Everything Goes With Green

So before you say get mad and say how dare I diss extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), let me preface and say that olive oil has some great benefits and I cook with it all of the time, but recently I have switched over to avocado oil after doing some research on it and am loving it.

Firstly, avocado oil has the highest smoke point of all of the oils.  For those of you culinary challenged, an oil’s smoke point is exactly that, when it starts to smoke and burn. This is important because of two reasons: one is that a food will brown easier when it’s cooked at a higher temperature. Second is that an when an oil burns, it actually becomes rancid and toxic to your body releasing free radicals and reversing the benefits of why you are eating it in the first place. Because of its high smoke point, the oil is not releasing harmful free radicals in your food. When you see any oil start to smoke, it is releasing harmful carcinogenic properties and vapors into your food and kitchen environment.

In addition to the smoke point, avocado oil has a light, delicate and buttery texture which will bring out the flavors in your food instead of masking it. In terms of health benefits, avocado oil is considered to be one of the healthiest oils on the market. It is rich in monounsaturated fats, omega 3’s, beta-sitosterol and antioxidants.

Avocado oil can be used as a replacement to cooking with olive oil because of it’s versatility. It can be used directly on salads because it will not make your salad oily like EVOO and will bring out the flavors of your salad if left to sit for a while. I read one article where the author used avocado oil to make grilled cheese instead of butter and he said it turned out fabulous and almost had the same taste as if the sandwich was cooked in butter.  I have yet to try, but will next time I am hankering for a grilled cheese….mmmmmm.

In addition, avocado oil is used widely for skin care. It is great for  dry or mature skins, or people suffering from eczema or psoriasis, and is very useful when treating sun or climate damaged skin  because it helps with regenerating the skin and softening the tissue. Heck you can even use it on your hair to condition and help treat split ends, though I recommend having one bottle for cooking and one for your hair.

Go on, swap it in for your beloved EVOO and let me know what you think.

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