Cooking Oil
Cooking Oil is also edible oil, a liquid plant or animal fat used in frying, baking, and other kinds of cooking. The ability to reach higher temperatures than water means cooking time is faster and cooks considerably better but would also distribute the heat better, avoids burning as well, and prevents uneven cooking.
Sometimes, it imparts its taste. Cooking oil is also used in preparing and flavoring food that does not require heat, like salad dressings and bread dips.
Cooking oil is generally liquid at room temperature, though some, containing saturated fats, coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil, are solid.1
Many different varieties of cooking oils are derived from plant sources, like olive oil, palm oil, soybean oil, canola oil (rapeseed oil), corn oil, peanut oil, and other vegetable oils, and even made from animal sources, such as butter and lard.
Oil can be flavored with fragrant foodstuffs such as herbs, chilies, or garlic. Cooking spray is an aerosol of cooking oil.
Health and nutrition
Cooking Oil 24 Intake of small amounts of saturated fats is common in diets [2], but meta-analyses find a significant association of high intake of saturated fats with blood concentrations of LDL and a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases [4].
Other meta-analyses, based on cohort studies and controlled and randomized trials, reported a positive or neutral effect of replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats (10% lower risk for 5% replacement) [5, 6].
According to Mayo Clinic, some of the oils saturated with fats include coconut, palm oil, and palm kernel oil.
Those that have less saturated and a higher amount of unsaturated, preferably omega-3 (olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, soy, and cottonseed oils) are deemed healthier.
US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute[8] called for the replacement of saturated fats with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Some of the sources of healthier monounsaturated oils are olive and canola oils, while soybean and sunflower oils are good sources of polyunsaturated fats. In one study, a comparison was made of the consumption of non-hydrogenated unsaturated oils, such as soybean and sunflower, to the consumption of palm oil in preventing heart disease.[9]
Nut-based oils, such as cashew oil, are safe for use by individuals who have a nut allergy since oils are essentially lipids, and allergens are caused by surface proteins that are associated with the nut.[10]
The seeds of most crops have more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids, with some exceptions. Seeds grown in cold temperatures tend to have a higher concentration of seed oils that contain omega-3 fatty acids. [11]
Trans fats
Trans fats do not exist in diet, unlike other fats, where the consumption of trans fats increases the risk of having coronary heart disease.
Trans fats elevate the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood and reduce the level of HDL cholesterol.
Natural oils are less harmful than trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils.
Cooking Oil 24 Quite a few large studies[16][17][18][19] indicate a relationship between the consumption of high levels of trans fats and coronary heart disease, and potentially with some other diseases.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the American Heart Association (AHA) all have recommended limiting the intake of trans fats. In the US, trans fats are no longer “generally recognized as safe”, and cannot be added to foods, including cooking oils, without special permission.[20]
Cooking with oil
Lisbon oil merchant, c. 1900.
Olive oil
Sunflower seed oil
Oil Heating, as well as heating vessels rapidly change the characteristics of cooking oil.[21] Oils that are healthy at room temperature can become unhealthy when heated above certain temperatures, especially when heated repeatedly.
The toxic risk is associated with the oxidation of fatty acids and the degree of unsaturation in fatty acids; more unsaturated fatty acids oxidize much faster when heated in air.[22]
Thus, when choosing an oil, it is best to choose an oil that can be heated to the temperature that it will experience during use. See also and change frying oils several times a week.[22]
Temperatures for deep-fat frying are usually between 170–190 °C (338–374 °F), occasionally, lower temperatures ≥ 130 °C (266 °F) are applied.[24].
Palm oil contains more saturated fats compared to canola oil, corn oil, linseed oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil.
