Introduction
Both olive oil and basting oil can be used for cooking purposes and both have healthy attributes.
Although both are used for cooking, they have their own unique features. You can even make basting oil at home if you have all the right ingredients and one of the main ingredients is olive oil or sunflower oil.
Since these two oils have similarities they are often compared and people wonder what is the difference between basting oil and olive oil.
To make things easier and help you decide better we are going to talk about both oils in-depth and hopefully give you a better insight
Source: missvickie.com
What Is Basting Oil Used For?
Basting oil is basically ordinary oil mixed with spices. This allows you to add more flavor to your dishes. This works best when you are roasting veggies or meat.
If you are wondering, is basting oil the same as olive oil then the quick answer would be no. Basting oil is more commonly known as Organic Basting Oil. The basting oil is considered gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan, and organic. It uses organic oil as the base and is mixed with parsley, garlic, thyme, and other flavouring agents. You can also find commercially produced basting oils on grocery stores. We recommend the Wegmans Basting Oil as a standard benchmark for basting oils.
Basting oil is primarily used when grilling or roasting meat. It ensures that the meat stays juicy, tender, and moist. You can also make different receipies from the basting oil. Oven heat can sometimes make the meat dry. Basting oil prevents it and instead adds more flavor to it since the oil itself is infused with different spices.
What Is Olive Oil Used For?
Olive oil is the oil we get by grinding or pressing whole olives. Olive oil is arguably the most common oil we use today. There are even two different types of olive oil. One is the extra virgin oil and another is the common olive oil.
Source: bicycling.com
The common Olive Oil is mostly used for regular cooking purposes such as sauteing, pan-frying, and salad dressing. It is iconic for healthy cooking because it is used to create food for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. As cooking oil Olive oils are brilliant, We recommend you replace your everyday cooking oils with Olive Oil for a healthy diet.
Olive oil is also used for the manufacturing industry and helps create liniments, commercial plasters, and soap. But in this article, we will be only focusing on its cooking attributes.
Basting Oil VS Olive Oil
Both the oils are healthy and effective. But as we previously mentioned, they have certain differences.
1. Flavor
Olive oil can enhance the aroma, flavor, and even taste of dishes. It can be used for both meat and vegetables and helps enhance the overall flavor.
With basting oil you will be able to further enhance the flavor since basting oil can be infused with other spices and herbs. For instance, when basting oil is created it is infused with different flavoring agents.
So if you want to bring in more aroma, taste, and flavor to your food then you can try using basting oil instead of traditional oil or olive oil
2. Health Benefits
Both oils are considered healthy. The basting oil is gluten-free, organic, and vegan. The flavoring agents are only there to enhance aroma and flavor and do not disrupt the healthy aspects.
However, olive oil is considered to be significantly healthier. It contains Monounsaturated Fats. According to Healthline.com, olive oil has 14% saturated fat.
Olive oil also contains large amounts of antioxidants that help prevent inflammation and fends off cholesterol. This makes olive oil very effective against heart diseases and strokes.
All these make olive oil a much healthier choice compared to basting oil.
Source: healthline.com
3. The Price
Your traditional olive oil is much cheaper than basting oil. The extra virgin oil can be a bit expensive but the traditional olive oils come at low prices.
For instance, if you take a look at the prices from Wegmans Food Markets you will see that the Wegmans Organic Basting Oil comes at $0.56 per fluid ounce. Whereas, the Wegmans Pure Olive Oil comes at $0.16 per fluid ounce.
The basting oil comes at a higher price because of the increased flavoring agents.
These are the major differences between olive oil and basting oil.
Frequently Asked Question
1. Is basting oil healthy?
Basting oil is healthy. It comes with flavoring agents but it has plenty of healthy attributes. The oil is gluten-free, vegan, completely organic, and lactose-free.
2. Can I use olive oil instead of basting oil?
Yes, you can. Olive oil can be used to baste a turkey, steak. You can also use it to grill and roast vegetables. It can easily be used as an alternative to basting oil.
3. Is it safe to fry with olive oil?
Olive oil is perfectly safe for frying. The smoke point of Olive oil is 210 °C or 410 °F which is ideal for frying. The heat also does not impact olive oils primary natural healthy attributes.
4. Is olive oil toxic when heated?
Heating does not toxicate olive oil. Although some of its antioxidants and Vitamin E may get reduced due to the heating process.
Conclusion
We hope we were able to help you narrow down the possible benefits of each oil. But in the end, it comes down to your preference.
Both the basting oil and olive oil are good options. The basting oil is mostly used when you want to grill or roast meat and veggies but the olive oil has more overall usage and more health benefits.
Source: saolive.co.za
If you are going to buy oil solely to enhance the flavor then go for a basting oil but if you want something healthier and cheaper for overall use then go for olive oil.
