Top Reasons to Cook with Rice Bran Oil
There it sits, loyally, in the corner of my kitchen: my Alfa One Rice Bran Oil from a New Zealand based company, Hansells Food Group. I've been using rice bran Oil for over 2 years now and happily recommend every other 'home chefs' to switch to using this particular oil.
What is rice bran oil
This Wikipedia stub has a comprehensive description of what rice bran oil is. To summarize:
- The oil is extracted from the rice germ and its inner husk
- It has similar composition to peanut oil: high in mono- and poly-unsaturated, low in saturated fats - the poly fat contains essential fatty acids
- It contains the antioxidant oryzanol (known to provide relief from hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms) and Vitamin E
- It has a high smoke point (and the antioxidant remains stable even when heated at its highest point (250C/485F) for up to 2 hrs)
My top reasons why I cook with rice bran oil
I was, prior to discovering rice bran oil, using olive oil, selected for its health benefits compared to other available oil such as vegetable oil. Although I remain convinced that olive oil is healthy, rice bran oil wins my favoritism. Here are my reasons:
- Taste. Rice bran oil is simply taste-less, so food cooked or made with it has no after-taste like vegetable or olive oil.
- Smoke-less kitchen. Pan-frying with rice bran oil is most satisfactorily because the food isn't easily burnt.
- Feel good oil. As it is low in cholesterol and high in antioxidant, I feel less guilty if I do make more deep-fried food in a week. Not only that, as it is light in viscosity - rice bran oil is more runny - less oil is absorbed in cooking, so less calorie there!
Price-wise, rice bran oil is slightly more expensive from canola or vegetable oil. But when it comes to the benefits it offers and the lack of after-taste, the price isn't an issue at all.
The Verdict
I highly recommend rice bran oil, even for those who are not after healthy cooking alternative. This is the one cooking oil (so far) that ensure great tasting food!
