With the price of olive oil skyrocketing, looking for ways to save olive oil is a priority. We show you different ways to reduce spending and thereby save some valuable euros.
Olive oil is one of the most used and appreciated ingredients in Spanish gastronomy, but also one of the most expensive right now. Therefore, it is convenient to know how to optimize its use and avoid waste. Below, we give you some tips to save olive oil in the kitchen without sacrificing the flavor and quality of your dishes. With these tips, you can save olive oil in the kitchen and enjoy a more economical diet now that its price has skyrocketed.
Use sunflower oil for frying
Sunflower oil is cheaper than olive oil and high oleic sunflower oil has a very high smoke point, which means that it resists high temperatures better without burning or losing its properties. Therefore, it is ideal for all types of fried foods such as croquettes, fritters or churros. High oleic sunflower oil is the most recommended since it has a higher content of this oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fat beneficial for cardiovascular health.
Use air fryers
Air fryers are fashionable appliances and allow you to fry foods with very little oil, to say the least, thanks to a hot air circulation system that cooks them evenly, giving results that you do not expect. Thus, a crispy texture and a flavor similar to that of traditional frying are achieved, but using less fat to cook and therefore achieving healthier meals. Additionally, air fryers are easy to clean and do not generate fumes or odors. You can use them to prepare French fries, nuggets, chicken wings, vegetables, and a host of ingredients that normally go through a frying pan with oil. Here is a sample of some of the best air fryer recipes you can make.
Use oven
Another way to save olive oil is to use the oven instead of a frying pan or deep fryer. The oven allows you to cook food in its own juices or with a little water, wine or broth, without having to add a lot of oil. In addition, it offers uniform cooking and preserves the nutrients and flavour of the food better. There are many oven-baked recipes that are normally fried but can be perfectly made in this appliance, such as empanadas, potatoes, fish, or meat.
Fry less and opt for grilled preparations
Another option to save olive oil is to reduce the consumption of fried foods and opt for other healthier and less greasy preparations, such as grilling, steaming, microwaving or en papillote. These techniques require very little or no oil and allow you to obtain tasty and nutritious dishes. For example, a fried egg is just as delicious when cooked on the griddle and vegetables are tender and crunchy when steamed.
Use spray oil
Spray oil is a practical and economical way to use olive oil, as it allows you to better manage and apply it to food or containers. This way, you avoid excess oil and save money. Spray oil is especially useful for use in the air fryer or for making grilled dishes using very small amounts of oil. Ideally, you should transfer the bottled oil to an oil sprayer because the ones sold in spray can be even more expensive.
Reuse the oil
Finally, another way to save olive oil is to reuse it whenever possible. To do this, some precautions must be taken into account, such as filtering the oil after each use to remove food remains, storing it in an airtight, dark container in a cool, dry place or not mixing it with other types of oils. Furthermore, we must avoid reusing the oil when it has reached its smoke point (when it begins to smoke and give off an unpleasant odor), as it deteriorates and loses its nutritional and organoleptic properties. The most advisable thing is to reuse the used oil to cook preparations in which the oil does not stain like French fries or potato omelets.