Alternatives

Julowe9

Hi,
Could anyone recommend an alternative to extra virgin olive oil please.
We would normally use this for frying, but it's to high in calories.
Thanks xx

wilson10102018

All oil has the same calories, plus or minus negligible differences.

BarbaraHelen2013

I’m afraid all oils/fats come in at about the same calories per millilitre. Minor differences only.

I use a 1cal spray (Frylight- I have both a rapeseed version and an olive oil version, but there are others) if I really can’t avoid frying something. 5 sprays of that will do in a 6” small frying pan. If the food starts to look dry I’ll add a splash of water to keep things moving. Works ok, but I guess it would depend on what foods you’re cooking. I’m generally only light sautéing onion, garlic, peppers etc.

Mostly though, I just don’t fry anything. Some people say that a good quality non stick pan needs no oil, but I’m personally not convinced that everything would work that way. Maybe look into alternate ways to cook your favourites. Often baking in the oven works well for a lot of foods traditionally fried.

By the way, extra virgin olive oil is not generally used to cook with anyway. More used in salad dressings etc where the flavour is important. It’s too expensive and doesn’t do so well at high temperatures as far as I know. Normal olive oil is fine though, but no different calorie wise

gallicinvasion

Often you can get away with using less than what the recipe says.

tinkerbellang83

Frylight Olive Oil or Rapeseed variation is a good alternative for frying.

A good quality seasoned pan will not generally require oil. So it is possible to dry-fry or use a couple of sprays if it's you don't have a good pan.

kshama2001

Well seasoned cast iron pans need less oil than when cooking in a stainless steel pan, and non-stick needs even less - often spray oil is all you need for non-stick.

kshama2001

gallicinvasion wrote: »

Often you can get away with using less than what the recipe says.

Yes, I've noticed some America's Test Kitchen recipes that call for use of a non-stick pan give amounts of oil that would be needed for a stainless steel pan.

kshama2001

Julowe9 wrote: »

Hi,
Could anyone recommend an alternative to extra virgin olive oil please.
We would normally use this for frying, but it's to high in calories.
Thanks xx

Well, you shouldn't be using EVOO for frying anyway:

1. It has a lower smoke point than other oils
2. It's more expensive, and is kind of wasted on frying

I use canola or safflower oil for frying, but all oils have essentially the same calories.

LyndaBSS

Julowe9 wrote: »

Hi,
Could anyone recommend an alternative to extra virgin olive oil please.
We would normally use this for frying, but it's to high in calories.
Thanks xx

What kind of foods are you going to be frying?

floofyschmoofer

EVOO isn't great for frying, just because it doesn't fry well. It has a low smoke point and will literally 'burn' and spatter everywhere.

Have you considered an air fryer, if frying is a regular part of your food routine? I have lots of friends and family who have made the investment in one and really love it.

LivingtheLeanDream

You could use a spray oil? I find with non stick pans I only use teeny amounts of olive oil in general.

acpgee

The new generation of non stick pans (stone coated or ceramic coated) work great if you are careful not to scratch them with metal utensils or subject them to harsh dishwasher detergents. I can make pancakes without adding any fat if there is a tablespoon of melted butter in a large batch of pancake batter that serves 4. I need no fat to fry or scramble eggs in my stone coated frying pan. A light spray of oil can be added to help with browning.

I love my air fryer too. For this instrument buy some silicon mesh (sold to prevent small food items like asparagus and shrimp from slipping between BBQ grates), cut with scissors it to fit your air fryer basket. Nothing sticks to the silicon mesh so you won't need to spray the basket with oil.

Luke_rabbit

For pan frying, I have a squirt bottle made for oil which I fill with canola. I have measured it on my scale and it squirts out 1 gram per spray. Depending on the pan (all non-stick) and what I am cooking, I do 2 - 6 squirts.

I've read that one can also pan fry certain foods (especially veggies) in a little broth with no oil at all. Haven't tried it myself.

For oven roasting, I use about 1 tsp of olive oil per serving.

As others mentioned, an air fryer might be a good option if you are wanting a crispier outcome.

whmscll

Must you fry? There are a lot of other ways to cook food that avoid the oil from frying.