VIP area (Very Important Perceptions)
Answered by Dr Gerhard du Toit (PhD Agric Sciences, Adelaide University) - Production manager of PGFruit
A lot of misconceptions are floating around about olive oil. This is my effort to change the perception of olive oil of customers we meet at markets.
01
How Do I refill my 3Litre Olive Oil container?
1) The first step is to have the refill bag handy and a very blunt kitchen knife. O... and strong hands!
2) Grab the I tube securely under your arm in a UPSIDE DOWN position.
3) Insert the blunt knife inbetween the BOTTOM plastic cap and the carton body of the I Tube.
4) Pull forcefully on the plastic cap until it pops off.
5) Remove the spent bag and insert the refill in the same position as the previous one.
Remember to fit the tap correctly during this stage!
6) Return the plastic cap and press it down onto the Carton Body to seal the unit again.
A comment/question we most often encounter is that olive oil is unsuited for frying. Even worse that when olive oil is heated dangerous chemicals are released and therefore other oils are best suited, like sunflower and canola. Lets explore this topic..
The smoke point of oil varies with its quality. High quality extra virgin olive oils (with low free fatty acids) have a high smoke point. They are an excellent choice, but an expensive one. Mass produced, low quality olive oils have a much lower smoke point.
Here is what the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) has to say about frying food with olive oil: When heated, olive oil is the most stable fat, which means it stands up well to high frying temperatures. Its high smoke point (410ºF or 210ºC) is well above the ideal temperature for frying food (356ºF or 180ºC). The digestibility of olive oil is not affected when it is heated, even when it is re-used several times for frying
02
Cooking in Olive oil Diminishes The Nutritional Value of the Food.
This a misconception. The fact is that heating food will break down its nutritional value. High heat such as frying is worse than moderate heat such as steaming, which is worse than eating vegetables raw. It is not the cooking oil per se, but the high heat of frying. We are not aware of any edible cooking oil which by itself diminishes the nutritional value of the food cooked in it.
Most nutritionists recommend lightly steaming vegetables or eating them. A touch of a flavorsome extra virgin olive oil added at the table will add taste and healthful anti-oxidants. Such is the Mediterranean diet which has been shown to help prevent coronary disease and have other health benefits
03
Heating Olive Oil Will Make it Saturated or Trans-fatty.
This is not true. All types of oils will oxidize and hydrogenate to a tiny degree if repeatedly heated to very high temperatures such as is done in commercial frying operations. However, olive oil is a highly monounsaturated oil and therefore resistant to oxidation and hydrogenation. The amount of hydrogenation is miniscule and no home cook would ever experience this problem.
The large refinery-like factories that take unsaturated vegetable oil and turn it into margarine or vegetable lard do so by bubbling hydrogen gas through 121 to 204ºC hot vegetable oil in the presence of a metal catalyst, usually nickel or platinum. The process can take several hours. You cannot make a saturated product like margarine at home by heating olive oil or any other vegetable oil in a pan. Changing a cis-fat to a trans-fat does not occur on a home stove.
04
Cooking in Olive oil Diminishes The Nutritional Value of the Food.
This a misconception. The fact is that heating food will break down its nutritional value. High heat such as frying is worse than moderate heat such as steaming, which is worse than eating vegetables raw. It is not the cooking oil per se, but the high heat of frying. We are not aware of any edible cooking oil which by itself diminishes the nutritional value of the food cooked in it.
Most nutritionists recommend lightly steaming vegetables or eating them. A touch of a flavorsome extra virgin olive oil added at the table will add taste and healthful anti-oxidants. Such is the Mediterranean diet which has been shown to help prevent coronary disease and have other health benefits
05
What does it means when Olive Oil is cold pressed? And what do I look for when buying extra virgin olive oil?
The best olive oil is, hand picked, cold pressed only ONCE and should have a TOTAL Free ACIDITY of less than 0.8%. So check the label!! When olive fruit is picked in a manner that damages them or takes too long to press, the total acidity increases. Anything above 0.8% cannot be classified s extra virgin!
Recently the SA Olive industry has added another value, called the peroxide value. The Peroxide value is an indication of the degree of spoilage of the oil and increases with the age of the oil. The peroxide value should be less than 20 and higher values are an indication that the oil is rancid/spoiled.
So look for the quoted values at the back of the packaging and taste the oil before you buy it!