Pecan oil is pressed oil extracted from the pecan nut. Its overall flavor is neutral with a mild hint of pecan. It is edible and offers a wide range of benefits when you use it in your cooking.
Benefits of Pecan Oil
Pecan oil provides the best of both worlds. You get health benefits with an amazing pecan flavor. Pecan oil is one of the healthiest nut oils you can cook with. It contains a high amount of good fats or HDL and very low amount of LDL.
It has over 90% of unsaturated fats (50% mono and 40% poly). It also has a sufficient amount of Omega-9 fats. Its overall fat content is much lower than that of olive oil, peanut oil, corn oil, and butter.
It is important that your diet contains a perfect balance of healthy fats. The amount and type of fats in our diet are very critical. As much as consuming good fats is healthy, consuming unhealthy or excess fats are harmful. Pecan oil provides an excellent proportion of healthy fats.
Cooking with Pecan Oil
As we know that pecan oil has a lower fat content, it can make a great substitute for butter. Thus, you can use it for cooking and baking. Unlike butter, margarine, or pure ghee, you can easily store pecan oil at room temperature. So you don’t have to go through the hassle of melting it prior to use. You may need to adjust your recipe when using pecan oil instead of butter or other fats. For most dishes, you only need half the amount of pecan oil compared to butter or other oil.
Pecan oil can make great dressings, dips, sauces as well as many other great recipes. Not only are dressings and dips made with pecan oil healthier, but they also taste light and wonderful. You can mix homemade salads and sauces with pecan oil as a base.
High Cooking Temperature
Its high cooking temperature makes pecan oil safe and ideal to use for all types of cooking. You can use it to sear, sauté, grill, braze, stir fry, and deep dry foods. It has a smoke point of 470 F, which is higher than other cooking oils. Natural pecan oil high smoke point makes it optimal for deep-frying foods. The neutral varieties of pecan oil are best for high-temperature cooking.
Anti-inflammatory Properties
Pecan oil is rich in vitamin E, which has amazing anti-inflammatory properties. These benefits can help alleviate or prevent degenerative diseases. To find out more about the anti-inflammatory properties of pecans, click here.
Hair and Skin Care
Like other beneficial oils, pecan oil is not only limited to cooking. You can use pecan oil to moisturize dry skin. It is rich in Vitamin E and A, which can help keep your skin healthy. It is less comedogenic than coconut oil or olive oil, so it is suitable as an oil cleanser or moisturizer.
Use pecan oil to keep your hair smooth and soft. If you have dry hair, dandruff, or split ends, you can make great use of pecan oil. Rub some pecan oil on your scalp before a shower, or make a DIY hair mask with it.
It's easy to see why people are raving about pecan oil. All of the nutritional factors of pecan oil combine to form the most heart-healthy oil available, while maintaining the flavor, color, and quality that you demand.
