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Posted: 1/2/2006 2:17:36 PM EDT
I have gotten into the stir fry thing for the last couple of months. Stir fry chicken and shrimp with veggies. I always thought that Olive oil for this type of cooking is better for you than other oil or butter. And I recently bought a deep fryer, I have to use corn or vegetable oil in that. But it seems like this is old info, and these things seem to be blown out of the water as newer research comes out.
Is it true? Olive oil better for you than butter or veggie oil? Why? |
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yea it is better 4 u, but you cant deep fry with it. Olive oil burns quicker.
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olive oil certainly tastes better than regular old veggie oil, but peanut oil is what you should be using for stir fry.
Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat, which lowers cholesterol I think |
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To clarify: I am not deep frying with Olive oil. I am using vegetable oil for that! I am using the olive oil for making stir fry and things like that. Just wondering if there is real benefit. |
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Yes you can. Just takes attention to detail / temperature AND CHANGING THE OIL AFTER EACH USE like normal people. |
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Big Pussy would say...... yes oops...Soprano's |
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Olive oil is more beneficial in that it tastes better (if you use the good stuff)... like toasted sesame oil for Asian food.
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i believe it burns quicker than regular vegetable oil. What that means is that it begins to release carcinogens quicker when heated than vegetable oil.
So it's healthier to use as long as you don't fry with it for too long and you don't ever reuse the oil. |
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That's actually even worse than deep-frying with it since you use very high temperatures for proper stir-frying. Olive oil contains about 80% oleic acid which is unsaturated. This makes it healthier but also makes it break down at a lower temperature than saturated fatty acids. |
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Olive oil smokes with high heat, breaks down faster than vegetable. Peanut oil will take heat the best. Vegetable and corn oil good for general use.
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I like it because it tastes good but as a mono-unsaturated fat it's the ideal....that and some fish oils and flax oil.
Olive oil in the Mediterranean diet In the 1960s, it was found that the people of Greece (Crete) consumed a great deal of salt and fat (but also a lot of plant foods). They were living longer than the Japanese, who were also eating a lot of salt but whose diet was low in fat and lower in plant foods. The people of Crete lived longer because they had lower rates of stroke, stomach cancer, heart disease and other cancers. Researchers also noticed that people living in countries around the Mediterranean had a lower incidence of heart disease, despite their high intake of mono-unsaturated fats, such as olive oil. This led to investigations into what is known as 'the Mediterranean diet', of which olive oil is a major part. Research supports the health benefits of olive oil Recent studies into the health benefits of olive oil have found that it can lower the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing blood cholesterol levels. According to one study, a person's risk of fatal heart attack is halved in just two to four years once they switch to 'the Mediterranean diet', which includes using olive oil as the main dietary fat, increasing vegetable intake, and limiting meat and dairy foods. Research has also found that olive oil may influence body fat distribution, with less fat stored around the stomach. |
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Olive oil is GREAT for you.
This is why us Sicilians, and those lesser people from the rest of Italy can eat lots, get fat, and never seem to die. |
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for stir fry, also try Grape Seed Oil. It's kinda expensive, but tastes great
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I'm not normal. I cook the chicked or shrimp first, then add the veggies and essentially just warm them up. I do the whole thing on medium/low heat. |
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Oh, I love Grape seed. And Olive Oil (virgin). Mind you i don't do much high temp stuff, but, i love to cook. And much of my cooking uses oils. How Olive oil is healthier is the same way Grape seed is better. "Hydrogenated" or "Partially Hydrogenated" oils are those that are processed. The process creates polimers, usually long string. These are very bad for a body because they end up as Colesterol. Margerine begins it's life as corn oil, then its subjected to hydrogenation until its all thicken up. Butter, real butter, is better because the fat that it makes, the body can use, and not plug you up. Sorry, i seemed to have drifted. Yes, Olive oil is healthier. |
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Extra virgin olive oil is the most healthy source of fat you can have. It has antioxidants in it and is a source of fat that will actually lower your bad cholesterol. It is the only fat that actually makes your body healthier as you consume it.
