Everything you need to know about Vegetable Oil
There are two basic types of cooking fats in the world – vegetable oils and animal fats. “Vegetable oil” refers to a group of cooking oils that are made from plants or their seeds, flowers, nuts, fruits, etc through crushing/pressing. There are so many varieties of vegetable oils. Some of the more popular oils are- coconut oil, corn oil, olive oil, soybean oil, etc. But if you ever go to a store to shop for cooking oils and see a bottle of oil labeled “vegetable oil”, it’s probably Soybean oil.
Yes, by the term ‘vegetable oil’, we typically mean soybean oil, a light-colored and flavorless cooking oil. It is extracted by crushing dried soybeans.
Soybean oil has a smoke point of 400°F which makes it stable in high-temperature cooking. It contains healthy nutrients and fats like other plant-based cooking oil. These reasons made this oil one of the most common ingredients in both household and commercial kitchens.
In this article, you’re going to discover all about the nutritional value and health benefits of soybean oil. We shall also highlight how to dispose of used vegetable oil and how to recycle expired food grade vegetable oil.
Nutritional value
Vegetable oil (soybean oil) is a great source of protein and energy. It contains all the nine essential amino acids(histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine). The oil also provides omega-3 fatty acids which are quite rare in plant-based food. The oil is low in saturated fat and contains decent amounts of unsaturated fats. The fatty acids that vegetable oil contains are mostly polyunsaturated which makes the oil quite heart-healthy. It could also be the perfect addition to the food habit of vegan people.
According to USDA, Every 100 grams of vegetable oil contains 141 kilocalories, 12.35 grams of protein, 6.4 grams of fat, 11.05 grams of carbohydrates, and 4.2 grams of fiber. It is also a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and thiamin.
For all these nutritional values and many more health benefits commercial kitchens chose to rely on vegetable oil than other cooking fats.
Cooking with vegetable oil
Vegetable oil is versatile cooking fat. It can be used in different ways of cooking such as frying, baking, sautéing, and roasting. It has a mild, neutral taste and fits easily with any recipe, and lets the real taste of the food product come through. Vegetable oil contains a higher level of stability when it comes to high-heated cooking. It doesn’t lose its virtue or nutrition even at 400°F.
Statistics show, that businesses in the food & beverage industry such as restaurants, snack bars, and takeaways rely on food grade vegetable oil as their primary cooking fat. One of the main reasons behind its massive popularity is that it is always available and inexpensive compared to other cooking oils.
Health benefits of vegetable oil
To ensure a healthy body, it’s important to consume healthy fats while avoiding unhealthy ones such as saturated fats. Foods that contain a high amount of saturated fats often lead to different chronic health issues including heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer.
Vegetable oil contains a decent amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. It’s a proven fact that polyunsaturated fats such as omega-3 and omega-6 improve the level of high-density lipoprotein. They also decrease bad cholesterol therefore saving us from different cardiovascular issues. It is also dense with important micronutrients that are essential for the growth and metabolism human body. Consuming the right amount of vegetable oil regularly may also promote brain health.
Selecting the right type of cooking oil is important to lead a healthy and happy life. Vegetable oil contains almost all types of nutrient properties and different healthy fatty acids which is rare in any other cooking oil and makes the oil a perfect addition to a healthy diet.
When does vegetable oil expire?
Vegetable oil is extracted from seeds and has a fixed lifespan like the seed themselves. After this period, the oil starts to become rancid and taste worse. Normally, you can store the oil for up to 1 year at room temperature in dark and dry storage. But if you keep the oil in the refrigerator, it might just last a bit longer.
When your vegetable oil expires, don’t just throw them away or pour them into the sink. First of all, that is coded as illegal by the municipalities all around the USA. Secondly, expired food grade vegetable oil is not really a ‘waste product’. Used or expired soybean oils can be recycled into various usable and high-demand products such as biofuel.
How to dispose of used vegetable oil?
While running a busy commercial kitchen, a restaurant owner has to face many challenging situations. Dealing with used cooking oils is one of them. UCOs contain harmful and toxic elements which can harm the environment and also affect the plumbing system of a food establishment resulting in expensive sewer repair. For these reasons, it is forbidden to throw away used cooking oils in the trash or pour them into drains. Doing so will be considered as a violation of government rules and you’ll have to deal with a much bigger problem- citations!
Then, how to dispose of used vegetable oil?
Simple-
Recycle used vegetable oil with the Grease Company
The Grease Company is here to help you with the disposal of cooking oil. We’re a licensed IKG hauler (UCO collector) in California. We collect used vegetable oils, expired food grade vegetable oil, and yellow grease from restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias, supermarkets, etc. We’re highly trained and dedicated to make the used cooking oil collection process completely hassle-free for our valuable customers.
To dispose of your used vegetable oil or expired food grade oil, call TGC today. We shall set a schedule to inspect your commercial kitchen. After the inspection, we shall provide you with a UCO collection storage container (free of cost) and a storage facility that fits your need. Then, all you will have to do is store your used oil or expired food grade vegetable oil in the container and wait for our technicians to arrive and collect your used oil.
Got over 1000 gallons or pallets of used vegetable oil? Call the Grease Company today! We’re available 24/7
The Grease Company
One Stop Solution to Used Cooking Oil Collection
Are you looking for professional restaurant cooking oil collector? Call us NOW. Or email us with your details to get a free quote.
