History Of Cooking Oil: Its Origin, Alternatives, And Much More!

Cooking oil is an essential ingredient in every kitchen. It belongs to the category of edible oils. Cooking oil can be any of the vegetable oils that are of the edible kind.

Ever catch yourself staring at the golden liquid in the frying pan and wonder, "Where did you come from, buddy?" Well, today is your lucky day! We’re going to whip up a recipe of knowledge, sprinkle it with some fun, and serve a platter full of amazing oil facts.

Being in the liquid state at room temperature, vegetable oils are added to the process of cooking in many ways. While cooking oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil are added to processed foods during their making, food can also be fried in hot oil.

Salad oil is also utilized as a salad dressing to add texture and flavor to a salad.

Vegetable oils are mainly extracted from seeds, which can either be edible or non-edible. These vegetable oils are basically fats of various types, including trans fats. Trans fats consisting of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids, when consumed in moderation, can be somewhat good for your health.

However, unlike unsaturated fats that are healthy for humans, saturated fats prove to be quite unhealthy in excess. The fatty acids from trans-fat can lead to some severe health issues if their levels increase more than normal.

One of the terminal diseases an unhealthy amount of fatty acids causes is cardiovascular disease. The fats in vegetable oils can also increase the fat in the body and make you gain more weight. Thus, consuming too much vegetable oil can also lead to obesity.

Various types of vegetable oils are considered light and healthy for humans. One such vegetable oil is olive oil. Olive oil isn't just used to prepare cooked food but is also used as a salad dressing for some kinds of salads. According to some cultures, olive oil is also said to have medicinal properties.

Meanwhile, soybean oil is kind of an alternative to several other vegetable oils. Soybean oil contains polyunsaturated fat, which is good for your health. Soybean oil is heavy with a rich flavor and aroma.

Some of the vegetable oils, with a high smoking point, that are also healthy are corn oil, safflower oil, palm oil, and sunflower oil. Meanwhile, although coconut oil is used a lot in the cooking process in some countries, it still contains a high amount of saturated fats.

Coconut oil is heavy and extracted from ripe coconut meat.

Coconut oil is used as a coating and for frying food items such as chips or fish. Although coconut oil is colorless, it can add a rich flavor to the food so it is used in confectionery.

While there isn't really an exact alternative to cooking oil that would be healthier, you can always do your homework and buy the type of oil that is best suited to your health requirements.

History Of Cooking Oil

Cooking oils didn't just exist right from the beginning. Just like many other food items and seasonings, cooking oils were also discovered sometime in the past. Although there is no exact date as to when and where cooking oils were first discovered, it is considered that humans started utilizing animal fats right after they discovered fire, around 25,000 BC.

• People began the process of utilizing vegetable oils centuries ago. In the very beginning, people obtained oil by heating animal fats and by pressing various plants, seeds, and nuts.
• These vegetable oils were not processed or refined like those we use today. As time went by and new technologies were created, vegetable oils were then extracted in new ways.
• Around 2000 BC, the Japanese and Chinese created soy oil. Even today, soy oil is one of these countries' most utilized vegetable oils.
• The Europeans in the southern part of the continent are believed to have started producing olive oil in 4000 BC.
• In North America and Mexico, people first roasted the peanuts and sunflower seeds and then beat them into a paste-like mixture. This paste was then put into boiling water. The oil, which then floated on the surface of the water, was skimmed.
• In Africa, coconut meat and palm kernels were grated and beaten to a pulp. The pulp was then boiled with water, and when the oil gathered on the surface, it was skimmed off.
• These cooking oils can be considered to be natural oils as there are no additives added to them. They were also processed in a natural way without much use of technology.
• Apart from the cooking oils mentioned until now, more vegetable oil varieties were created after new technologies to extract the oil from the vegetables, and other plants were invented.
• The machinery was used to process and refine vegetable oil. This is the reason why several different types of single vegetable oils are available on the market. For instance, olive oil comes in extra virgin, virgin, pomace, and extra light forms.
• Interestingly, due to advancing technology, corn oil was created in the '60s.
• Food residues such as watermelon seeds and grapeseed, which were considered waste products in the past, are now being utilized to create oil from them.
• Humans have come a long way from using oil processed from animal fats and various vegetables, nuts, and plants; people are now using industry-made oil.
• While some might argue that the oil created from what was previously considered waste is harmful to human health, there are associations that have promoted the benefits of such oils. Furthermore, the oils have also been affected by the advanced technology of gene modification.
• A large amount of soybean, cotton, corn, as well as canola oil, are made from genetically modified organisms (GMO) seeds. People have divided views over GMO products. While some think they are harmful to human health, others think they are not that different from the naturally produced ones.
• What matters, though, is that people use oil that does not contain a high amount of bad fatty acids, has no artificial additives, and has more healthy fats for cooking.

