Oil Definition

Oil is understood as all those substances that are structurally fatty and that are obtained through the pressing of certain raw materials.

Oils can be used in different situations or for different activities, although in most cases their function (due to their composition) has to do with lubrication and greasy moistening in a space or in a combination of ingredients. Normally, the most common oils are those used in gastronomy both to bind the preparations and also to give them greater consistency and flavor.

The term ‘oil’ has Arabic origin and has been established since time immemorial mainly to the oil that comes from the olive or olive tree. However, today the word oil can be used for a wide variety of fatty liquids that may or may not be edible. Oils can also be present in humans as part of the skin and this is what makes a person prone to oily skin or not.

Widely used in the field of gastronomy to season salads or fry

The most popular use attributed to oil is in the field of gastronomy, being used to fry food, as a salad dressing and also to make cooking fats or margarine.

Culinary preparations such as meat or chicken milanesas, and the famous French fries are possible and tasty thanks to the oil. Any of these meals demands the use of a pot or deep frying pan in which you can place a copious amount of oil. It should be brought to the maximum heat so that the oil reaches a good temperature and then the milanesas or the potatoes will be cooked.
According to frying experts, putting a significant amount of oil in the pan will have the opposite effect, which is to obtain a not-so-greasy final product.

Undoubtedly, for most people, a salad without oil will not be considered a good, tasty salad. Because it is precisely that a few drops of oil are added to the final preparation of the salad, to make it tastier.

types of oils

One of the most important characteristics of the oil is that it is not soluble in water. This means that both elements can never be mixed and must be integrated through other ingredients in the case of their use in gastronomy. When we talk about edible oils, we must mention examples such as olive oil (obtained from pressing olives or olives), sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, grape oil and some more. Depending on the aroma, its intensity and smoothness, each type of oil will be more or less expensive.

Olive oil is the most widely used at the request of salads and pastas. It is obtained from the crushing of olives. A thick paste is formed which is placed into layered mats to be squeezed by a press. In this way, virgin olive oil is achieved, which has a high content of vitamin E and phytosterols.

Sunflower oil, which is the most used when frying milanesas, empanadas and potatoes, is extracted from the seeds of sunflower flowers.

And for its part, linseed oil is a type of vegetable oil that comes from flax and is achieved after a cold pressing process that allows all the nutrients present in these seeds to be maintained.
It is a highly required type in natural medicine because it is known to help lose weight, improve circulation, reduce cholesterol, hypertension, and prevent various types of cancer.

Oils used to lubricate machines

Then there are also oils obtained from petroleum, which are those used in machinery and mechanical equipment to make them work as well as to lubricate their parts and prevent them from malfunctioning. These oils can be highly polluting if they are not treated properly.

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