Older diesel engines are not that fussy - diesel, kerosene, some vegetable oils.

FWIW, the author is going on about Omega 6 fat in Canola, but saying olive oil is okay.  These are natural products and fatty acid composition varies, but Omega 6 levels in olive oil can typically be higher than the levels in canola oil.

Not in any charts I have seen. Canola is 21% omega 6 while olive oil is 9%.

dipkiwi:

 

FWIW, the author is going on about Omega 6 fat in Canola, but saying olive oil is okay.  These are natural products and fatty acid composition varies, but Omega 6 levels in olive oil can typically be higher than the levels in canola oil.

 

 

 

Not in any charts I have seen. Canola is 21% omega 6 while olive oil is 9%.

 

Data is all over the place - they are natural products, different types, grown in different climates, extracted using different methods etc.

I was looking at one chart showing canola at about 10% omega 6, olive at about 15%.

Here's a different chart - perhaps more accurate:

In that case, relative to other common cooking oils (ie safflower, sunflower, rice bran), then n-6 polyunsaturated fat content of olive and canola (rapeseed) are similar. To put it an other way, the author of the article included rapeseed oil with "bad oils" (in his opinion) and olive oil with "good oils" when his argument based on content of n-6 PUFA and total PUFA, but there's in non-scientific terms "bugger all difference" in composition.

What does it all mean?  I don't know.  I have a gut feeling only, that frying foods in oils high in PUFAs might not be too smart, perhaps extend that to roasting/baking when although the (PUFA) volume is low, there's a high surface area and often duration of cooking at high temperatures.

TwoSeven: Are you talking about fatty acids or trans fatty acids?

Natural fatty acids in general - not trans fats specifically.  That list above does identify a trace (0.14%) of a trans fatty acid (elaidic acid) in canola / rapeseed oil.  I understand that's probably from refining / deodorising process, and probably formed in other refined oils - but not identified in that chart. 

There's obviously big differences in fatty acid composition of those oils listed. Concluding as that article did, that this is linked to increasing incidence of certain cancers is dishonest scare-mongering to help a snake-oil merchant sell a book.

The oil extraction process of canola vs olive oil.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist.

Can someone tell me the refining process of making extra light olive oil. Obviously you can't use olive oil in whatever food you don't want to taste or smell like olive oil

MikeB4:

 

I  use lard or butter. When I am frying sausages I only use a small amount of water in the pan. Most meats we tend to grill or stir fry. We use a Wok a lot as we eat a lot of Asian food. 

 

I do as well, lard and dripping have a much higher capability of high temperatures, but need to me used in moderation - I usually use just enough to avoid sticking.  If I am cooking an egg or something that only requires low temperature, I will use unsalted butter and an egg pan.  If I do need to use a small amount of oil, generally I will use canola often just a desert spoons worth.

I tend to use a small risotto pan (saute with a lid) for stir fry and a searing pan for meat and things, but have started using my wok as well. I dont cook much in the way of carbohydrates (rice, pasta, noodles,  potatoes etc), so mostly vegetables, pulses, fruit and fresh protein.

For things like mushrooms that contain moisture I will use a dry pan so the mushrooms grill slightly and dry out , then I will add the sauce and flavour for them to re-absorb right at the end of cooking.

joker97:

 

Can someone tell me the refining process of making extra light olive oil. Obviously you can't use olive oil in whatever food you don't want to taste or smell like olive oil

 

"Extra light" is a meaningless term.

You could get an extra virgin oil light in taste and colour, but that's not what it's going to be if it's $10 for a litre bottle at the supermarket.

The "extra light" oil being sold will be a chemically processed refined olive oil, made from low quality oils and filtered / deodorised to remove off-flavours, free fatty acids etc, so it's suitable for use in cooking.  

If there's a benefit from olive oil, then it's probably from extra-virgin oils pressed/extracted from good quality olives, with naturally low free-fatty acid content, and possibly retaining other natural ingredients which may provide some health benefits.  It's expensive.  It could be that the famous "mediterranean diet" benefit isn't from the oil at all, but from the fresh vegetables, low animal fat, low red meat diet. 

I don't expect that cheap olive oil has any real benefit over canola oil (or other high monounsaturated / oleic acid oil). Cunning marketing and obfuscation has enabled the olive oil producers to charge a premium for it.