Therefore, palm oil can stand high-temperature deep frying and is less susceptible to oxidation than high-polyunsaturated vegetable oils.[25]
Since the 1900s, palm oil has gradually been introduced into food by the global commercial food industry because it retains stability in deep frying or baking at extremely high temperatures,[26][27] and for its high levels of natural antioxidants, although the refined palm oil used in industrial food has lost most of its carotenoid content (and its orange-red color).[28]
The following oils may be used for frying at high temperatures since they have high smoke points:
Oil name
Avocado oil
Mustard oil
Palm oil
Peanut oil (often sold as “groundnut oil” in the UK and India)
Rice bran oil
Safflower oil
Olive oil
Half-processed sesame oil
Half-processed sunflower oil[29]
Less intense frying temperatures are commonly used. A high-quality frying oil has a neutral flavor, at least 200 °C (392 °F) smoke and 315 °C (599 °F) flash points, and less than 0.1% free fatty acids and 3% linolenic acid.
Those other oils with higher linolenic fractions are not used because polymerization or gumming is associated with their increased viscosity with time. Olive oil does not degrade with high temperatures and has been a frying oil for over three millennia.
Storage and Stabilization of oil
Cooking Oil All oils oxidize whenever they are exposed to heat, light, or oxygen.
To delay the onset of rancidity, a blanket of inert gas, in this case, nitrogen, is applied to the vapor space in the storage container immediately after the production process known as tank blanketing.
In a cold, dry environment, oils are more stable but will thicken, though they should melt back into a liquid state if left at room temperature.
To minimize the undesirable effects of warmth and light, oils should be taken out of cold storage only as long as necessary for use.[citation needed]
Refined oils rich in monounsaturated fats, like macadamia oil, 32 remain fresh for up to a year, whereas those rich in polyunsaturated fats, like soybean oil, remain fresh for about six months.
Rancidity tests have shown that the shelf life of walnut oil is about 3 months, a period decidedly shorter than the best-before date appearing on labels.
On the other hand, saturated fats comprise oils, such as avocado oil with relatively long shelf lives and are best stored at room temperature due to the stability associated with low polyunsaturated fat. [32]
Types and characteristics
Cooking Oil 24 Many frying oils are high in monounsaturated or saturated fats, although oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids are less desirable.
High oleic acid oils include almond, macadamia, olive, pecan, and pistachio, as well as certain high-oleic cultivars of safflower and sunflower.
Soybean, high oleic[note 1]\t\t\t\t\t\t7.3\t3.4\t0.4\t0.4\t\t\t85.1\t\t\t1.3\t2
Sunflower[41]\t\t\t\t\t0.5\t0.2\t6.8\t4.7\t0.4\t\t\t0.1\t18.6\t\t\t68.2\t0.5
Sunflower, high linoleic[36]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t5.9\t4.5\t\t\t\t\t19.5\t\t\t65.7\t
Sunflower, linoleic[36]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t5.4\t3.5\t\t\t\t0.2\t45.3\t\t\t39.8\t0.2
Sunflower, mid-oleic[36]\t\t\t\t\t\t0.1\t4.2\t3.6\t0.3\t0.8\t\t0.1\t57\t0.2\t\t28.9\t
Sunflower, high oleic[36]\t\t\t\t\t\t0.1\t3.7\t4.3\t\t1\t\t0.1\t82.6\t1\t\t3.6\t0.2
Sunflower, high oleic I[51]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t5\t3\t\t\t\t\t82\t\t\t9\t
Sunflower, high oleic II[51]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t5\t4\t\t\t\t\t90\t\t\t1\t
Tallow, beef[36]\t\t\t\t\t0.9\t3.7\t24.9\t18.9\t\t\t\t4.2\t36\t0.3\t\t3.1\t0.6
Tallow, mutton[36]\t\t\t\t\t\t3.8\t21.5\t19.5\t\t\t\t2.3\t37.6\t\t\t5.5\t2.3
Walnut[39]\t\t\t\t\t\t0.1\t6.7\t2.3\t0.1\t\t\t0.2\t21\t0.2\t\t57.5\t11.6
[52] Parts per hundred
Warner and Gupta reported fishy and stale flavors in
It is identified with a continuous wisp of smoke. It is the temperature at which oil is said to burn, and this will result in some of the foods prepared with such oil developing a burnt flavor and experiencing degradation of certain nutrient and phytochemical characteristics of the oil.