There are lots of studies and tons of information out there about the health benefits of EVOO. Here's just one of many sites that list its benefits: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/olive-oil.htm Another benefit is that it tastes fantastic. Extra virgin olive oil's only drawback is that it has a lower smokepoint than some other oils (between 350 and 400 degrees) which isn't really a problem unless you are going for extremely high temperatures. I know folks who fry in EVOO all the time using fryers without problem. Extra virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil are the types that are good for you. Standard processed olive oils aren't really any better for you than other types of processed oils. |
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Not that I don't believe you, but that link smacks of someone just trying to sell something. Have you researched their claims any further? I am interested because my wife got my a deep fryer for Christmas and I want to make some of my own potato chips. You think coconut oil would be best for that? TheKill, I really like olive oil. I haven't really cooked with it though. A good recipie is to pour olive oil onto a plate, sprinkle finely chopped parsley, garlic salt, and finely shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) onto the olive oil. Then dip fresh baked bread into it and eat. Yummy! |
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Most stovetop cooking doesn't approach the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil. The only time I have had smokepoint problems was when using the oven at around 400 degrees. |
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Indeed. Margerine has a lower overall fat content than regular butter does, but the type of fat that is produced by hydrogenation is something your body cannot breakdown whereas the natural fats in butter your body can deal with. Hydrogenated oils of any type are bad news and should be avoided if at all possible, which is difficult since lots of companies use them in products. Recently as people are becoming more health aware there are alternatives like natural peanut butter as opposed to that hydrogenated sludge people are used to eating.... |
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That's the beauty of extra virgin oil. It is the only oil out there that tastes wonderful all by itself. Nothing in the world beats a real pizza from Napoli with a hint of cheese, a little tomato sauce and perfect crust anointed with a perfect ammount of olive oil. The Italians use EVOO for cooking EVERYTHING, even high temperature brazes and the like without problem. And they tend to outlive Americans. When you hit EVOO's smoke point, you know it, because it billows smoke. But that guy's contention that heating olive oil is unsafe is just silly. |
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What I found interesting in that article was not the sales pitch for coconut oil (which I don't think would be good except for MAYBE someone doing that low-carb diet) but the info on the other oils. I try to stay away from the polysaturated stuff and if I do cook with oil it's usually a light amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan. My feeling is that the most important thing is to reduce the amount of oil you are taking in to a healthy level. Supplement the fats with a lot of fresh herbs and strong flavors. Cooking sprays & non-stick pans are great too. With a little trial and error you can replace the oil content in a lot of dishes and/or make baked alternatives that may not taste the same but still taste great. I do think an interesting point raised was that non-heated olive oil has more beneficial qualities than heated. There are plenty of uses for cold oil, especially with salads and marinades for things like tomato slices topped with fresh mozarella etc. If you are goiing to deep fry, you might as well go with what is best suited for the application. I think peanut oil is the oil of choice for that. |
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Oh, I see what you meant now. Thanks for clarifying. |
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I have heard it becomes toxic at higher temps. Urban legend? |
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Coconut oil is preferred because it does not go rancid as easily as unsaturated oils and does not oxidize as easily at high heat. Its saturated fats are mostly short and medium-chain fatty acids, as opposed to the long-chain fatty acids found in most animal fats. Short and medium-chain fatty acids are burned more like carbohydrates than fats, from what I've read. Then you have the interesting anti-viral properties of coconut oil, I believe due to the lauric acid in it. I like to use it whenever I can, but olive oil is good too. I'll use pretty much anything except corn oil and canola oil. |
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Good info, I'll have to check into it. |
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Canola oil has the same unsat. fats and is less flavored. I use olive for things that I like the flavor in, and canola for the rest (baking, lightly flavored foods etc). |
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Then it is just fine to use olive oil. I'm paranoid about cooking chicken anyway. I like to cook it very well to avoid food poisoning (salmonella). |
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dont forget the freshground pepper in your mix there... |
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