Introduction Of Vegetable Oil In America

The American diet consists of a high amount of oil on a daily basis. You might then wonder how oil was first introduced into the culinary world of America. Well, there is an interesting history behind the introduction of oil to the United States.

• Vegetable oil was first introduced in America in the 19th century.
• It started in Cincinnati, which was known as Porkopolis in the past. It was known as such because of the high consumption and wide trading of pork, along with the products made out of it, especially candles and soaps.
• Two European men, William Procter and James Gamble came to the Americas in the 1800s and married sisters. Thus, they became brothers-in-law and started a company named Procter & Gamble, which still exists.
• Soap was a product made out of animal fats and was sold in the form of giant wheels. Procter & Gamble wanted to change the industry and bring something new to the table by selling individual pieces of soap. In order to bring about this change, they started using palm and coconut oils, which were cheaper than animal fats. This made the soap float on the surface of the water rather than sink.
• Procter & Gamble began using the liquid form of cottonseed oil to further decrease the cost of the raw materials used to make soap. During that period in history, cottonseed oil was produced by cotton farming as a waste product that was discarded into the rivers. Although this oil was toxic to animals, Procter & Gamble still made it into cooking oil.
• Proctor & Gamble asked a German chemist, Edwin Kayser, for help. He invented a new procedure to create a substance out of cottonseed oil that was very similar to lard.
• This new substance took the place of animal fats and thus became the infamous hydrogenated cooking oil. This oil is still used in almost every house in America. Procter & Gamble even gave a new name to this substance, which was known as 'Crisco.'
• They also hired the J. Walter Thompson Agency, an advertising agency, to market the new oil among the people of the country and increase sales. The marketing campaign that thus started is recorded in history as the most expensive one in the country at the time.
• The campaign gave out samples to the 'influencers' of that era, such as restaurant owners, grocers, and nutritionists. The food products made using Crisco were given as free samples for people to taste. Moreover, even a cookbook was created to promote Crisco.
• The success of Crisco also led to an increase in safflower oil, corn oil, and margarine sales. The campaign also caused many health initiatives to be started.
• Crisco was promoted as a healthy option over animal fats. However, the truth about Crisco was revealed in the '90s. It was revealed that Crisco was made of 50% trans-fat, which can be the cause of coronary heart disease.

The Manufacturing Process

Vegetable oil was extracted in the past in a very natural way. However, as the advancements in the technological field took place, the methods of manufacturing oil evolved too. From pressing and beating with hands or simple mechanisms, the raw materials are now processed in various ways to extract oil.

• One of the most popular methods of manufacturing oil is cold pressing. Cold-pressed oils such as peanut, olive, and sunflower are used.
• The cold-pressed method requires very minimal processing. The oil obtained through this method is flavorful and light. However, not all materials can be cold-pressed to produce oil.
• The very first step in this method of producing oil is to clean and grind the seeds or nuts. The seeds and nuts are passed through magnets to remove any metallic particles, after which their hulls and skins are peeled off.
• The seeds and nuts are then ground to cover more surfaces to be pressed. Many machines, including the hydraulic press, are used to properly press the coarse meal into the right consistency. The meal is heated before further pressing.
• The pressing can lead to the impurities being pressed too. The meal, after being heated, is passed through a screw press, and the pressure is increased as the meal keeps moving through the slotted barrel.
• Along with pressing, oil is also extracted through the use of solvent. The solvent extraction ensures that more oil is yielded. The solvent is then later separated from the oil by boiling, or it simply evaporates from the extracted oil.
• The processing of oil doesn't end here. There are still a few steps left before the oil is suitable for cooking. Moreover, the oils don't just contain natural nutrients. The manufacturing process also involves adding additional chemicals to the oil.