Flash and fire points are above the smoke point. While the flash point is the temperature at which oil vapors will ignite but are not produced in sufficient quantities to stay lit, the fire point is the temperature at which oil vapors will burn sufficiently to sustain themselves. The flash point typically is around 275–330 °C (527–626 °F). The fire point is the temperature at which hot oil has created enough vapor such that it can ignite and burn. All of these temperature points decline as frying times are extended. They are more sensitive to an oil’s acidity than its fatty-acid profile.
The smoke point of cooking oils differs generally from how oil is processed: a higher smoke point is achieved by the removal of impurities and free fatty acids. 54
Any residual solvent carried through from processing may lower the smoke point. 56 It has been claimed to rise with the addition of antioxidants (BHA, BHT, and TBHQ). For these reasons, the smoke points that appear in published sources may differ.
Eating Oil
Fat Quality Smoke point[caution 1]
Almond oil 221 °C 430 °F[57]
Avocado oil Refined 271 °C 520 °F[58][59]
Avocado oil Unrefined 250 °C 482 °F[60]
Beef tallow 250 °C 480 °F
Butter 150 °C 302 °F[61]
Ghee/Butter Clarified 250 °C 482 °F[62]
Castor oil Refined 200 °C[63] 392 °F
Coconut oil Refined, dry 204 °C 400 °F[64]
Coconut oil Unrefined, dry expeller pressed, virgin 177 °C 350 °F[64]
Corn oil 230–238 °C[65] 446–460 °F
Corn oil Unrefined 178 °C[63] 352 °F
Cottonseed oil Refined, bleached, deodorized 220–230 °C[66] 428–446 °F
Flaxseed oil Unrefined 107 °C 225 °F[59]
Grape seed oil 216 °C 421 °F
Lard 190 °C 374 °F[61]
Mustard oil 250 °C 480 °F[67]
Olive oil Refined 199–243 °C 390–470 °F[68]
Olive oil Virgin 210 °C 410 °F
Olive oil Extra virgin, low acidity, high quality 207 °C 405 °F[59][69]
Olive oil Extra-virgin 190 °C 374 °F[69] Palm oil Fractionated 235 °C[70] 455 °F Peanut oil Refined 232 °C[59] 450 °F Peanut oil 227–229 °C[59][71] 441–445 °F Peanut oil Unrefined 160 °C[59] 320 °F Pecan oil 243 °C[72] 470 °F Rapeseed oil (Canola) 220–230 °C[73] 428–446 °F Rapeseed oil (Canola) Expeller press 190–232 °C 375–450 °F[74] Rapeseed oil (Canola) Refined 204 °C 400 °F Rapeseed oil (Canola) Unrefined 107 °C 225 °F Rice bran oil Refined 232 °C[48] 450 °F Safflower oil Unrefined 107 °C 225 °F[59] Safflower oil Semirefined 160 °C 320 °F[59] Safflower oil Refined 266 °C 510 °F[59] Sesame oil Unrefined 177 °C 350 °F[59] Sesame oil Semirefined 232 °C 450 °F[59] Soybean oil 234 °C[75] 453 °F Sunflower oil Neutralized, dewaxed, bleached & deodorized 252–254 °C[76] 486–489 °F Sunflower oil Semirefined 232 °C[59] 450 °F
Sunflower oil 227 °C[59] 441 °F
Sunflower oil Unrefined, first cold-pressed, raw 107 °C[77] 225 °F
Sunflower oil, high oleic Refined 232 °C 450 °F[59]
Sunflower oil, high oleic Unrefined 160 °C 320 °F[59]
Vegetable oil blend Refined 220 °C[69] 428 °F
Smoke, fire, and flash points of any fat and oil may be deceptive: they are practically entirely dependent on the free fatty acid content, which rises in storage or by use.
The smoke point of fats and oils decreases if at least partly hydrolyzed into free fatty acids and glycerol; the glycerol portion decomposes to form acrolein, which is the main source of the smoke evolved from heated fats and oils.
A partly hydrolysed oil therefore smokes at a lower temperature than a non-hydrolysed oil. (Adapted from Gunstone, Frank D., ed. (17 March 2011). Vegetable Oils in Food Technology: Composition, Properties and Uses. Wiley, Inc. OCLC 1083187382.) Oils are extracted from nuts, seeds, olives, grains, or legumes by extraction using industrial chemicals or through mechanical processes.
