I’m sure you’ve asked yourself many times which is the best oil for frying, right? You doubt between the use of different qualities of olive oil or even between seed oils. In this post we will clear up all your questions and help you to always choose the best vegetable fat to fry your food.

Frying is a culinary technique based on cooking a food by immersion in extra virgin olive oil heated to a temperature of 180ºC or higher. Several investigations assure that a correctly fried food preserves all its nutritional properties and can be a rich and healthy proposal.

However, this cooking technique has many detractors, who base their arguments mainly on the 899 kcal containing 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil. What they surely don’t know is that, using evoo, the amount of fat that the food absorbs is minimal because when fried it creates a crust around it that prevents the oil from penetrating inside.

In order to dispel some of the myths surrounding fried foods, here we explain why you should use not only extra virgin olive oil, but also oil extracted from the Picual variety. In this way, you will get some exquisite dishes, full of a great aroma and flavor.

6 reasons why you should use Picual evoo in your fried foods

Surely you have heard that heat is one of the main enemies of extra virgin olive oil. And you surely know that the Picual variety is the olive that best resists high temperatures. This is due to its composition in polyphenols, natural antioxidants that act as protectors against oxidation.

For this reason, the olive juice obtained from this variety is the most recommended for frying because…

1. It is very healthy. Its high content of polyphenols (natural antioxidants), in addition to providing health, will stop the oxidative degradation of the evoo and its use will be prolonged in time.
2. It has vitamins A, D, E and K, providing a large dose of health.
3. Although all the evoos lose their properties when heated, they degrade (oxidize) less thanks to their stability. This is because it reaches 180 ºC without being altered or degraded.
4. It brings its characteristic qualities to any product.
5. It creates a crust around the food preventing the evoo from penetrating inside it.
6. When heated, it expands, so the amount we must use is notably reduced.

Tips for perfect frying

Although it seems simple, the frying of a food has some considerations that must be taken into account if what we want is to enjoy the culinary proposal in all its splendor.

1. Before frying any food you must dry it very well. This way you will avoid the dreaded splashes. In addition, water favors the decomposition of oil.
2. You should not mix the extra virgin with other vegetable fats. As we have previously mentioned, the evoo is the fat that is most resistant to high temperatures.
3. Before introducing the food into the evoo, we must make sure that the temperature is correct.
4. Avoid sudden temperature changes by introducing the food gradually, especially if it is frozen.
5. Prevent it from smoking. At that moment it reaches its smoke point and from there it will start to degrade and emit aldehydes (toxic substances).
6. We can use the evoo up to 4 or 5 times, as long as we filter or sieve it after each frying to eliminate the residues. Also, before reusing it we must check that it is not burned.

After knowing these tips, never forget to drain the food before eating it. To do this, place them on a plate on absorbent kitchen paper and never cover them, as the crispy layer on the outside will soften.

Now that you know how to fry any food correctly, try our extra virgin olive oils, you will enjoy a healthy and delicious frying.