Salad Oil Vs Vegetable Oil: Can I Use Vegetable Oil For Salads?
Are you confused about which oil to use in your salads?
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Will you opt for some classic vegetable oils or is there a particular type called salad oil?
Don’t worry, in this blog post, we’ll clear things up so you can make the best choice for your salads by distinguishing between salad oil and vegetable oil.
Let’s check it out!
What is special about salad oil?
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There is no definition or specific kind of oil called salad oil.
It just refers to different types of oil that can be used in salads.
Normally, salad oil is used as a dressing for a green salad.
The recipe can also call for other dressings like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar depending on personal preference.
However, if your salad already contains oil, it usually doesn’t have a creamy dressing like mayonnaise.
Olive oil is one of the most popular types of salad oil.
You can also opt for canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and any other light-tasting vegetable oil for your salads.
Dressing salads with a bit of oil will make the dish a little creamier, appetizing, and help blend the flavor well.
What is special about vegetable oil?
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Vegetable oil is the oil that is extracted from different parts of the plant, like seeds, nuts, fruits, or cereal grains.
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Vegetable oil is a common substitute for animal fats (lard or tallow) and butter.
It is often sold in large containers and can be found in any grocery store or supermarket.
Vegetable oil has a high smoke point, making it ideal for cooking methods like baking or deep-frying.
Some light-flavored vegetable oil can be used for salad dressings too.
What are the differences between salad oil and vegetable oil?
Since some types of vegetable oil are actually salad oil, it might be confusing to compare these two types of oil.
Therefore, the table below is meant to help you distinguish between salad oil and other types of vegetable oil that are not used for salad dressings:
Salad oil | Vegetable oil | |
Nutritional value | Often healthier (contain more vitamin E, omega-3, omega-6,…) | Vegetable oil is oxidized when heated (trigger inflammation, increase the risk of heart health) |
Smoke point | Lower | Higher |
Main purpose | Dressing salads | Cooking (baking, deep-frying, sauteing,…) |
Price | Higher | Lower |
What are the similarities between salad oil and vegetable oil?
So here are the similarities between salad oil and vegetable oil that make you use them interchangeably sometimes:
Salad oil and vegetable oil can be one thing
As already mentioned, light-tasting vegetable oil is a great option for salad dressings.
In this case, vegetable oil and salad oil are just one thing.
For example, you will have sunflower oil, canola oil, walnut oil, or peanut oil that can be categorized as either vegetable oil or salad oil.
Salad oil and vegetable oil are rich sources of unsaturated fats and some essential nutrients
Another thing in common between salad oil and vegetable oil is that they are both rich in unsaturated fat which is the healthiest type of fat.
However, unsaturated fat oxidizes when heated and turns bad, so it doesn’t mean that consuming a lot of oil, especially vegetable oil, is good for your health.
Salad oil and vegetable oil also contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that are beneficial to our health if properly consumed.
Salad oil and vegetable oil can easily be found in any grocery store or supermarket
The last thing in common between salad oil and vegetable oil is that they are widely sold on the market.
You can find a small bottle to a large container of whatever type of oil at any grocery store or supermarket.
They can be labeled as a salad oil, vegetable oil, or a specific name like olive oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, or canola oil so that customers don’t need to spend more time on figuring out what the main ingredient of this type of oil is.
Which one is better?
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It actually depends on your purpose and the type of oil that you have bought.
Vegetable oil can be used as a salad oil, but not all of the varieties.
No matter which type of oil you choose, be sure to differentiate between cooking oil and salad oil so that your salads will always be delicious and healthy.
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