Expeller pressing is the collection of oils that come from a source using a mechanical press with a minimal amount of heat that does not use chemicals.
Cold-pressed oils are pressed under a controlled temperature setting typically less than 105 °C (221 °F) which aims at preserving naturally present phytochemicals like polyphenols, tocotrienols, phytosterols, and vitamin E that contribute together to color, flavor, fragrance, and nutritional value. [54][78] view talk edit
Type of Oil
oil or fat\\tSFA\\tMUFA\\tPUFA\\tOmega-\\tSmoke point
[79][80]
Uses
3\\t6
Almond\\t8%\\t66%\\t26%\\t0\\t17%\\t221 °C (430 °F)\\tBaking, sauces, flavoring
Avocado oil\\t12%\\t74%\\t14%\\t0.95%\\t12%\\t271 °C (520 °F)\\tFrying, sautéing, dipping oil, salad oil
Butter\\t66%\\t30%\\t4%\\t0.3%\\t2.7%\\t150 °C (302 °F)\\tCooking, baking, condiment, sauces, flavoring
However, while the liquid-liquid equilibrium of oil-in-water and water-in-oil microemulsions is much more complex, it is even simpler as compared to that of the conventional emulsion, except when one or both of these phases involve a lyotropic liquid crystal [end]
Hemp oil\t9%\t12%\t79%\t18%\t55%\t165 °C (329 °F)\tCooking, salad dressings
Lard\t41%\t47%\t2%\t1%\t10%\t183–205 °C (361–401 °F)\tBaking, frying
Macadamia oil\t12.5%\t84%\t3.5%\t0\t2.8%\t210 °C (410 °F)\tCooking, frying, deep frying, salads, dressings. A slightly nutty odor.
Margarine (hard)\t80%\t14%\t6%\t2%\t22%\t150 °C (302 °F)\tCooking, baking, condiment
Margarine (soft)\t20%\t47%\t33%\t2.4%\t23%\t150–160 °C (302–320 °F)\tCooking, baking, condiment
Mustard oil\t13%\t60%\t21%\t5.9%\t15%\t254 °C (489 °F)\tCooking, frying, deep frying, salads, dressings. Very clean flavoured & palatable.
Olive oil (extra virgin)\t14%\t73%\t11%\t0.7%\t9.8%\t190 °C (374 °F)\tCooking, salad oils, margarine
Olive oil (virgin)\t14%\t73%\t11%\t0.7%\t9.8%\t215 °C (419 °F)\tCooking, salad oils, margarine
Refined olive oil 14% 73% 11% 0 0 225 °C (437 °F) Sautee, stir-frying, deep frying, cooking, salad oils, margarine.
Extra light olive oil 14% 73% 11% 0 0 242 °C (468 °F) Sautee, stir-frying, frying, deep frying, cooking, salad oils, margarine.
Palm oil 52% 38% 10% 0.2% 9.1% 230 °C (446 °F) Frying, [83] cooking, flavoring, vegetable oil, shortening
Peanut oil 18% 49% 33% 0 31% 231 °C (448 °F) Frying, cooking, salad oils, margarine, deep frying
Pumpkin seed oil 8% 36% 57% 0% 64% 121 °C (250 °F) Salad oils
Rice bran oil 20% 47% 33% 1.6% 33% 213 °C (415 °F)[48] Cooking, frying, deep frying, salads, dressings. Very clean flavoured & palatable.
