If you’re looking for more ways to incorporate essential oils into your life, you may be thinking about including them in your kitchen. You may have heard that cooking with essential oils is a great way to take advantage of them. However, you also might also be wondering…does cooking damage essential oils? Do they lose their health benefits? Let’s figure it out!
Sometimes, essential oils can be as good as fresh herbs!
We know some essential oils are not only safe for human consumption but also add intense flavor to your favorite meals while promoting better health. The best essential oils we have found both for internal use and external use are Young Living essential oils as they make high quality natural oils with a wide variety of therapeutic properties, immune system support, and other benefits.
As a good rule of thumb, it’s always a good idea to check in with your doctor if you have any medical conditions before trying any new alternative medicines. That’s the safest way to know your natural product will actually benefit you in the long run.
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DOES COOKING DAMAGE ESSENTIAL OILS?
The answer to this question is yes and no. Although cooking with essential oils is a great way to take advantage of their medicinal benefits, cooking them at high temperatures is thought to strip them of some of their benefits by the end of the cooking process. There are different ways you can try to combat this without losing too much flavor.
One option is including more essential oils in cold recipes using wet ingredients, such as smoothies, salad dressings, or even ice cream. You can add some citrus oils such as a couple drops of lemon essential oil and lemon zest (or lime juice) to your salads for different flavors.
If you are making a stove-top recipe, such as a stir fry, you will want to consider adding the essential oil towards the end of the recipe to prevent it from dissolving through steam distillation.
When it comes to baking, you should generally expect to lose a little bit of the benefits. Making sure that the oils get evenly distributed can help prevent you from losing too much. However, it’s still believed that even baking is a great way to take advantage of the benefits of essential oils and their flavors!
That being said, it’s important to make sure that you are cooking safely with essential oils. How do you do that? Here is the best way:
There are endless possibilities for what you can do with essential oils.
Cooking Safely with Essential Oils
Choosing the right essential oils. When cooking with essential oils, the most important thing is to make sure that you are purchasing Food Grade essential oils. These essentials are approved by the FDA as safe for consumption.
You will also want to make sure that the essential oils you are using are 100% pure. This will not only ensure that you’re making the most of their benefits, but it will also prevent you from consuming other unwanted ingredients.
Using the right amounts of essential oils. You will want to make sure that you are using the right amount of essential oils in your cooking. Generally, you will use nowhere near as much of the oil as you would the actual ingredient. Since essential oils are highly concentrated, they are incredibly strong in flavor.
As a result, you should NEVER consume them directly from the bottle. You will always want to make sure that you dilute the oil first. Using only small amounts in your recipes will help prevent the flavor from being too overwhelming while still being a great addition to your food. Sometimes, one drop of oil is of your favorite essential oils goes a long way. In some cases, it might even prevent you from getting sick.
Choosing the right essential oils. Before using any essential oil in your cooking, it’s important to your research beforehand. While the majority of essential oils are safe to consume, some of them are not meant to be ingested. Fennel essential oil can cause women to experience seizures, for example.
Some of the essential oils which are considered safe to use include:
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