FAQ
What are the benefits of culinary argan oil?
the fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamin E; the % of these healthy components are the highest of any edible vegetable oil. More info on benefits: infographic benefits and quality infographic
More info on the sustainable process
Why does Culinary Argan oil costs more than olive oil?
The whole process is much more time consuming than for any other vegetable oil. The collection of argan fruits is by hand, and not by a ‘tree-shaking machine’. The fruits are then dried to remove the outer ‘flesh’. Most tedious is the crushing of the argan fruit, by hand, every-nut-is-cracked-by-hand… Kernels are sorted, rigorous quality control, Artisanal roasted, continuous monitoring and assessing the process. Small batch production, cold pressed, highly filtered. The sustainable sourcing and the artisanal production is another benefit of argan oil, a very ‘green process’. To see the production process, where 30kg raw material results in 1 liter argan oil, click here. The argan tree, the tree of life as Berbers call it, is a very versatile tree, nothing goes to waste; the residue of the kernels is used to feed animals.
I'm allergic to nuts. What about Culinary Argan oil?
The Argan kernel is actually a stone fruit, just like peach, mango, cherry.
So no worries about nut allergy.
Why is there no first pressing quality?
Because it’s ‘one pressed and done’.. We produce artisanal, cold pressed, in small batches
What's the difference between Virgin and Extra Virgin?
the most relevant component: EVAO is much higher in Oleic Acid (omega 3)
What's the difference between Culinary and Cosmetic Argan?
for Culinary argan the kernels are roasted, than cold pressed. Cosmetic argan oil is not roasted
Is there a difference between the culinary oils available in the US?
Sure. The difference is in taste, quality, certification and sustainability. Ours is always best quality (EVAO), USDA 100% organic certified, artisanal made with continuous control of temperature, height and time. Compare it to processed beer versus handmade beer, with a master brewer. Our experts use all sensory tools: they can hear, smell and see the kernels; they know perfection. Also, we source sustainable, and the argan fruits are wild harvested and sundried. It’s expertise with love.
Could you use culinary argan on your hair and body?
Absolutely, but only if you love smelling like nuts.
Is it a cooking or a finishing oil?
It’s versatile, a mix of both, due to its smoke point. The smoke point, at 170 Celcius comparable to the best quality extra virgin Olive oil, is the deciding factor in cooking, so don’t wok or deep-fry with it since that requires very high heat. But you can bake with it; ‘baum cake’, in Japan was one of the first uses, and our chocolatier makes delicious chocolate bars with nuts and sea salt. In normal culinary use the smoke point is not a concern. There are three important temperatures to remember when cooking: Eggs and all ground meats must be cooked to 160°F; poultry and fowl to 165°F; and fresh meat steaks, chops and roasts to 145°F. See www.health.state.mn.us/foodsafety/cook/cooktemp.html :
Can you backup the benefits?
Of course. for independent scientific info regarding Argan oil please check out the abstracts of research on the ‘benefits’ section of the blogs on www.culinaryarganoil.com and www.sulanyc.com
Does roasting has an effect on the quality?
No, science has proven the quality stays excellent.
Is the oil vegan?
Yes. It comes from a tree and zero additions during the process.Pure as pure can be.
Omega's?
It is all about the balance between them. Our body needs food to extract omega 3; it can’t make omega without food. (linoleic is the fatty component); omega 6 is close to omega 3, and provides energy. The body can produce omega 9, important to reduce bad cholesterol.
Vitamin E and antioxidants?
Of all vegetable oils in the world, Argan has the most Vitamin E and is very high in antioxidants, both great properties for a healthy lifestyle. Prickly pear oil, cold pressed, has slightly more vitamin E, but it’s hardly commercially available as culinary and at exponential higher prices.
What about smoke point and flash point?
Smoke point is the temperature where oil goes bad while heating: every vegetable oil has a maximum temperature; for Extra Virgin Argan Oil it is about 170 Celsius /338 Fahrenheit. This is comparable to the best quality of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, about 183 celcius. Flash point is the temp where oil combusts and for vegetable oils thats not a concern at all; those flashpoints are far over 440 Fahrenheit.
How can you compare the nutty flavor of culinary argan to other oils:
-Think words like: gourmet/couture/connoisseur/gastronomic/epicure; so special.
Like saying ‘tomato paste’ instead of ‘ketchup’.
How do I know you are allowed to use the USDA seal?
check the USDA organic integrity database: https://organic.ams.usda.gov/integrity/Search.aspx
What does 'pharmaceutical grade' mean?
For Argan oil: a creative marketing term, so just nonsense really. There are 4 grades of Argan oil; Extra Virgin Argan Oil: EVAO(ours) is the best quality. Tested by lab, regulated by government.