Are you tired of eating plain old greens? Do you want fresh, exciting salads every day instead of bland ones?
In our discussion today, I’ll be tackling more on the different types of salad oils and share some tips on using salad oils to enhance your salads’ flavor!
What is salad oil?
Salad oil is an edible vegetable oil that can be used as a salad dressing.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, any oil that passes the Cold Test (used to predict clouding) by the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) by a minimum of 5.5 hours can be classified as salad oil.
Oils rich in monounsaturated fat, phytochemicals, and alpha-linoleic acid are ideal for salad dressings. These include olive oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil and walnut oil.
Types of salad oils
Below are the four types of salad oils that you must add to your pantry to make your meals instantly delish!
1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Extra virgin olive oil is the most common salad oil and is probably already sitting in your kitchen. It is a non-treated form of olive oil. Because of this, it preserves its essential antioxidants and vitamins, which often get lost during processing. Extra virgin olive oil has a bitter, peppery taste.
2. Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is a stable oil pressed from the seeds of the sunflower plant. It is commonly used in cooking as a frying oil. It works best with salads that contain sunflower seeds. A delight for your taste buds, sunflower oil, has a delicate taste and a light, airy texture that makes it perfect for salads.
3. Flaxseed Oil
Also known as linseed oil, or flax oil, flaxseed oil is a popular salad oil obtained from dried and ripe seeds from the flax plant.The best thing about flaxseed oil is that it is multipurpose. You can easily swap it for other types of salad oils in salad dressings, sauces, and dips. You can also add it into smoothies or shakes to add some flaxseed oil into your diet with minimal effort.
4. Walnut Oil
Roasted walnut oil has a rich, nutty flavor that goes straight to the heart! It is popularly used in vinaigrettes that enhance the flavor of salads.Walnut oil is also an excellent choice when you have a salad with walnuts, bleu cheese, apples, and kale. It has a delicate flavor and tastes refreshing on a simple salad of mixed greens.
What is the best kind of salad oil?
Even though all edible vegetable oils are an excellent choice for salads, there is nothing like a drizzle of olive oil over a bed of greens.
Olive oil is known as the “Queen of cooking oils” because it’s deliciously scented and light and can absorb essential nutrients from vegetables.
Tips on using salad oil
- Pour your salad oil into a salad dressing shaker so you can control the amount of oil you add to your salad.
- When making salad dressing, remember that vinaigrette’s classic formula is one part vinegar to three parts olive oil. Too much oil will make a dressing too heavy, and too much vinegar will turn your salad sour.
- If you are unsure how a salad oil would taste on your salad, pair it with the closest ingredients. For example, use walnut oil in a salad containing walnuts.
What is a substitute for salad oil?
- Avocado Vinaigrette: For the silkiest and smoothest salad dressing, blend an avocado with some lime juice and vinegar to make an avocado vinaigrette.
- Tahini: Combine tahini with water and lemon juice and drizzle over your salad. If you want to add some flavor to your salad, you can add turmeric, cumin, and honey to your tahini.
- Nut Butter: If you have any nut butter lying around (such as cashew butter or peanut butter), combine it with white miso, grated ginger, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup minced garlic to get a delectable salad dressing.
The bottom line
Without salad oil, a salad would often taste and feel incomplete. Also, eating healthy doesn’t mean eating bland! As it is, it’s always smart to infuse salad oil to reinvigorate those plain old greens.
So now that you know salad oil is, add it to your salads for an enriched flavor and enjoy your meals to the max!
