My Cooking Oil Guide

Do you ever wonder what oil to use in cooking? Baking? Grilling?  I get asked this question a lot, as there are so many options these days.  Here, I'll share my 'go-tos' as well as my 'nevers'.

For high-heat stir-frying, grilling, and baking, I like to rotate between avocado oil, unrefined coconut oil, ghee, duck fat, butter, and palm fruit oil.  

In baking, I generally prefer unrefined coconut oil or just plain butter (grassfed, of course).  Ghee also works in baking quite well.  All of these can be gently melted for a liquid consistency that's easier to mix in with other ingredients.

If I ever do any deep frying (which is seldom to never), I choose expeller-pressed peanut oil.

For lower-heat sauteing or use in dressings and marinades, I like cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.  

And for occasional use, expeller-pressed sesame (or toasted sesame), grape seed, or sunflower oil.  

Oils I never touch include margarine, vegetable oil (including spreads), safflower, cottonseed, soybean, corn, or even canola oil!  Also, stay clear of any non-expeller-pressed oils of any kind.

So what is my reasoning you may ask?  It is a 2-part answer boiling down to:
-How the oil will be used 
-How the oil was made

When certain oils (vegetable, corn, soybean, canola) are heated at high temperatures, they can create harmful oxidation byproducts called aldehydes.  Aldehydes have been found to cause inflammation in the body in clinical studies.  Inflammation, which over time, can lead to heart disease, some cancers, and even Alzheimer's.  High-temperature cooking also destroys any antioxidant properties the oil may have (olive oil).  
The best fats for cooking, grilling, and baking at high temps are saturated fats.  See coconut, duck fat, butter, ghee...These fats are more stable, have a higher smoking point, and create much lower levels of aldehydes.


Secondly in the manufacturing of oils, the less expensive way to process them and extract the oils from their fruits, nuts, and seeds is with chemical solvents (often hexane) and continued exposure to high heat, light, and oxygen.  Even trace amounts of hexane found in the finished product can be a detriment to health. This method would also destroy any natural antioxidants, such as Vitamin E contained within the oils.   

Cold-pressed and expeller-pressed oils are not extracted this way, but rather through a mechanical process that physically 'presses' the oils from their seeds or fruits.  This method garners less oil than the chemical solvent extraction method, which is part of the reason these oils cost more; even though it is a cleaner process, it is also less efficient for the producer.  

Recently NPR broadcast a story on 'counterfeit' oils, specifically olive oil. Apparently some producers of OO (in this story, from Italy), have been caught selling a product that is only partially real olive oil; one that was tested and found to be over 50% soybean oil!  The consumer's best defense here would be to look for oils that have a single country of origin, rather than oils from mixed locations.  It still isn't a guarantee, but the risk is reduced.

Lastly, remember to read labels of packaged products, i.e. baked goods, chips, hummus to see what kinds of oils your favorite brands are using as well.  It may change your mind about consuming them!

Resources:
Jimenez-Colmenero, F., Carballo, J., Cofrades, S. (2001). Healthier Meat and Meat Products: Their Role as Functional Foods. Meat Science Vol. 59 (1). pp 5-13.

Bendini A., Cerretani, L., Carrasco-Pancorbo, A., et al. (2007). Phenolic Molecules in Virgin Olive Oils: A Survey of Their Sensory Properties, Health Effects, Antioxidant Activity and Analytical Methods.  An Overview of the Last Decade. Molecules Vol. 12 (18). ​pp 1679-1719.