Oil




Vegetable Oils in German Cuisine

Vegetable oils are generally fats and oils extracted from oil plants. They are either oilseeds (such as rapeseed, soybean, and peanuts) or oil plants (especially olives and oil palms) used for the production of vegetable oil. Pressing oil has been known to humans since ancient times. The Romans and Greeks used mainly olive oil for the preparation of food. The butter that the Greeks and Romans also knew was used exclusively for medical purposes. This was different in Germany: in the Middle Ages, butter was an important commodity, olive oil was still relatively unknown - especially as a food ingredient. The raw material needs to be cleaned and crushed for the production of oil. Refining oil usually involves hot pressing and chemical extraction. The main purpose is to free the oil from unwanted accompanying substances. In the final step, the oil is heated to temperatures of more than 240 degrees Celsius for several hours. This also removes the last traces of pesticides, solvents, and free fatty acids. The result is oils whose taste, smell, consistency, and color correspond to each other. Refined oils have a neutral taste and a relatively long shelf life. In addition, they can usually be heated to over 200 degrees Celsius without smoke development and thus the formation of harmful substances (trans fatty acids and HNEs).

Cold-pressed oils are obtained much more gently than refined oils. As the intention is to preserve the natural ingredients in the oil, the raw material is also cleaned, pressed, and filtered, but not heated. Cold-pressed oils usually have a quite intense taste, a relatively intense color, and a high vitamin content. In principle, cold-pressed edible oils should only be used for the preparation of cold dishes. Cold-pressed oils to which no substances have been added may be labeled "pure" or "natural" (also "virgin"). Oilseed that is peeled before further processing can also be cold-pressed: possible taste impairments and cloudiness that would arise when the kernels are used with the shell can be significantly reduced. In addition, oils from peeled seeds have considerably more vitamins and natural flavors. The less an oil has been treated, the faster it becomes rancid and thus inedible. You can assume that an already opened bottle of cold-pressed oil will last for about six weeks. Refined oil, on the other hand, is edible for up to six months after the bottle has been opened.

Edible Oil Suitable for Frying and Baking

Do you need an edible oil that you can use for frying? Refined oils such as rapeseed, sunflower, and peanut oil are especially suitable for heating to over 200 degrees Celsius. Cold-pressed oils, however, should not be heated to more than about 160 degrees Celsius - if at all. You can find rapeseed oil in our shop in different qualities - from simple plant oil made from rapeseed to cold-pressed rapeseed oil to rapeseed kernel oil in organic quality. Rapeseed oil is generally obtained from the seeds of the rapeseed plant. The high content of erucic acid (which can damage the heart) and bitter substances, which were still relatively high until the early 1970s, was significantly reduced through breeding. Since the 1980s, rapeseed has been the most important oil plant for Germany. For about 20 years, rapeseed has also been grown to produce biofuels.

The originally North American sunflower oil probably came to Europe thanks to Spanish explorers at the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century. Sunflower oil is also obtained from the seeds of the corresponding plant. To obtain the oil from the sunflower seeds, they are first peeled, ground, and cold-pressed. Refined sunflower oils are characterized by a light yellow, clear color. The almost odorless oil has a very mild taste. Therefore, it can also be used for baking (for example, for muffins). While you can use refined olive oil for savory pastries, you should definitely prefer a refined edible oil that tastes neutral (like the aforementioned sunflower oil or rapeseed oil) for sweet pastries.

Mediterranean Cuisine with Olive Oil

Olive oil is obtained from both the kernels and the flesh of olives. Spain, Italy, and Greece have the largest olive growing areas and most companies that produce olive oil. This is done either using the traditional method or using modern technology. For the traditional method, the olives are spread on the oil mill floor. Motor-driven rollers in the form of cones ensure the crushing of the olives. The resulting mass is then stacked between oil press baskets. By pressing the mass, a mixture of water and oil can be collected. Water and oil are separated from each other simply by letting the mixture rest long enough. For the modern method of olive oil extraction, the olives are washed first and then crushed (for example, in a hammer mill or grinding mill). The mass is put into a kneading machine and then into a centrifuge (sometimes with the addition of water). Either the unfiltered oil is bottled directly or it is left for a few weeks so that the suspended matter settles and clear olive oil can be bottled.

In this online shop, you have the choice between simple olive oil - for example, Bertolli Olive Oil Gentile - and very high-quality virgin olive oil. The excellent olive oils from the Greek manufacturer Gaea belong to the latter product group. Examples are the Gaea Bio Olive Oil and the Gaea Kalamata Olive Oil.

Edible Oils for Salads and Sauces

If you like to prepare special salads and sauces, you should choose an edible oil whose taste you appreciate. Nut oils and pumpkin seed oil, among others, are suitable. Such an edible oil goes very well with a mild vinegar (such as apple cider vinegar), spices, and herbs as a dressing for a lamb's lettuce salad. Chopped walnuts are an ingredient that should not be missing. With linseed oil, you can make delicious dips by adding quark, spices, and herbs, among other things. You can also order the omega-3 fatty acid-rich linseed oil from us in organic quality: Bio Zentrale Linseed Oil. The International Collection truffle oil provides a very special flavor note: the oil flavored with white truffle refines sauces and dressings but can also be added directly to meat or potato dishes. In any case, the truffle oil makes something very special out of actually everyday ingredients or dishes.

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