Verdict. While there are clearly healthier ways to cook foods, frying food with olive oil is unlikely to be significantly bad for your health.
You can make crispy french fries at home with olive oil. Read on to learn the secret to crispy fries and why olive oil is great for frying! Researchers in Spain made a remarkable discovery. Vegetables, such as potatoes, have more nutrients when fried in extra virgin olive oil then when boiled.
Potatoes fried in EVOO contained more phenols and antioxidants than potatoes boiled in water. Read more. Furthermore, a 2020 study by the University of Barcelona in the Journal Antioxidants confirmed that extra virgin olive oil retains significant amounts of these healthy compounds during cooking.
Canola oil is widely considered to be a healthy oil as it's low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat.
Olive oil actually has a relatively high smoke point and is a safe, reliable option for frying. On top of that, it is one of the healthiest cooking staples around. Olive oil has been named “the healthiest fat on Earth,” in part because of its unique ability to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Olive oil is no different from other oils. If you burn it (heat it above its smoke point) it will taste bad and it will contain harmful chemicals. Smoke points tend to increase with olive oil quality, as the free fatty acid content tends to decrease and the antioxidant content increases.
Contrary to what you may have heard, olive oil does not lose its health benefits or become unhealthy when heated. Olive oil has been used for cooking for thousands of years. It is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet.
Peanut oil or any light vegetable oil is necessary to make the best fried potatoes with the crispy crust you're looking for. I prefer peanut oil over olive oil because of its high smoke point but use what you have.
The Best Cooking Oil
As much as we love butter, it burns too quickly over high heat, which is necessary for optimal crispiness. Olive oil tastes great with potatoes but is only a little bit better. The solution: mixing EVOO with vegetable oil (or another neutral oil with a high smoking point).
Once in our kitchens, we cook them in our canola-blend oil so you can have them crispy and hot—just the way you like them. Want to hear more about our fry ingredients? Get the down low on how we flavor our fries.
Not only does high-quality extra virgin olive oil stand up to the task of high heat cooking, it also aids in bringing out the flavors of your dish. In many regions around the world, people have been frying with extra virgin olive oil for centuries.
“Even if it is an observational study, we believe that the cooking oil, rich in trans-fat, is an important factor in explaining mortality in those eating more potatoes,” said Veronese. Trans fat has been shown to raise the “bad,” or LDL, cholesterol in the blood, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.
New research reveals that deep frying certain foods, such as French fries, with virgin olive oil, may enhance their nutritional profile. According to a new study published in Food Chemistry, during the frying process, some of the healthy properties of virgin olive oil are absorbed by the food.
First of all, it can be expensive. Plus, it has a relatively low smoke point, which, according to food scientist Harold McGee, is the "temperature at which a fat breaks down into visible gaseous products." That breakdown can ruin the taste of foods.
Unlike other cooking oils, olive oil is rich in a "healthy fat" known as monounsaturated fat, a type of dietary fat known to increase your "good" HDL cholesterol and decrease your "bad" LDL cholesterol.
A 2019 analysis summarized the findings of 27 studies on the effect of olive oil on cholesterol. It concluded that olive oil consumption decreased total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides and increased HDL more than other plant oils.
This is because olive oil is the only oil can that can withstand high temperatures (180°C) without degradation or losing its properties, and because it is an oil that creates a crusty layer which enhances the flavor of foods while preventing it from being soaked with fat.
While there is some truth to this (olive oil does appear to cause relatively less damage than saturated animal fats), it is important to note that 'less damage' is still damage. The scientific evidence clearly shows that olive oil plays a role both in damaging blood vessels as well as forming atherosclerotic plaques.
The Bottom Line. Potatoes are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and resistant starch. However, fried potatoes may also come with some potential negative effects, including weight gain, especially when consumed in large amounts.
Additionally, frying potatoes can increase their fat and calorie content, compared to other cooking methods like baking or boiling. Furthermore, processed potato products are also less nutrient dense and contain more calories, fat and sodium than whole potatoes.
Crispy fried potatoes contain high levels of harmful chemical acrylamide but with the right potato variety, the risk can be minimised, warns an American study. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen.
For example, frying potatoes in oil adds fat. Same goes for loading up mashed potatoes with butter, sour cream, and milk. These all add fats to the potatoes, and trans or saturated fats are known to contribute to high cholesterol levels.
They're rich in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Potatoes were a life-saving food source in early times because the vitamin C prevented scurvy. Another major nutrient in potatoes is potassium, an electrolyte which aids in the workings of our heart, muscles, and nervous system.