The first began to grow sunflower and use it for various household purposes Indians. The Spaniards brought it to the Old World from the American continent in the 16th century, and in the time of Peter I, this plant appeared in Russia. However, in our homeland, unlike in Europe, it was not consumed in food, and almost a century was grown as a decorative flower. Only in the first half of the 19th century in the Voronezh province they learned to make a remarkably tasty product from sunflower seeds - sunflower oil.
Oil has long established itself as a great antioxidant containing vitamins E and F, necessary for normal functioning of the endocrine and nervous systems, heart and liver.
Now housewives everywhere use both refined and unrefined oil. Depending on the type, the approach to the choice of this product and the features of its storage differ.
Choosing the right sunflower oil
If you need to buy refined oil, then everything is simple: choose a product that is transparent golden in color, without a strong odor, unpleasant taste and sediment on the bottom of the tank. The choice of unrefined option should be approached more responsibly. This sunflower oil is dark amber in color and has a wonderful aroma of sunflower seeds. During storage, this oil can form a small amount of sediment, but the bitterness in it should not be. Always buy oil only in containers of dark or opaque material and beware of untested home-made goods from private manufacturers.
Storage Features
General requirements when storing any kind of sunflower oil:
- This product does not like sunlight, because when it is exposed to oil, all the beneficial vitamins are destroyed;
- the oil negatively applies to both too low (less than + 5 ° C) and too high (above + 20 ° C) ambient temperatures;
- extremely undesirable contact of the product with metals and the ingress of water;
- For a long time, store the oil only in its original packaging or in glass containers;
- Do not store an open container with oil for more than a month, so that its vitamins do not disappear.
For unrefined sunflower oil, there are a number of additional requirements:
- This oil should be stored at a temperature of 5 ° C to 15 ° C, that is, in a fairly cool place, for example in a refrigerator;
- the product must necessarily be stored in a glass container, preferably dark;
- unrefined hot oil can be stored without opening the package for no longer than 10 months, and the first (cold) spin - no longer than 4;
- to preserve the quality of the oil for a longer period, several beans can be dropped to the bottom of the tank.
Always remember that if storage conditions are not followed, sunflower oil may not only lose its beneficial properties, but also become a health hazardous product.
