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Grape Seed Oil - The Tasty Oil with the Long Shelf Life
Grape seed oil is aromatic and a mid-yellow color. It has a light, slightly nutty flavor. It is a by-product of winemaking and a vegetable oil. Most grape seed oil comes from Italy and other producing nations include Argentina, Spain, and France. Grape seed oil was not popular until the 20th century because grape seeds contain less oil than other seeds, beans, and nuts. It is non-greasy, enhances the flavor of many dishes, and does not cloud when it is chilled. Grape seed oil has been used in European kitchens for centuries.
How is Grape Seed Oil Made?
Grape seed oil is made from pomace, which is the seeds, stems, and skins of the grapes used in winemaking. Pomace is usually discarded or used as compost, if not used for making oil. Pomace is environmentally friendly since it is a by-product of the grapes. Grape seed oil is not easy to extract because the grape seed is hard-shelled and tiny. It also contains only a small amount of oil (8%-12% of the seed). The hard shell means the seed is well protected from sulfites and agricultural sprays, so grape seed oil is unlikely to contain any chemical residues.
The pomace left over from the winemaking is dried. The grape seeds are then separated and cleaned. Next, the seeds are crushed in stainless steel mills. To extract the oil, the crushed seeds are put in a bath with an alcohol solution, which is heated until the alcohol evaporates. The shells and oil are left. The oil is filtered and purified with natural clay and steam.
Cooking with Grape Seed Oil
This oil is very good for sautéing, baking and making salad dressings, marinades. Grape seed oil is also used to make margarine. It has a smoke point of 420ºF so works well for deep frying, although to minimize splatters and the risk of burning, 360ºF is the recommended temperature for deep frying with this oil. Keeping the temperature to 360ºF also means that none of the good fats will convert to trans fatty acids. When frying with grape seed oil, just use it once.
Non-Culinary Uses of Grape Seed Oil
As well as being excellent to cook with, grape seed, oil is used as a carrier for aromatherapy oil, in after-sun oils, lip balm, hand cream, and body lotions.
Grape Seed Oil as an Earache Treatment
If you have an earache, mix 3 drops of grape seed oil with some garlic oil and pour it into the affected ear. Use olive oil if garlic oil is unavailable. Lie down on your side with the bad ear facing upwards for 20 minutes. Applying warmth is also good for earache, so after the 20 minutes, when you have mopped the excess oil from the outer ear, wrap a hot water bottle in a towel and apply this to your ear.
Organic Grape Seed Oil
Organic grape seed oil is guaranteed not to have any additives or chemicals. Since the grape seed itself is so hard-shelled, the risk of chemicals coming directly from that is minimal. Grape seed oil also lasts a long time thanks to its high vitamin E content, so preservatives are unnecessary.
Benefits of Grape Seed Oil
Grape seed oil is high in vitamin E, which means that not only is it good for you but it has a shelf life of over 2 years. It is also high in linoleic acid. It has also been shown to reduce triglycerides, which means your risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced, and help with impotence.
