On a daily basis, it is better to requisition the steamer than the fryer for cooking. But even if it means satisfying a craving for nuggets or donuts, you might as well adopt this more virtuous oil for your health…
Emulsify a vinaigrette, make mayonnaise, roast vegetables or cook fries… It’s difficult to cook in the kitchen without a bottle of oil in the cupboard. Or should we say “some” oil bottles, since in practice not all of them are interchangeable. Each has its own use, depending on its degree of refining and its lipid profile.
Some of them, for example, are intended solely for seasoning. This is the case for unrefined rapeseed, flax, walnut, hemp or camelina oils, whose very fragile omega-3, so precious for the heart and brain, degrades under the effect of heat into deleterious compounds. Others, richer in monounsaturated fatty acids, can tolerate being “reasonably” heated. This family includes extra virgin olive oil, rich in antioxidants, which can be heated up to 180°C, which is approximately equivalent to cooking in a pan over medium heat. There remains the slightly more delicate case of frying, which requires opting for oils with a high smoke point. We think, for example, of peanut oil, deodorized coconut oil, and of course sunflower oil, in their refined forms.
Very popular in French households, sunflower oil nevertheless suffers from a defect regularly pointed out by nutrition experts. It suffers from an excess of omega-6, fatty acids that are certainly essential, but already over-represented in our diet. However, when they are ingested in excess, they exert a pro-inflammatory action. This is why dietitian Sophie Janvier, interviewed on this subject in the Health Mag on France 5, prefers to use so-called “oleic” sunflower oil. Little known, she is “from very specific varieties of sunflowers which are rich in oleic acid” (present in olive oil), which makes it more “interesting from a cardiovascular point of view” than classic sunflower oil. It also maintains very good stability during cooking. Where can you easily find them in stores? In Lesieur’s Isio 4 mixture (compatible with frying, cooking and seasoning), but also under certain private labels such as u And Crossroads in single-varietal version.
Clearly, it is better to look at the label before pouring. A simple mention can change the taste, the heat resistance and even the impact on the heart. Oleic sunflower oil ticks these boxes without disrupting your habits and can be purchased in supermarkets, discreet but effective. Enough to cook more peacefully, without giving up crispiness or good fats.
