The term salad oil is generally reserved for those products that remain substantially liquid at refrigerator temperatures. It remains clear at refrigerator temperatures.
Salad oil is clear, light colored vegetable oil. It can be poured, metered and pumped. Salad oils are made from canola, olive, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut, safflower and form partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
Products labeled as salad oil have been winterized – exposed to low temperatures for a period of time and then filtered. This keeps them clear when they are stored in the refrigerator.
Sunflower and sesame seed oils are good natural salad oils, but they are not produced in great quantities as at the present times. Sunflower is a premium salad oil because of its light color, bland flavor and a high concentration of linoleic acid.
The primary use for salad oils is for making salad dressing. Traditional salad dressing, some of which are emulsified, consists of a two phase system of oil and water with 55-65 percent oil.
A salad oil coats the salad ingredients, spreading the flavor of the dressing that improves the palatability of the salad.
Other uses include deep frying, pan-frying, griddling and some types of baking. Salad oil also used in mayonnaise and thick salad dressing
Salad oil may be used as cooking oil, but cooking oil cannot be used as a salad oil.
What is salad oil?