Refining The Oil

Pressing the oil is just the first step. The cooking oil that is used in all households goes through various procedures before it is edible enough.

Oils are refined to make them colorless and odorless. Refining the oil also removes the bitterness of the oil, which might be present due to the skin of the seeds or other particles being pressed along with the primary matter.

• The process of refining involves heating the oils at a temperature range of 104-118 F (40-85 C). It also adds an alkaline compound such as sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide to the heating oils.
• The alkaline substance and the fatty acids present in the oil form soap, which is generally separated from the mixture through a centrifuge. To remove any further traces of soap, the oils are washed and then dried. During the refining process, the oil is also degummed (removal of phosphatides).
• Degumming is done by treating the oil with water that has been heated at a temperature range of 185-203 F (85-95 C). It can also be treated with steam or water mixed with acid. The gums, which are usually phosphatides, are removed through precipitation. Meanwhile, the dregs are separated and thrown out through a centrifuge.
• The cooking oils go through another refining procedure known as filtering. Here, the oil is bleached by way of filtering it by making use of activated carbon, or Fuller's earth.
• The filtering or bleaching can also be carried out using activated clay, which has the ability to absorb various pigmented particles from the oils. This process is carried out for oils that are to be heated while cooking.
• Meanwhile, the oils that are to be refrigerated are winterized. Winterization involves quickly chilling the oils and filtering them. The purpose of winterization is to remove any waxes present in the oil and make sure that the oil does not solidify, even partially, in the refrigerator.
• Then the oils are deodorized. This process consists of passing the steam across the hot oils, which are in a vacuum. This removes any unstable odor or taste from the oils.
• After deodorization, generally, 0.01% of citric acid is added to the oils to inactivate any trace metals.
• The trace metals in oils can cause oxidation and thereby reduce the shelf life of the oils.

Packaging The Oil

The very last process in the manufacturing of oil is the packaging. It might seem irrelevant. However, the process of packaging is very important, especially if it is for a food product.

• Since oils are in a liquid state at room temperature, the containers for packaging the oils should be selected accordingly. Primarily, plastic bottles are used to store the domestic oils that are sold within the US and most other countries.
• On the other hand, oils that are to be exported to other countries or sold in special stores are put in glass bottles. Moreover, oils can also be stored in cans for the purpose of importing and exporting.
• Mostly, olive oil can be found in cans. It is also seen that the more expensive or specialized oils come in specially designed glass bottles.
• Apart from the material of the packaging, there are also aspects such as the size of the container and its hygiene. The size of the container, be it bottles or cans, depends on the amount of oil being sold.
• The bottles or cans should also be adequately cleaned before the oils are stored in them. Commercially manufacturing oil or any other product also involves labeling the package.
• During the packaging process, labels with the brand of the oil company are also put on the containers. The labels usually consist of the name of the oil company, the raw material from which the oil is extracted, a nutritional chart, and manufacturing details.
• It is important to read the details mentioned on the labels before buying the oil to ensure that it has the correct nutritional values you are looking for and that it hasn't passed its shelf life.

We have discovered various alternatives to traditional cooking oils, offering healthier options and catering to diverse dietary needs. While each type of oil has its pros and cons, it's important to make informed choices based on individual preferences and nutritional requirements.

Remember to be confident in your decision-making, embrace inclusivity in your culinary adventures, and let your creativity shine through in the kitchen. So go ahead, explore new flavors, experiment with different oils, and let the joy of cooking nourish your family.