil for cooking, see to it that the oil is in a dark bottle, especially the extra virgin olive oil as dark bottle protects the oil from light. It’s not that olive oil is not put in light bottles, but then they are kept in a box.

The box protects the oil from light. Hence it is best to store your olive oil bottle in the pantry rather than keeping it on the kitchen where it will be exposed to light. Also, ensure that the bottle is not dripping, or the bottle is broken or else the quality of the oil will be compromised.

If you have an opportunity to taste the oil before buying, if it smells and tastes like fresh olive fruit, then the extract is fresh. But if it tastes or smells like rancid walnuts, then the quality of the extract has been compromised. The extract might have been exposed to heat or light at some point. On the bottle, the best by date will also be mentioned. The fresher the olive oil is better for cooking and consumption.

The author depicts Best Olive Oil for Cooking as the perfect cooking oil, particularly if you really want to flavor your delicious recipes. This oil is used as a fried medium, a marinating product, a coating, etc. For more info, contact our service providers.

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