All about seed oil: varieties, uses in the kitchen, storage and expiration…

All about seed oil: varieties, uses in the kitchen, storage and expiration…
Discovering the varied universe of seed oil: properties, differences and uses in the kitchen, with some advice for an informed choice.
Seed oil is a fluid vegetable fat obtained from the processing and pressing of oil seeds, a food widely used in cooking and in industrial preparations. While it is true that in the Italian gastronomic tradition the condiment par excellence is extra virgin olive oil, the true pride of our production, it is also true that olive oil is not the only vegetable oil that we find on the market and that we use for our recipes.

Sunflower, flaxseed, peanut: there are so many varieties of seed oil, a wide and varied universe made of crunchy fried foods, omega-3 fats and mechanical pressing. Thanks to intensive production and greater yield, seed oil is a decidedly cheaper product than olive oil and some varieties can also be used raw. What is seed oil? How is it produced? What is the best seed oil and how to choose it? Here is everything you need to know about seed oil.

Seed oil: how is it produced
How is seed oil obtained? If extra virgin olive oil is produced, by law, by cold pressing, the extraction and production of seed oil can take place in two different ways: by “mechanical pressure” or with the help of chemical solvents. Cold mechanical extraction by pressure allows the nutritional properties of the seeds to be maintained unaltered, which are first pressed and then rectified: with this method you obtain a type of oil with a more pleasant flavor and certainly more suitable for cooking. Faster and cheaper, the extraction method through chemical solvents undoubtedly allows a greater yield but it is the flavor and quality of the final product that suffers.

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