Safflower oil (high oleic)[84][85]\\t6%\\t75%\\t13%\\t\\t\\t242 °C (468 °F)[81]\\tFrying, cooking
Safflower oil (linoleic)[86]\\t6%\\t14%\\t75%\\t\\t\\t242 °C (468 °F)[81]\\tCooking, salad dressings, margarine
Sesame oil (unrefined)\\t14%\\t43%\\t43%\\t0.3\\t41%\\t177 °C (351 °F)\\tCooking
Sesame oil (semi-refined)\\t14%\\t43%\\t43%\\t0.3\\t41%\\t232 °C (450 °F)\\tCooking, deep frying
Soybean oil\\t15%\\t24%\\t61%\\t6.7%\\t50%\\t240 °C (464 °F)[81]\\tCooking, salad dressings, vegetable oil, margarine, shortening
Sunflower oil (high oleic, refined)[87]\\t9%\\t82%\\t9%\\t0.2%\\t3.6%\\t244 °C (471 °F)[81]\\tFrying, cooking[88]
Sunflower oil (linoleic, refined)[87]\\t11%\\t20%\\t69%\\t0%\\t56%\\t240 °C (464 °F)[81]\\tCooking, salad dressings, margarine, shortening
Sunflower oil (mid-oleic, refined, NuSun)[87]\\t9%\\t65%\\t26%\\t\\t\\t211 °C (412 °F)[81]\\tCommercial food manufacturing
Tea seed oil[89] 22% 60% 18% 0.7% 22% 252 °C (486 °F) Cooking, salad dressings, stir-frying, frying, margarine
Tallow[90] 43% 50% 4% 1% 3% 249 °C (480 °F) Cooking, shortening, pemmican, deep frying
Walnut oil (semi-refined) 9% 23% 63% 10% 53% 204 °C (399 °F)[91] Salad dressings, added to cold dishes to enhance flavor
[92]
Other types of food compared
Fat composition in different types of food
Extraction and purification
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Croatian olive oil production
Cooking Oil Extraction and refining are two different operations. Extraction is the removal of oil, usually from a seed, nut, or fruit. Refining changes the aspect, appearance, taste, odor, or stability of the oil to serve the requirements of its customers.
Extraction
There are three broad categories of oil extraction:
Chemical solvent extraction, commonly hexane.
Pressing, using an expeller press or cold press (pressing at very low temperatures so that the oil does not heat up).
Decanter centrifuge.
In industrial-sized oil extraction, you often see a combination of pressing, chemical extraction, and/or centrifuging to extract as much oil as possible.[104]
Refining
Cooking oil can either be unrefined or refined using one or more of the following refining processes (in any combination):[105]
Distilling: which heats oil so that chemical solvents used in the extraction process can evaporate off.
Additives: preservatives, such as antioxidants BHA, BHT, and tocopherol, stabilize oils, which have become less stable because of the high temperature used to process them.
Screening, a process not using a chemical, removes large particles and might fit into a category as refining, but it alters the oil in no way.
Oil Most commercial cooking oil refining processes include all these steps into a single stage to obtain a product that is uniform in flavor, aroma, and appearance and has a much longer shelf life. [104]
Healthy marketed cooking oil usually comes unrefined and thus will result in a rather less stable product, but it will certainly avoid the high-temperature and chemical processing processes.
Waste cooking oil
Cooking Oil a spent-cooking-oil recycling bin in Austin, Texas, sponsored by a recycling company.
Used cooking oil is an important issue for waste managers. Liquified oil becomes solidified in sewers and causes sanitary sewer overflow. Hence, used cooking oil should never be disposed of in the kitchen sink or the toilet bowl.
Oil must be disposed of in a sealed non-recyclable container and taken as regular garbage.[109]
The container of oil can even be placed in the fridge to harden making its disposal easier and less messy. Recycling
Main article: Yellow grease
Cooking oil may be recycled. It can be used for the following purposes: animal feed, soap, make-up, clothes, rubber, detergents, as fuel, and for the production of biodiesel.[110][111][112]
In the recycling industry, used cooking oil recovered from restaurants and food-processing industries typically from deep fryers or griddles is called yellow grease, recycled vegetable oil (RVO), used vegetable oil (UVO), or waste vegetable oil (WVO).[113]
Grease traps or interceptors collect fats and oils from kitchen sinks and floor drains. The result is called brown grease, and unlike yellow grease, its severe contaminants make it much harder to recycle.
Adulteration
Gutter oil and trench oil are informal terms used in China for re-refined oil that is processed to resemble virgin oil but contains toxic contaminants, and is sold illicitly as a cooking product; its origin may be brown grease from garbage.
In Kenya, transformers are resold to street food vendors for reusing the oil in deep frying. Their use is almost equivalent to longer servings than normal cooking oil, but they pose a health risk to consumers since they contain PCBs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.