The best cooking oil contains healthy fats and nutrients, minimal unhealthy fat, and does not break down when cooking. Some oils are extremely healthy before they are heated, but the heating process turns them into toxic oils, destroying their healthy components.
Which Cooking Oils are Best for Baking, Deep-Frying, Stovetop Cooking, and Cold Food?
When cooking or baking, choose highly monounsaturated fats like olive oil, or saturated fats like butter.
When deep frying, avoid polyunsaturated fats, which form unhealthy trans fats when heated. The best high-heat oils (saturated fats) have a high smoke point, which prevents toxicity formation. Butter and palm kernel oil are high quality saturated fats. For stir-frying and stove-top cooking: use cold-pressed, unrefined oils such as unrefined olive oil, avocado oil, or sesame oil. For salad dressing: Use cold pressed, unrefined oil like extra virgin olive oil.
The Four Basic Types of Fat
Monounsaturated fats contain excellent health benefits and are best unheated, but could be used for cooking. Saturated fats are best for cooking at high temperatures and have the least potential to become toxic. Polyunsaturated fats are more complicated than the other types. Polyunsaturated fats are very healthy in their natural form (sunflower seeds, for example). When polyunsaturated fats are turned into oils, they have the potential to become toxic because, once heated, this type of oil creates toxic trans-fatty acids.Trans fats, hydrogenated, and partially hydrogenated oils are incredibly unhealthy and should always be avoided.
Best Monounsaturated Oils
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oils: Extra-virgin means the olives were pressed without heat, preserving antioxidants found in olives, EV olive oil is the highest quality olive oil.
- High-oleic sunflower/safflower oil: High-oleic means the seeds have been modified to contain monounsaturated fatty acid levels similar or even higher than olive oil. High-oleic oils extremely healthy, and a great alternative to extra-virgin olive oil.
- Avocado oil
Are Polyunsaturated Oils Unhealthy?
The more polyunsaturated fat an oil contains, the more toxic substances it will create when heated. The best oil to cook with one that has the least amount of polyunsaturated fat and the highest amount of saturated fat. Sesame oil is one exception because it contains many anti-oxidants and a large percentage of monounsaturated fat. Never heat poly-unsaturated oils. Common polyunsaturated cooking oils are regular safflower oil, regular sunflower oil, vegetable oil (soybean oil), and sesame oil.
Best Saturated Oils and Fats
Saturated fats raise good HDL cholesterol as well as bad LDL cholesterol. Saturated fats are the most heat stable, meaning they can be cooked at high temperatures without creating toxic compounds. Current research shows that saturated fats are healthier than polyunsaturated fats when heated because these toxic compounds are not formed. Popular saturated fats and oils are cocoa nut oil, butter, and palm kernel oil.
Types of Olive Oil
- Extra Virgin: This type of olive oil is the strongest in flavor and aroma, is cold-pressed, is made from olives immedietly after harvest, and is processed at room temperature.
- Extra Light: This type of olive oil is a refined oil that is light in color, odor, and taste.
- Olive oil: A mixture of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil, this is a very common refined cooking oil.
What is the Canola Oil Controversy?
Canola oil is a refined, monounsaturated cooking oil that has a high percentage of polyunsaturated fat. Opponents argue you should never use canola oil in any type of cooking, even low temperature cooking because it creates trans fatty acids and free radicals both of which are very harmful to the body.
Proponents argue that cooking oil in general should never be allowed to smoke as it compromises nutritional value and releases carcinogenic free radicals.
Benefits of Healthy Fats and Oils
Healthy fats and oils increase overall health and metabolism, reduce inflammation, and protect your heart. Choose cold-pressed unrefined oils whenever possible. Avoid heating oils to high temperatures. Avoid hydrogenated oils, which contain trans-fatty acids. A good cooking oil table will list the percentage of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated oils each type of cooking oil/fat contains, as well as vitamin E, Omega 3, and Omega 6 content.
Resources:
1. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, "Meta analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease". Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM (Accessed April 20, 2010).
2. US Food and Drug Administration "XII. Appendix D: Qualified Health Claims" (accessed April 21, 2010)
3. Nutritional Weight and Wellness, "Heart Disease & Inflammation" (accessed April 20, 2010)
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Danielle Flesher - Danielle Flesher is a freelance writer currently living in southern minnesota. Areas of expertise include environmental and energy issues, ...
