Why do TV chefs use so much oil in EVERYTHING

[boogieboogie]

I haven't owned cooking oil, olive oil or butter (god forbid Lard - I'm veggi) for actually... NEVER. Oil is slimey in the mouth and pretty discusting stuff yet chefs drown everything in it. You don't even need it to cook if you have a decent non stick pan.. What's the obsession with so much oil over everything: cook in it, put it in mash, on salad etc etc everything they make.. Do they have shares in the company or something. It's so bad for you also, do people enjoy eating so much grease?

[Buenchico]

Olive oil? Bad for you? You must be joking!! There's always been plenty of anecdotal evidence that olive oil reduces the risks of cancer, reduces heart disease, lowers blood pressure, keeps cholesterol levels low, assists digestive flow and helps those with mobility problems due to arthritis and similar problems.

More recently, there have been plenty of scientific studies which seem to support the anecdotal evidence. There appear to be no studies to suggest that olive oil presents any health risks whatsoever.

Chris
( . . and, no, I haven't got shares in the stuff!)

[WhiteBear]

why do chef touch/squeeze etc with the food? that puts me right off... it may look nice.... think of those who wears their rings, or have dirty finger nails..... sweaty palm ......yuck!!

[puddicat]

Olive oil and the med diet, its a good fat, obviously you dont over do it, you can get a spray type one, butter gives flavour and gloss, cooking oil dont use it really!!!

[Scarlett]

Olive oil and other oils are good for you. I buy "Good Oil" which is hemp seed oil, and have a spoonful a day! I also put it on salads and sometimes cook with it!

[whiffy]

Once we have increased the lifespan of everybody in UK, Europe, and Somalia, Chad, ect ect, there will then come the problem of feeding all these people, and disposing of all their waste, and hatreds. Chopping down the tropical rain forests just to make an extra bob or too.

Go out and get a fatty McDonalds. It is all that is left to you.

[boogieboogie]

Sure olive oil is good for you, on your dry skin and to dislodge ear wax.
I love olives and eat them. It must just be me who has an aversion to grease. You can't wash it off your fingers, it's slimey, I've retched when I've had a mouthful of oil and had to leave the table to vomit. Would you drink cooking oil? it's just the same.

[drsimon]

Chef's will say that olive oil is healthy as it is low in saturated fats and that is true BUT it is still a fat and is very high in calories.

It makes me so annoyed when chefs on the TV make a healthy salad then they ruin it by drenching it in olive oil - yuk!

We all need 'good fats' in our diet, but I agree with 'boogieboogie' that there does now seem an obsession with olive oil - it is a fashionable ingredient .

1 teaspoon (1tsp/5ml) of olive oil contains approximately 40kcal of energy purely as fat. so, 100ml of olive oil contains about 800kcal!!!!! (exact calorific value differs slightly depending on brand and origin)

If you Google this question about olive oil you will see a big article in the Mail echoing the concerns about the over use of olive oil by TV cheft. Olive Oil demands have gone up so much in the consumer market that olive grove growers are going out of business and olive groves are unable to get the water they need and die. Jamie Oliver has been targeted as the culprit for obsessive olive oil use, according to the Mail.

The problem is the ignorance of the public - Olive Oil sounds so healthy, after all it comes from a fruit but, it is loaded with fats which we should all limit in our diets. Apart from that, a nice fresh salad can be turned into an oil slick by dressing it with oil.