- In short: Drought conditions and extreme weather in Europe have impacted olive crops, causing supply to dry up.
- As the price of international olive oil rises, chef Kirsten Bacon says are more affordable alternatives on the market.
- What's next? Recent rain may cause prices to trickle down after Europe's harvest at the end of the year.
Olive oil is a healthy staple item in most kitchens, used for everything from salad dressings to frying and baking.
But the cost of adding it to the shopping list has soared.
Australia imports around half the olive oil it consumes from Spain — the world's largest producer — but drought there has impacted crops over the past few years.
The price of extra virgin olive oil in Spain has increased by 71 per cent in the last year alone, according to the European Commission.
Extreme weather conditions have impacted crops all across Europe, to the point where olive growers have to protect their crops and warehouses from being robbed.
But fear not, chef Kirsten Bacon said there were some fantastic alternatives to the classic cooking staple.
Sunflower oil
Best for: Salad dressing, frying
Avg Price: $0.65 per 100ml
If you are looking for an alternative to your salad dressings, Ms Bacon recommends sunflower oil.
It can be used as a substitute for olive oil in the classic French dressing and can also be used for frying.
"You could use sunflower oil to pan fry a schnitzel but you would add a little bit of coconut oil or a little bit of sesame oil just to change up the flavour," Ms Bacon said.
Coconut oil
Best for: Frying, cooking
Avg Price: $1.20 per 100ml
"Coconut oil is great for frying anything … but you wouldn't use as much oil as if you might use with olive oil, so you would just shallow fry it," Ms Bacon said.
Coconut oil is available in both solid and liquid form.
Canola oil
Best for: Cooking
Av Price: $0.56 per 100ml
Derived from the rapeseed plant, canola oil is great for your cooking needs.
"For everyday cooking needs, canola and vegetable oil blends present a cost-effective solution without compromising on quality," Ms Bacon said.
"With smoke points comparable to olive oil, these blends offer a seamless transition in the kitchen, ensuring culinary excellence without breaking the bank."
Rice bran oil
Best for: Frying
Avg Price: $0.70 per 100ml
On supermarket shelves, you might not see a lot of rice bran oil, which is extracted from the outer layer of brown rice.
Ms Bacon recommends it for frying on high temperatures, but you shouldn't go over the top.
"It is quite a processed oil so use it sparingly," Ms Bacon said.
"The more processed, the less quality."
Sesame oil
Best for: Salad dressings
Avg Price: $2-3 per 100ml
Ms Bacon recommends mixing some oils — sunflower oil and sesame oil — to create a rich taste.
"Sesame oil, with its delicate nutty flavour and diverse culinary applications, offers an affordable alternative that brings depth and richness to dishes without the hefty price tag." Chef Bacon said.
"It's nothing like an olive oil flavour, but that's the beauty of it.
"Initially, it might seem an expensive oil but you need such a minimal amount."
Vegetable oil
Best for: Frying
Avg Price: $0.53 per 100ml
While vegetable oil is good for frying, Ms Bacon says it is not one she suggests.
"In Australia, vegetable oil doesn't really indicate what's in it … we know it doesn't have palm oil, which is great, but I tend to stay away from there when I can," she said.
"Vegetable oil is any oil that is derived from plants or seeds.
"Most of the vegetable oils sold in grocery stores are just soybean oil, corn oil, or a combination of the two."
When will it get cheaper?
It's harvesting season for Australia's olive growers and Robert McGavin is hard at work in his olive fields in Victoria.
Mr McGavin, who is the co-founder of Australia's largest olive oil producer Cobram Estate Olives, said that while poor weather has not had a detrimental impact on his crop, it has played a part in pushing prices up.
"We've had lighter crops than what we were expecting because it was hot, dry weather … and we've had a lot of wet, humid summers and raining all through flowering," Mr McGavin said.
"We won't get a good harvest until 2025."
Australian Olive Association chief executive Michael Southan said international prices may come down after Europe's harvest season at the end of the year.
"We may be seeing Spain come out of drought conditions, their production may be higher than what it's been and therefore see some pressure come off prices down the track," he said.
"But that'll take a bit of time for that to flow through."
LoadingLoading...https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy9ydXJhbC8yMDI0LTA0LTI3L29saXZlLW9pbC1hbHRlcm5hdGl2ZXMtd2hhdC15b3UtY2FuLXVzZS1pbi1jb29raW5nLzEwMzc2MTcxONIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDM3NjE3MTg?oc=5
2024-04-26 21:16:38Z
CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy9ydXJhbC8yMDI0LTA0LTI3L29saXZlLW9pbC1hbHRlcm5hdGl2ZXMtd2hhdC15b3UtY2FuLXVzZS1pbi1jb29raW5nLzEwMzc2MTcxONIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDM3NjE3MTg
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Alternatives to olive oil you can use in your cooking amid skyrocketing prices - ABC News"
Post a Comment