Vegetable Oil vs Olive Oil

Choosing a healthy vegetable oil for cooking which contains less cholesterol and fat is really challenging. Let's discover some facts about vegetable oil vs olive oil.

Whenever you want to buy any cooking oil, you first see its flavor and also its health benefits. Vegetable oil and olive oil, both contain mono-unsaturated fat and have their own pros and cons. They too, have their own health benefits. Cooking oil contains unsaturated type of fats that are beneficial for the working of the immune system. Consuming unsaturated fats in limited quantity is considered good for your health. It depends upon you, which oil you like the most. Keeping this in mind, let's discuss 'vegetable oil vs olive oil', by looking into the benefits of both types of oils separately.

Difference between Vegetable Oil and Olive Oil

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oils are mostly obtained from plants. Most of the vegetable oils are extracted industrially using solvent extraction process, as a result, they are not as natural as compared to olive oil. Most of the pure forms of the vegetable oils are good for maintaining a balanced diet. Vegetable oils are also considered good for high blood pressure patients and people suffering from diabetes. Canola oil, a vegetable oil, is rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which is essential for our health. Like olive oil, vegetable oils too exhibit chemical properties like rancidity. Any rancid vegetable oil loses its nutritious values and cannot be used for cooking purposes anymore.

Vegetable oils, on the other hand, with high smoke point are suitable for high temperature cooking purpose. Vegetable oils like canola and grape seed oils are most suited for pan-searing and high heat fries. Some vegetable oils are used in the preparation of mayonnaise and popcorn, to add more flavor due to their low aroma. Unlike olive oil, other vegetable oils look much thinner and lighter. These oils do not transmit much flavor in to the foods compared to that in case of olive oil. Read more on cooking oil.

Olive Oil

Scientifically known as Olea europaea, olive is a fruit which tastes bitter, and olive oil is obtained by mechanical pressing of the olive. The oil extracted is a completely crude form of the natural oil. Olive oil is a type of edible vegetable oil having its own natural flavor. This oil is rich in mono-unsaturated fats and antioxidants. Being a healthy oil, it is used in the cooking process for its nutritious values. Compared to most of the vegetable oils like sunflower oil, corn seed oil and canola oil, the smoke point of olive oil is lower, which is almost 375 degrees F. Smoke point is the stage, when the fats present in the oils start emitting smoke. Since olive oil has low fat content, the smoke point is also comparatively less. Cooking with olive oil is best suited for moderate heat cooking.

It is believed that olive oil protects us from heart diseases, by increasing the good cholesterol levels and reducing the bad cholesterol levels in our body. Olive oil promotes secretion of bile and other hormones of the pancreas, and it has useful effects on treating gastritis. Olive oil comes in different varieties, but the best quality being the extra virgin olive oil. It is the most natural variety, with least refining properties. Similar to other vegetable oils, if the bottle of olive oil is kept in light and air, it becomes easily oxidized and rancid. Keep your bottle of olive oil in cold and dark place with its lid tightly closed.

The topic 'vegetable oil vs olive oil' is quite debatable, as both of them have their own unique features. But olive oil is mostly used and preferred oil due to its wholeness, nutritional benefits and less processing steps. After all, what you favor depends upon the taste and the type of food you prefer. Hopefully, the difference between vegetable oil and olive oil will help you to choose the proper oil for the right purpose. Choice is always yours!