Every home and professional chef wants to use their kitchens to serve nothing but the healthiest foods. An excellent yet underrated way to do so is by replacing vegetable oil with healthier alternatives such as olive oil.
Today, we will show how you can substitute olive oil for vegetable oil to serve hearty meals to your guests. For the sake of easy understanding, we have brainstormed and presented a comprehensive walk-through for you to follow. Stay with us till the end to make sure you understand the entire concept accurately.
What Is Vegetable Oil?
Put simply, vegetable oils are the oils derived from plant-based sources such as seeds. They come in a massive plethora of variations, so you can locate them in almost all your local grocery stores. You will also find vegetable oils compulsorily in nearly every commercial and home kitchen due to their broad usage spectrum.
-
Composition of Vegetable Oil
In terms of chemical composition, three long chains of carbon atoms remain conjoint with the glycerol molecule and make one vegetable oil molecule. The packaged versions of these oils are mainly extracted from plants employing mechanical or chemical extraction.
Right after their blending phase, different oils from different plant sources are blended together before packaging. Local manufacturers supply the oil boxes/bottles to your local supermarket shelves within 7-8 days of production.
-
Uses of Vegetable Oil
Due to being one of the widely used oils all over the US, there are actually countless culinary uses of vegetable oil. Regardless of the outcome, you will find chefs use vegetable oils for almost everything starting from baking to frying. Some of the common uses of vegetable oils include –
- Enhancing flavor by infusing a foreign taste
- For lubricating foodstuffs so that they do not get stuck with each other (or the tray while baking)
- Lastly, to dehydrate the outsides of baked goods to bring in the crisp
What Is Olive Oil?
While olive oil is also termed as vegetable oil, it is actually much healthier than the packaged version of vegetable oils. The juice you’ll obtain by pressing on olives goes through a few refinement stages before turning into olive oil. Some producers even chose to skip the refinement part as it works just fine without it!
-
Composition of Olive Oil
Olive oil is abundant in monosaturated fats, the highest among all other oils that are produced naturally. It’s mainly composed of almost 83% oleic acid, which is its most significant flavor factor. Other prominent acids include – Linoleic acid, Palmitic acid, Stearic acid, and a very negligible amount of α-Linolenic acid.
Manufacturers directly extract the oil through mechanical pressing. Want in on a little fun fact? Olive oil is the only natural oil that humans can consume right after extraction.
-
Uses of Olive Oil
In the US and other neighboring regions, people like to use olive oil in their salad dressings and for sautéing several everyday items. They also act as a flavor enhancer as long as you are going to maintain temperature regulations. Today modern-day chefs like to use it as an alternative to several other oils.
Refined olive oil is perfect for deep frying your chicken tenders or sausages. On the contrary, extra virgin versions are much more suitable for cooking purposes (as opposed to existing myths). The only oil in the market that doesn’t beat olive oil in terms of health benefits is canola oil.
Vegetable vs. Olive Oil: Which One Is Better?
The simple answer to the question is that olive oil is actually better than vegetable oil in terms of naturalness. Olive oil has lower fat constituents than vegetable oil. Consequently, it also has a lower smoking point. Before we move further into the comparison, remember that here vegetable oil refers to seed-based oils only.
A research published in the National Center for Biotechnology InformationTop of Form (NCBI) states that high cholesterol consumption has deleterious consequences on our cognitive performance. Judging by this, vegetable oils might seem like a healthy choice for regular consumptions due to lack of cholesterol, but it isn’t.
Wondering why? Well, veggie oil is rich in unsaturated fats. Once you heat these fats, they start to oxidize and eventually become detrimental to your tissue health. Extreme cases include instances of heart attacks as well!
Due to being high in good fats and powerful antioxidants, extra virgin olive oil is one of the undisputed champions among all the alternatives to vegetable oil. They even have a lower smoking point, perfect for cooking your foods evenly. Here’s how you can replace vegetable oil with olive oil in your daily culinary activities.
How to Substitute Olive Oil for Vegetable Oil
Before learning to substitute one for the other, you must first acknowledge several kinds of edible olive oils. The most common sorts include extra virgin, extra virgin, refined and pure olive oil. Here’s how you can use olive oil to take over vegetable oil:
- Go for Mild and Light Variations
While substituting olive oil for other oils, make sure you choose mild and light versions only. If you’re using the mild olive oil, then all you need to do is use 1 tbsp of olive oil for every 1 tbsp of vegetable oil (1:1 ratio).
We recommend mild accent olive oils for recipe replacements because the taste isn’t too overpowering. In other words, the flavor profile of your dish remains the same even after replacement.
- 50-50 Rule
Don’t have any mild-flavored olive oil in the pantry? No need to worry. Simply take half of the required amount of vegetable oil and mix it with an equivalent amount of olive oil before using it in the recipe. That way, your olive taste won’t turn into overkill, and you’ll also be saving some money.
- Don’t Overheat the Olive Oil during Frying
Naturally, olive oil has a lower smoking point than vegetable oil. In our experience, a common mistake when working with olive oil is using too much heat. We strongly discourage this as it’ll start to smoke out sooner than you expect, resulting in a burnt aftertaste.
Instead, take it slow and easy. Only use low and medium flames on the oil. This way, you will be able to make sure that your food has cooked evenly all through.
- Use in Dressings
Another great way to unleash your olive oil’s flavors is through salads. Olive oils bind better with chicken and vegetables than vegetable oils. This gives your salad a more superior taste and consistency. If you like interchanging veggie oil with olive oil, remember to use lots of greens to pop up the olive oil flavor with dexterity.
- Use in Sautés and Coatings
You can also use your olive oil to fry your food, but we don’t recommend using too much because nobody likes an overkill. Moreover, it also increases the net cost by manifold. Note that it’s perfectly fine as long as you are using it in moderation.
Next time you need to coat your pan with butter/vegetable oil, use olive oil instead. That way, you’ll be leaving behind a subtle trait of the flavor that will smell and taste extraordinary once cooked (or baked).
Serving Healthier Foods Starting Today!
This article was meant to help you understand how you can substitute olive oil for vegetable oil. Kick out all the unhealthy fats from your kitchen and start off with healthier alternatives. Use the guidelines mentioned in the article wisely to make sure you are serving nothing but the best at your table. Happy cooking!