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What is Canola Oil Used for: All Possible Canola Oil Uses

what is canola oil used

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Canola oil is manufactured from the canola plant seeds. It is a new plant, grown only in the 1970s by the Canadian breeders from rapeseed using cross-breeding.What is canola oil used for? Let’s find out all possible canola oil uses.

Benefits of canola oil

Canola oil has a great number of benefits as it is high in healthy unsaturated fats. According to Wikipedia it contains 61 % of monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, oleic acid which is highly beneficial for the heart. It also possesses 11 % of ALA omega-3 fatty acid, essential for the body and having the anti-inflammatory effect. Canola oil is very low in saturated fat, it has the lower amount than olive oil, flaxseed, corn, soybean and other oils. With such a fat profile canola oil is highly beneficial for the heart and the whole body functioning. What is canola oil used for? There are several canola oil uses.

 

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Cooking

The main of canola oil uses is cooking. The smoke point of canola oil is high enough to use canola oil for high-temperature cooking. The smoke point is a temperature at which the oil begins to smoke and break down into harmful constituents. Canola oil smokes at 400°F as Wikipedia states. The temperature needed for deep-frying is 375°F, so canola oil can be used for frying and stir-frying without the risk to be destroyed and transformed into trans fats or cancinogens. Canola oil has a neutral flavor and taste, so it doesn’t bring extra flavor to the food. Canola oil also drains well. Other canola oil uses in cooking are:

  • sautéing and grilling;
  • ingredient in hot sauces and marinades;
  • baking;
  • making popcorn;
  • replacing butter and other animal fat,
  • greasing cookie sheets and baking pans.

 

Salad dressing

As canola oil is rich in mostly monounsaturated fat and has omega-3 fatty acids it is more useful for salad dressing than regular vegetable oil. It doesn’t change the taste of your salads as olive oil does. Canola oil is not separated from other salad constituents, so it is a good dressing base in case you want to blend salad ingredients together. When refrigerated canola oil is not solidified or change its texture so it is a perfect choice for salads you are going to keep in a refrigerator.

 

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Anti-inflammatory means

What is canola oil used for in addition to the above-mentioned? Canola oil has omega-3 fatty acids and a good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats. It is considered to possess the anti-inflammatory effect. Thus, canola oil can be used in the anti-inflammatory diet, designed by Andrew Weil.   The diet lessens the symptoms of such diseases as heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Andrew Weil recommends buying organic expeller-pressed canola oil, as cheap oil may contain chemicals and herbicides.

 

Canola oil for hair

Another canola oil use is application of canola oil for hair care. Canola oil can successfully moisturize the hair and make it stronger from inside. Hot oil treatment, masks and scalp massage with canola oil can help your dry hair become shiny and silky.

 

Biodiesel

According to Wikipedia canola oil can be used for manufacturing biodiesel. It is considered more promising than natural rapeseed oil because it has a lower amount of toxic compounds.