Olive oil

Hello,
I would like to ask, is the best oil in the kitchen for preparing meals refined olive oil and sunflower oil, and therefore also ghee butter? Could you recommend which of these oils is the most suitable for practice and why?
Thank you.

The "best" oil is one that meets three conditions:
1. It does not burn at the temperatures at which you intend to use it,
2. It contains a reasonably balanced ratio of fatty acids,
3. It is affordable.
Refined olive and canola oils are closest to these conditions. Although sunflower oil has a higher smoke point, it contains a high proportion of omega-6 fatty acids, which is a disadvantage given their excess in the Western diet. Ghee indeed has a high smoke point and is therefore suitable for warm cooking, but it does not have such a favorable ratio of fatty acids (saturated fats dominate).
However, it is always sensible to approach the choice of oils pragmatically; it is not absolutely necessary to target just one option. One of the main principles of rational eating is the factor of variety, so it is beneficial to combine sources.

What is the concept of olive oil acidity? How does it relate to the smoke point?

The acidity of olive oil is determined by the content of free fatty acids. The rule applies - the lower the content of these acids, the higher the quality of the oil. Quality olive oils should not contain more than 1% free acids, and a value dropping below 0.5% already indicates a high-quality oil. The content of free acids is not directly related to the smoke point; when the smoke point is reached, irreversible changes in the chemical structure of the oil occur, leading to the formation of carcinogenic substances.

Hello,
I would like to ask why you prefer olive oil for frying (even though you do it only rarely :-) when rapeseed oil is often recommended as the best oil for frying due to its high smoke point, low content of saturated fatty acids, and high omega-9 content...? Isn't rapeseed oil better than olive oil?
And I would also like to ask, what is your opinion on ghee?
Thank you :-).

This claim prevails in our region due to the intense promotion by its manufacturers. Technically speaking, this isn't true because if you compare olive oil and rapeseed oil, both in REFINED form, olive oil proves to be better. It contains more saturated and monounsaturated fats, which are more heat-stable than the polyunsaturated fats that rapeseed oil is richer in.

Ghee is an advantageous fat for heat manipulation—it contains a predominant share of saturated fats, thus having a very high smoke point. However, caution is needed regarding its overall quantity, precisely because of the saturated fatty acids with regard to monitoring the daily ratio between saturated and unsaturated fats (which should be around 1:2).

Hello,

I would like to ask how to choose a quality olive oil. I have read that there is a lot of fraud – lower quality oils are passed off as extra virgin. I would also like to know what oil acidity means? It is supposedly one of the indicators of oil quality, but I haven’t seen this information on most oils.

Thank you.

To select a high-quality olive oil, you can use several criteria, with two being key:

1. Acidity - It is defined by the content of free fatty acids (it should be up to 0.5%). Do not buy a product that does not present this information, as you have no guarantee of its quality. However, if you are buying oil from small producers (family businesses) they often do not provide this value, as they often consider it an unnecessary financial investment that increases their costs.

2. Degree of filtration (refinement) of the oil - For cold dishes, it is advantageous to prefer unfiltered oil, as it contains a much higher amount of health-beneficial substances. You can recognize this by the oil not being completely clear and it solidifies faster in the cold (or the precipitation of unfiltered impurities such as lecithins, etc. occurs).

Hello,
you mentioned that olive oil starts to smoke at 180-210 degrees. If I use it for grilling in a pan (e.g., for grilled vegetables or meat), is the temperature usually up to 180 degrees in such preparation, or is it on the borderline and should I rather use another oil?
Thank you

The given values apply to oils that are filtered—meaning they contain pure oil without impurities (i.e., substances naturally present in oil, such as lecithin, phytochemical components, etc.), which significantly lower the smoke point. Generally, once you see smoke rising from the heated oil, it indicates that you are overheating it, i.e., the smoke point has been exceeded and the temperature needs to be reduced.

Is extra virgin olive oil also suitable for cooking? Is it suitable for baking, for example, in bread dough?

For oil, it matters whether it is filtered, as the content of insoluble particles significantly reduces its smoke point. Filtered oils are commonly used for cooking, with their burn temperature ranging between 180 - 210 degrees Celsius.

Is extra virgin olive oil also suitable for cooking? Is it suitable for baking, for example, in bread dough?

For oil, it matters whether it is filtered, as the content of insoluble particles significantly reduces its smoke point. Filtered oils are commonly used for cooking, with their burn temperature ranging between 180 - 210 degrees Celsius.