A light, neutral cooking oil pressed from the seeds left behind in winemaking — high smoke point, high in polyunsaturated fats.
A by-product of wine
Pressing grapes for wine leaves behind pomace — skins, stems, and seeds. The seeds, dried and processed, yield about 8–20% oil by weight. Italy and France are major producers, since both have huge wine industries supplying ample raw material.
Light, neutral, high-heat
Grape seed oil has a smoke point around 216 °C (421 °F), making it suitable for sauteing, stir-frying, and even shallow frying. Its flavor is light and almost neutral, which is why restaurants often use it for vinaigrettes and mayonnaise — it doesn’t compete with other ingredients.
Polyunsaturated profile
Grape seed oil is roughly 70% polyunsaturated fat, mostly linoleic acid (omega-6). That high PUFA percentage made it a darling of low-saturated-fat diets in the 1990s, but the same property also makes it less stable than monounsaturated-rich oils like olive or avocado — it oxidizes faster on the shelf and at very high temperatures.
Two extraction methods
Most grape seed oil is solvent-extracted with hexane (the standard for most refined seed oils), then refined and deodorized. A small premium category is expeller-pressed or cold-pressed, retaining more flavor and polyphenols but at lower yield and higher cost.
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Grape Seed Oil starts with G and ends with L. Browse other foods along the same letter.
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