Main Index
The United States produces in excess of 11 billion liters of waste vegetable oil annually, mainly from industrial deep fryers in potato processing plants, snack food factories and fast food restaurants.
If all those 11 billion liters could be collected and used to replace
the energetically equivalent amount of petroleum (a rather utopian
case), almost 1% of US oil consumption could be offset.
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Varieties of Oil
By far the most popular oil is olive oil with its great health benefits and amazing cooking characteristics.
When buying
olive oil you will want to obtain a high quality Extra Virgin oil. The
oil that comes from the first "pressing" of the olive, is extracted without
using heat (a cold press) or chemicals, and has no "off" flavors is awarded
"extra virgin" status. The less the olive oil is handled, the
closer to its natural state, the better the oil. If the olive oil meets
all the criteria, it can be designated as "extra virgin".
What is
pure and light olive oil? "Pure" olive oil is made by adding
a little extra virgin olive oil to refined olive oil. It is a lesser grade
oil that is also labeled as just "olive oil" in the U.S.
"Light"
olive oil is a marketing concept and not a classification of olive oil
grades. It is completely unregulated by any certification organizations
and therefore has no real precedent to what its content should be. Sometimes,
the olive oil is cut with other vegetable oils.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Considered the best, least processed, comprising the
oil from the first pressing of the olives.
Virgin Olive Oil
From the second pressing.
Pure Olive Oil
Undergoes some processing, such as filtering and refining.
Extra light Olive Oil
Undergoes considerable processing and only retains
a very mild olive flavour.
The generic term "vegetable oil" when used to label a cooking oil
product refers to a blend of a variety of oils often based on palm,
corn, soybean or sunflower oils.
Oil can be flavoured by immersing aromatic food stuffs such as fresh
herbs, peppers and so forth in the oil for an extended period of time.
Olive Oil,Palm Oil, Soybean Oil, Canola Oil, Pumpkin Seed oil, Corn oil, Sunflower Oil, Safflower Oil, Peanut Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Sesame Oil, Argan Oil and Rice Bran Oil.
How To
· Store & Keep Oils
· Select & Cook With Oils
Recipes
· Balsamic and Roasted Garlic Dipping Oil
· Three Cheese Blend Dipping Oil
Health BenefitsThe beneficial
health effects of olive oil are due to both its high content of monounsaturated
fatty acids and its high content of antioxidative
substances. Studies have shown that olive oil offers protection against
heart disease by controlling
LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels while raising HDL (the "good"
cholesterol) levels. (1-3) No other naturally produced oil has as large
an amount of monounsaturated as olive oil -mainly oleic acid.
Olive oil
is very well tolerated by the stomach. In fact, olive oil's protective
function has a beneficial effect on ulcers and gastritis. Olive oil activates
the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones much more naturally than
prescribed drugs.
Consequently, it lowers the incidence of gallstone
formation.
Do not
fall into the hype which is put out by traditional medicine regarding
the promotion of canola oil (rapeseed) as superior due to its concentration
of monounsaturated fatty acids. Olive oil is far superior and has been
around for thousands of years. Canola oil is a relatively recent development
and the original crops were unfit for human consumption due to their high
content of a dangerous fatty acid called euric acid.