There has been debate on seed oils which has been fuelled by social media
There has been much debate lately about seed oils fuelled by social media posts and increasingly polarised headlines.
Much of the debate treats seed oils as a single entity. The reality is that cold pressed oils, produced at low temperatures and refined oils produced at scale using heat and multiple processing steps are as different as day and night. Our local rapeseed oil, Broighter Gold, produced in Limavady, is pressed slowly at temperatures of around 32°C, with each tonne of seed taking up to 48 hours to process. This process results in a natural gold colour. Nutritionally it has a low saturated fat content and high levels of Omega 3, 6 and 9 contributing to lower cholesterol levels. When you buy a cheaper oil in the supermarket it will have been highly processed and won’t have the nutritional qualities never mind the taste.
It’s also a common misconception that eating olive oil is healthy. This is the case if you buy from a single estate and its cold pressed – Broighter Gold rapeseed oil and other cold pressed rapeseed oils are the equivalent of this. The olive oil you buy in the supermarket is more likely to be pomace ,oil extracted from pulp and could come from several different countries. Extra virgin olive oil and pomace oil originate from the same fruit, yet their methods of extraction result in fundamentally different products—nutritionally, sensorially, and in terms of quality. Ultimately when an oil is grown with care, produced without compromise, and held to the highest standards, it speaks for itself.
One of the best things about a good, cold pressed rapeseed oil is its versatility. Extra virgin olive oil is not suitable for cooking as it has a low smoke point ( the point at which the fats in the oil start to break down) meaning compounds can be released making it taste bitter and unpleasant. Cold pressed rapeseed oil has a high smoke point making it suitable for frying. It has a pleasant nutty taste making it ideal for salad dressings, dips and mayonnaise. Keep the good olive oil for drizzling and use the Broighter Gold cold pressed rapeseed oil for everything else.
Asparagus season is upon us and we now have English and Irish varieties to enjoy. This pert green stem is available all year round from far flung places but the new season variety is so much better. I never eat asparagus any other time of the year – I cherish it now, eat it as much as I can and then forget about it until next year. In the recipe here its trimmed, blanched in boiling water for a minute, drained and finished on the grill. You could serve this in the classic way with a good home-made mayonnaise but here I’ve paired it with tonnato, a thick tuna based Italian dressing. Buy a good quality Spanish tinned tuna for this and blend it with garlic, lemon, an egg yolk, parsley,mustard and good oil. While its delightful with the asparagus it’s also a lovely dip for tomatoes or even some boiled spuds, chips or grilled bread.
Rapeseed oil is a good ingredient in cakes rather than butter. Here cooking apple puree is combined with chopped dried figs, walnuts and the usual cake ingredients. It’s a lovely moist cake and I’ve added a maple icing for the top. You can also forget about the icing and pair the cake with some blue cheese – a change from the usual crackers.
Some food for thought this week and good to keep in mind that all oils are not equal and good to support trustworthy producers.