Oil is an essential part of the kitchen and a mandate for most of the cooking part. Blending oils are often used by professional chefs for personalizing the taste and texture of certain dishes. Its deep frying and high smoke capability are commendable but what exactly are these blending oils? Can we utilize it for general use?
A blended vegetable cooking oil is a mix of two edible oils where the proportion by weight of any edible vegetable oil used in the mixture is not less than 20 percent. The blend is supposed to conform to set standards and be clear, deodorized, free from rancidity and any other animal and non-edible oils, or fats.
One that can be made at home is by mixing 4 cups canola oil and 1 cup extra virgin olive oil and blending them. Use per your desire!
Are Blended Oils Healthy?
According to research, blending oils can have a positive impact on your health if the right proportion is maintained. These cooking oils are being promoted as healthier alternatives to traditional cooking oils because the two oils that are blended contain a better proportion of the essential fatty acids and a better balance of the PUFAs (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids), MUFAs (Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids) and SFAs (saturated fatty acids). Dietitians are beginning to recommend the blended oils in place of, or in addition to the traditional oils.
Refined Oil v/s Blended Oil: Which One is Better?
Refined oils are the ones extracted out of a particular food ingredient like soybean, rice bran, groundnut, mustard, etc whereas blended oil is a mixture of two, for example, soybean and rice bran or sunflower with olive oil.
Refined oils are purified using harmful chemicals, which means that the oil may have been treated with acid, or even bleached.
Therefore, Blended oils are always better than refined oils.
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Common Blended Cooking Oils Available in India
The blended oils are normally known by their brand names and are regulated under Food Safety and Standards. There is a variety of blending oils in the Indian market that one can easily order online or otherwise from the nearest stores. We have mentioned a few out of them for your ease-
- Saffola Total-Pro Heart Conscious Edible Oil Blended Oil
- Oleev Active Edible Oil
- Sundrop Nutrilite Oil
- Fortune Xpert Pro Sugar Conscious Blended Oil Pouch
- ANKUR Cottonseed Oil Pouch
- Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil Pouch
- Cardia Life Blended Oil
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Maintaining the Right Balance is Important
It's a good idea to have a healthy balance of fatty acids. If you wish to do so by using blended oils, you need to make sure that the right proportion of fatty acids is obtained by using the oils. If you are not used to blended oils, then using a combination of two different oils for cooking also helps. For example, sunflower or safflower oil (extracted from sunflower seeds) can be used for one meal, and groundnut or gingelly or mustard oil can be used for another meal. Another way of combining oils is to use one variety of oil for all the gravy dishes and another variety for all dry food items.
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Disadvantages of Inappropriate blend
Whatever the oil blend or oil mix may be, the fact that every gram of oil contains 9 calories does not change. If taken in excess, the combined or blended oils will still have the deleterious effects on health that single oils have, the commonest being weight gain! While you might want to use mixed oils, make sure the quantity is well contained.
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Conclusion
We, at The Wellness Corner believe that a balanced diet is a healthy diet. One can achieve their ideal weight or health goals by maintaining a balanced proportion of fats in their diet by using blended cooking oils. The goodness of two ingredients or two oils can be combined and consumed to fight against obesity and heart diseases. Olive and rice bran oil as well as rice bran and canola are the most beneficial ones in preventing lifestyle diseases. Next time you buy an oil give these blends a try and witness the benefits yourself.
