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Whenever we talk about Mustard Oil on this blog, we always emphasize the fact that it is a whole lot more than just a cooking medium. What is the primary function of a cooking medium? You heat the oil in a pan. The oil absorbs the heat and becomes suitably hot – it then uses this heat to cook or fry the ingredients that are placed in the oil. That’s why we use the term cooking “medium”. The oil acts as a heat transfer medium. That’s all it does.
But cold-pressed Mustard Oil does a lot more than just cook your food. It reinforces the nutritional value of the food you are cooking. It adds to the taste of the dish you are preparing. It accentuates the flavour of the spices that are tempered in it. Moreover, because Mustard Oil has a high smoking point (250oC) it retains the nutritional value of all the ingredients that are cooked in it – and also the potency of the many nutrients that the oil itself contains: vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and healthy fats like Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA), Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
There is another aspect that sets Mustard Oil apart. Unlike most other cooking oils, Mustard Oil delivers a wide range of health benefits. It protects your heart and the entire cardiovascular system. It prevents and fights infection within the body. It reduces bad cholesterol, increases good cholesterol, balances triglycerides, prevents hypertension and even protects you from certain types of cancers. No other cooking oil does all this – and that’s why we keep saying that Mustard Oil isn’t just another cooking medium.
In many cases Mustard Oil also preserves the authenticity of the dishes being cooked. For instance, traditional dishes from regions like Punjab, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal cannot be made without Mustard Oil. If you substitute Mustard Oil with refined oil, you will never be able to create the authentic flavour and experience that the dish is supposed to deliver.
So there you have it – a detailed explanation that underlines why we keep saying “Mustard Oil is a lot more than just a cooking medium”, over and over again.
