Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Wednesday's Helping: Pumpkin Seed Oil

A slick oil that’s a delicacy

This oil caught our eye on a recent visit to the grocery store. Pumpkin seed oil is considered a delicacy in several countries, such as Austria and Croatia where its use is comparable to how Italians use olive oil. An 8.5 oz canister of Roland’s brand name oil costs $10.99. The oil has a light to dark green color with hints of red when light passes through it. Expect a nutty flavor with this oil. Producers of the oil use the seeds of Styrian pumpkins. The seeds are lightly roasted and then cold-pressed. It takes the seeds of about 30 pumpkins to make one liter of oil. Cooks may substitute this oil for sesame seed oil or sunflower oil in salad dressings, marinades, or stir it into dips. We do not recommend using this oil for deep frying since it has a lower burning point temperature compared to better frying oils.

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