Rising food prices, delivery bottlenecks for certain goods: the war in Ukraine is also becoming more and more noticeable when shopping. Rapeseed and sunflower oil are currently particularly affected. The Thuringia Consumer Center gives tips on which oils consumers can use in the kitchen.
The majority of rapeseed and sunflower oil is imported into Germany. “The most important export countries, especially for sunflower oil, are Ukraine and Russia,” says Julia Müller, food and nutrition consultant at the Thuringia Consumer Center. With a combined share of 76 percent, both countries are global market leaders.
Since the outbreak of war there have been major supply bottlenecks, especially for sunflower oil. Russia has now announced that it will export less oil until the end of August.
In addition, there are panic purchases of rapeseed oil, triggered by news of an imminent oil shortage. No delivery bottlenecks are expected for rapeseed oil for the time being.
“With its favorable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, rapeseed oil is ideal for daily use. But other vegetable oils are also suitable for preparing food,” says Julia Müller.
The expert advisor strongly advises that you only buy oils in normal commercial quantities in order to avoid empty shelves. As an alternative, she recommends olive oil. “It can be used universally and, when cold-pressed, has a typical fruity, Mediterranean taste. The favorable composition of the fatty acids is also impressive.”
Other alternatives include pumpkin seed oil ( only use cool or moderately warmed ), peanut oil, corn oil, linseed oil, walnut oil, sesame oil and coconut oil. They are all suitable for both cold and hot dishes. “They provide different fatty acids. Cold-pressed, they give dishes their very own aroma,” says the expert.
This must be taken into account when preparing with oil
- Use cold-pressed oils for cold cuisine and refined oils for hot cuisine. During cold pressing, the oil is pressed purely mechanically from oilseeds or oil fruits. This is very gentle and the flavor and smell typical of the variety are retained. Refined oils, on the other hand, are generally largely odorless and tasteless, have a longer shelf life and are also cheaper than cold-pressed oils.
- Pay attention to the smoke point of vegetable oils, i.e. the temperature at which smoke develops over the heated cooking oil. Oil should not be heated above this smoke point because harmful substances can form. Refined oils have a smoke point of just over 200 degrees Celsius. For native and cold-pressed oils it is already between 120 and 190 degrees Celsius.
- Always store cooking oil in a cool, dark place. Opened bottles should be used up quickly, otherwise the oil will go rancid. Cold-pressed oils are more affected here. For example, you should store linseed oil in the refrigerator.
Source: Thuringia Consumer Center
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