Should You Mix Vegetable Oil and Olive Oil for Frying?
Frying food is a tasty way to prepare it and is part of many different cuisines all over the world. When it comes to the types of oils used for frying, can you mix vegetable oil and olive oil to get the best of both worlds or could it be dangerous? Let’s explore the pros and cons of mixing vegetable oil and olive oil for frying.
The Pros
- Flavour: Olive oil has a distinct taste and aroma which adds a subtle kick to dishes cooked with it. Using a combination of vegetable oil and olive oil offers a great balance of flavour, without being overly overpowering.
- Health Benefits: Combining these two types of oil allows you to receive all the health benefits of both. Olive oil offers a great dose of antioxidants and can help to reduce inflammation throughout the body. Vegetable oil is a great source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
The Cons
- Smoke Point: One of the most important considerations when frying food is the smoke point of the oil; this is the temperature at which oil begins to smoke. Generally, vegetable oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil; if you use a combination of the two, the smoke point is greatly reduced. This means that food can burn before it reaches the desired cooking temperature.
- Taste: As mentioned before, olive oil has a strong and distinctive taste. If you use too much in relation to vegetable oil, the taste may be overpowering and detract from the overall flavour of the dish.
In conclusion, combining vegetable oil and olive oil for frying can be a good way to get the health benefits of both and balance out the flavours of the dish. However, many people prefer to use just olive oil, as it has a higher smoke point than vegetable oil. Ultimately, the decision is yours; just make sure that you know the pros and cons of mixing the two before you make your final choice.
