There are so many options when it comes to cooking oils. If you apply heat to the oil you will have to look for an oil with a high smoke point. At a certain temperature oils will break down, oxidize and release free radicals which you don’t want to happen.
The more it is processed the more it gets away from what nature gave us. That would eliminate most vegetable and seed oils from your kitchen. Think sunflower, canola, corn, soybean, cottonseed oils etc. These oils are extracted using a chemical solvent. After that they are further refined and its structure chemically altered. Until recently these oils were touted as heart healthy but please stay far away from them. They are mostly polyunsaturated fats, loaded with omega 6 of which we get WAY too much in our western diet. Overconsumption of omega 6 has been linked to chronic inflammation, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer.
Instead, choose an oil that is unrefined using a process to preserve most of its nutritious benefit. On oil that is crushed or cold-pressed without the use of chemicals. A monounsaturated fat containing lots of heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids or even certain saturated fats should be your first and only choices of cooking oils. Even though the American Heart Association still advises against saturated fats in your diet, we know that they are notoriously slow at changing some of their ancient beliefs. In fact they still recommended margarine for a healthy heart before butter! I guess you can’t believe everything is healthy just because its package displays that heart-check mark. And by the way, I don’t think cholesterol is the culprit! But more on that in another post…
Without further ado here’s the list of best cooking oils:
Olive Oil (extra virgin, first cold pressed):
Monounsaturated, medium smoke point so don’t use for sautéing, beware of fake oils (adulterated, mixed with other types of oils), contains antioxidant and is heart healthy.
Coconut Oil:
Saturated (but does not contain cholesterol if that is a concern), raises LDL but also raises HDL, may aid in weight loss, high smoke point, can be used as a carrier oil for other uses such as body oil, teeth etc
Avocado Oil:
Mix of mono and polyunsaturated fats, high smoke point, anti inflammatory, contains antioxidants and is heart healthy.
Butter/Ghee:
Saturated, high smoke point, flavourful
Other great, healthy fats and oils you can use for cooking are Almond oil, Macadamia nut oil, Peanut oil, Sesame oil, Duck fat, Tallow and Lard. These may be less available or used in different circumstances because of their distinct flavours but nonetheless heart healthy.
It’s best to buy oil in a glass bottle and ensure to store it in a dark location for a longer shelf life. It’s very important that the oil you buy is unrefined. Even coconut and olive oil, if the label says refined, stay far away from it. Bon appétit.
