When it comes to cooking oil, one of the questions that many people are most concerned about is why some oils are so dark in color and some are so light in color. In addition to different colors, what are the differences between the two oils? Which type of cooking oil is the best

When it comes to cooking oil, one of the questions that many people are most concerned about is why some oils are so dark in color and some oils are so light in color. In addition to different colors, what are the differences between the two oils? Which type of cooking oil is the best?

Many people have written relevant articles to explain issues like the above, but most of the opinions are biased and are only interpreted based on some textual information without considering the actual use effect.

And cooking oil is an indispensable seasoning for our three meals a day, so today I will tell you, when buying cooking oil, is it better to buy dark-colored oil or light-colored oil? Don't underestimate the difference between the two.

What is the color of edible oil related to?

Oil refining raw materials

An important factor that affects the color of edible oil is the oil refining raw materials, such as rapeseed oil and soybean oil, which are darker in color than corn oil, peanut oil, etc. Therefore, from the perspective of raw material selection, it is normal for edible oils refined from different raw materials to have different colors.

So what is the reason why edible oils made from the same raw materials have different colors? Just like our most common soybean oil.

Degree of refining

In addition to the raw materials, the color of edible oil is also related to the degree of refining of soybean oil. The higher the degree of refining, the lighter the color of the edible oil. The less refined the oil, the darker the color.

refutes rumors: Many online articles say that the color of pressed oil is darker than the color of leached oil ?

First of all, let’s briefly talk here: What do pressed oil and leached oil mean? To put it simply:

pressed oil

refers to the oil produced by squeezing oil raw materials using physical methods, such as oil press .

leaching oil

refers to the use of chemical methods, using solvents that can dissolve grease, through the effects of wetting and penetration, molecular diffusion and convection diffusion, to extract the grease in the embryo, and then combine the solvent and fat. The mixed oil is separated and recovered to obtain the oil.

So why is it incorrect to say that pressed oil is darker in color than extracted oil?

The reason is that many netizens believe that pressed oil has a darker color due to more impurities. In fact, whether it is pressed oil or extracted oil, the oil produced by the two edible oil refining processes is actually crude oil.

This kind of crude oil is not edible. Because all indicators are still unqualified, it cannot be circulated in the market. It needs to be refined before edible refined oil can be obtained.

Therefore, whether it is pressed oil or extracted oil, the appearance of different colors of oil from the same raw material has a certain relationship with the processing technology, but it is not the key factor that ultimately determines the color of the oil. The key factor is the degree of refining of the edible oil.

The difference between dark oil and light oil

Difference 1: Different taste

The higher the degree of refining, the lighter the color, and the lighter the taste of the oil raw materials, just like soybean oil. Darker soybean oil contains soybeans The aroma can give the dishes a richer taste when cooking.

On the contrary, light-colored cooking oil does not provide as rich taste and aroma when cooking.

Difference 2: Different nutritional values ​​

The less refined the cooking oil, the more nutrients it retains, so the nutritional value of dark oil is higher than that of light oil. Light-colored oils have low nutritional value.

Difference 3: Different transparency

The transparency of oil has a lot to do with the degree of refining. The oil with darker color has more impurities, so the oil body is more turbid, while the oil with lighter color has higher degree of refining, so the oil body is more turbid. Contains fewer impurities, so the oil appears more transparent.

What is the relationship between the color of oil and the grade of edible oil?

The color of oil is related to the degree of refining, and the grade of oil is also graded according to the degree of refining, so the grade and color of oil are directly related.

The higher the grade of oil, the higher the degree of refining and the lighter the color. Generally, the grades of edible oil are divided into: first grade, second grade, third grade and fourth grade. These 4 levels, so there are 4 levels of oil. The colors are all different.

refuting rumors: Many people on the Internet say that the higher the grade of cooking oil, the better?

Many online articles believe that higher-grade oils have fewer impurities, so they are healthier and safer to eat. However, this is actually misleading, because all edible oils that can be sold and circulated in the market are inspected and qualified products, so As long as it is a product that passes all inspections, there will be no health and safety issues. This statement is completely misleading.

In addition, when we buy oil, we should choose it according to our own needs and consider the specific use, because the uses of different grades of oil are very different:

First-class edible oil [light color]: Its smoke point and melting point are both It is very low, so it is not suitable for high temperatures in stir-fry dishes, but because it has a lighter taste and lighter color, it is more suitable for cold dishes.

Second-level cooking oil [slightly darker color]: has a higher smoke point than first-level oil, and has less oil smoke. At the same time, its taste is not light, not very rich, and relatively moderate, so it is suitable for cooking. Best choice. In addition, it is best to use second-grade cooking oil for making dumplings and meat fillings.

Level 3 and 4 cooking oil [Dark oil]: has a high smoke point and a lot of oil fumes, so it is more used in the production of fried food. However, if you don’t care about oil fumes, you can also use Level 3 or 4 cooking oil. Oil stir-fries and stews, because the dishes made with grade three or four cooking oil taste more fragrant and more delicious.

is written at the end:

The higher the grade of edible oil, the better. The grade of edible oil has nothing to do with the quality of the oil itself, so please do not be misled by some so-called food bloggers’ online articles. .

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