Friday, December 28, 2018

Things Every Home Cook Should Know About Claro Palm Oil

Potato Corn Balls

As a homemaker, I make sure that what I use in the kitchen and what I give my family will not be harmful to their health.

Just before I have gotten myself on a holiday vacation, I attended an event with mommy bloggers over an introduction on palm oil.

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit grown on the African oil palm tree.  But most of the palm oil in our market was sourced our from Malaysia. The fat that is squeezed out of the fruit from oil palm trees, is palm oil, also called "palm fruit oil."

At the event, the host showed us four stations in the room.  Each stations proved that not all cooking oils are the same, well, I guess we know that already.

Zeroing in on palm oil and the regular cooking oil we have grown accustomed with.  Each station have different cooking oil samples, unbranded or un-named, for us to test.

Before we proceeded, we were asked if we were familiar with it, or if we have used it already and we were also asked about our preference in cooking oil.  To be honest, I have never used any brand of palm oil yet, as I grew up with vegetable oil and olive oil, with Dona Elena being favorite brand.

The first station was to compare clarity.


Without excluding the factor of the air-conditioned room temperature, we can easily see a visual difference of the three different oils in the jars.

The first jar up front from the photo above has a darker yellow coloration but is clear and not cloudy.  The middle one seemed to be more clear and has a lighter color than the first one.  The last jar is cloudy, as it might have gotten cold.

Aside from this, the host asked as to smell each jar.  There are differences in aroma, one smelt a little fishy, while some doesn't have any odor at all, like the one on the middle.

The middle jar has Claro Palm Oil.  

Second station was to see the viscosity of  the three oils at room temp and how they compared to taste.  


Two kinds of cooking oil where put in a juice dispenser that had been being stirred, for us to see any changes while it is being stirred.  I guess this shows several factors affecting the quality when it is is being transported from one place to another, and the same in cooking procedures - if any of the oil somehow changes in the process of stirring.  There isn't any changes though, but they have dubbed the lighter in coloration as Claro Palm oil.

We were also asked to taste the cooking oil. 

I volunteered myself to try both, using a disposable spoon, I tasted a drop of both oil, Claro has a clean taste, well, it actually doesn't have any taste at all.

The other oil also has a neutral flavor but the texture is heavier or thicker.

Third is how the oils react to cold temperature


On the next station is a built in refrigerator and the jars of oils where put inside it.  I wasn't able to get the proper temperature, but I can tell it was cold.  On the photo above, the oil on the left side had gotten cloudy and sediments tended to build up on top and on the sides.

Studies conclude that almost all oils will become cloudy and eventually solidify at cold temperatures. Generally speaking, refined oils (such as regular olive oil or vegetable or seed oils) will solidify at a lower temperature than extra virgin olive oil. However, the time and the level of cold required to get to the solidification stage are greatly affected by the overall chemical compounds of the oil. These include the contents of the saturated fatty acid chains, like palmitic or stearic acid, that can change the melting-point of the triglycerides (the main constituent representing almost 98% of all oils and fats) and other compounds in oil as well as the presence of natural waxes.

Again the one on the middle is Claro, it does not congeal easily on cold temp, unlike other oils, making it easier to use even in cold regions, as you don't need to heat it up first.  I'm sure in one way or another you might have experienced your "mantika na natutulog."

Fourth station is the cooking test.


Three table-top stove, three pans half-filled with cooking oil and flour-coated chicken for frying.


After a few minutes, we can easily conclude the difference in the oil when heated.  some pans would have oil change darker in color as the chickens are being cooked.  This gives the chicken darker outer color too.

Compared to the two cooking oil, Claro Palm oil has cooked the first batch of fried chicken with less oil on it, and has a good crunch on the skin.

on the foreground is the first batch of fried chicken while
 the one on the forefront is
the second batch both cooked in Claro Palm Oil.

The other chicken cooked on different oil is oily while another one is dry.

Three other batches of chicken were cooked on the same pans.

As expected, the oil have gotten darker and most of the batter debri can be seen.   We noticed that Claro changed only a bit in it's coloration and still isn't dirty or bitter yet.  The three batches of fried chicken cooked in it, has the same texture, though the third batch were a bit darker the first batches.  While the other two pans, have gotten really stale and dark with lots of darker debri, adding to the bitter and pungent taste and odor of the oil.

The one on the middle has Claro Palm Oil

Of course, we tasted all the fried chicken.

And here is what I have deduce from all the different testings.


Why choose palm oil over commercial oils in the market:

1. Healthy Alternative

Palm oil is popular in processed foods as it is free from trans fats and contains natural antioxidants such as vitamins A and E.


2. High Smoke points


Unlike other oils, palm oil doesn’t break down or lose its nutritional value at high heat. With its high smoke point, it’s a smarter choice for grilling, frying or sautéing than olive oil.


Palm oil’s smoke point, the temperature at which it starts to burn and smoke, is in excess of 450 degrees Fahrenheit, much higher than other better-for-you oils. Olive oil begins to degrade at 380 degrees Fahrenheit, canola at 400 degrees and coconut oil at 347 degrees Fahrenheit


Palm oil is also extremely heat-stable, so it doesn’t break down into toxic chemicals when exposed to high temperatures.


3. Non-GMO


Palm oil comes from the fruit of the GMO-free oil palm tree, Elaeis guineensis, which grows in the tropics. These trees grow for nearly 30 years and produce bountiful quantities of oil-rich fruit. Squeezing the fruit releases a pure, red oil brimming with vitamin E tocotrienols and antioxidant-rich carotenoids


4. Trans-fat free


When an inexpensive chemical process called hydrogenation produces a shelf-stable alternative. Unfortunately, it also produces trans fats, considered by many doctors to be the worst fat you can eat.


Trans fats increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol. This contributes to the development of plaque which can clog arteries and make them less flexible. Trans fats also lower your HDL (good) cholesterol, reducing your ability to remove the plaque-forming cholesterol from your arteries. This combination increases your risk of developing heart disease. 


Malaysian sustainable palm oil is a better-for-you trans fat replacement. Palm oil’s unique composition can deliver the same qualities of partially hydrogenated oils without the unhealthy trans fats. Malaysian sustainable palm oil has a neutral effect on cholesterol, similar to olive oil. 


5. Very suitable in cold areas.


6. Has a neutral taste and odor, hence would not affect the flavor of whatever you'll be cooking

7.  Cost-effective



palm oil is a
very good deep frying medium and can be utilized for
multiple frying
Palm  oil  is  cheaper  in  comparison  to  any  other vegetable or seed oil.  Since palm oil is a very good deep frying medium it then can be utilized for multiple frying.

Before I end this post, let me also mention my recipe of Potato Corn Balls cooked in Claro.  After cooking all 2 dozens of these balls, the oil ended up with the same color as I first used it.  I could still use the same oil to cook more batches of these, however you would try making these for a few more batches, make sure to scoop out some of the debris from the balls as these might affect the quality of the oil.


It's high time to consider using Palm Oil in your cooking, and I would definitely suggest Jolly Claro.  

To know more about the brand, check out their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/JollyClaro/ it can be bought at any supermarkets and groceries.  Also available in honestbee.

4 comments:

  1. Nice post there are many natural oils like Pure Coconut Oil in Chennai for the strong and the healthy life. By using these kinds of oils can make your body fit and beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The natural product are always mostly benefits. From the natural plant seed to extract the natural oil for the strong health like Chekku Ennai in Bangalore for the better life.

    ReplyDelete

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