When we make body care formulations, we choose specific oils and butters based on: consistency, absorption rate and skin type. The same is true for cooking. Fats, like those in culinary oils, are integral to our dishes, not just to keep food from sticking to a pan, but also to affect the final flavor, consistency and texture. Every oil has a unique chemical composition that makes it better at some things than others. To achieve your cooking goals, it’s important to understand culinary oils and fats.
Culinary oils are pressed and extracted from a variety of plant sources, including seeds, nuts and fruits, which means they bring widely different flavors and health benefits to your dishes. Some are packed with flavor and others much more neutral in flavor and come in refined and unrefined varieties, which may be advertised as raw, virgin or cold-pressed.
Years ago many local grocery stores only sold heat-refined, chemically extracted, bleached oils. These come from some of the most genetically engineered crops, including corn, soybean and canola oils. Most of the nutritional value has been stripped from the oils. Luckily, today we have so many other oil options, including unrefined and naturally refined culinary oils.
Undefined oils are extracted and then simply filtered to remove impurities, which means they retain much more of their nutritional value, but they aren’t as stable. Culinary oil options in mainstream grocery stores have skyrocketed in recent years. It began with olive oil and now there is avocado, grapeseed, sesame, hemp seed, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, walnut and coconut. Many of the highest quality refined culinary oils are now pressed and refined without using chemical solvents.
The smoke point of an oil is when it reaches its burning point. The smoke point varies greatly among oils, ranging from less than 250 degrees F to more than 500 degrees F. Oils with high free fatty acid (FFA) content are more susceptible to oxidative aging, become rancid more quickly and smoke sooner when heated. It’s important to know the smoke point of an oil is sufficient for the type of cooking you’re doing.
The more refined an oil is, the higher its smoke point will be. A higher smoke point gives an oil a wide range of uses because you can use it at higher temperatures to fry, grill, deep-fry and more. Naturally refined oils like coconut, grapeseed and sunflower have much higher smoke points, ranging from 400-500 degrees F.
Although there is growing evidence that saturated fats are not as bad as we all used to believe, recent studies show that replacing some saturated fats with polyunsaturated fat or nutrient-dense carbohydrates can be beneficial for heart health. Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil and flaxseed oil are excellent examples of oils with beneficial fatty acids.
If you want the flavor of a food to stand out without any accompanying flavors from oils, you may want to look for a neutral-tasting, naturally refined oil. Sometimes the flavor of an oil is integral to the dish itself. Storing them somewhere away from light and heat is key to keeping them tasting good.
Knowing the smoke point is important to retain the nutrients we want in our oils and avoid chemicals releasing free radicals. What oils should we be adding to our diet? The following are some safe cooking oils.
Grass-Fed Butter or Ghee: These are nutritious and are a source of healthy fat. They are primarily stable saturated fats and support your immune system and metabolic health. Margarine is not healthy and not recommended.
Grass-Fed Beef Tallow: This is a form of beef fat and is solid at room temperature and melts during cooking. It is rich in vitamins A, D, E and K and is great for the immune system and stimulates fat burning.
Avocado Oil: This is great because it’s high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and has one of the highest smoke points of all cooking oils, making it versatile and easy to use. It can help preserve vision and eye health.
High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Olives and olive oil are fantastic sources of healthy fats. Research has shown that both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats in olive oils may decrease the risk of heart disease. It may help to regulate blood sugar levels and help break down fatty acids. However, there are many fake olive oils because of profit. The Italian mafia controls most olive oil production and markets. Low-grade olive oils from other countries are brought in and sold as extra virgin olive oil (EVVO). Be cautious when you see that the oil has multiple places of origin because that is a telltale sign.
There are ways to tell if your olive oil is 100 percent authentic. First there is smell and taste as true olive oil should smell fresh, like grass or something fruity, and have hints of grass, fruit and almond when tasting it. Next, look at the batch date, which is not the same as the expiration date. The bottle’s label should have a “batch date”, ” bottled date” or “harvested date” that’s within 18 months. If it only has an expiration date, avoid it. Then you should pay attention to how it’s bottled, as it should be stored in a dark, cool place, so if the bottle is clear, stay away from it.
Read labels carefully because even if it says the olive oil was “packed” or “bottled: in a certain location doesn’t mean the olives were grown there or even that the oil was produced there. The label should also say “extra virgin” and avoid terms like “pure,” “light” or olive pomace oil.” You should also look for a third-party certification seal. You should also consider the price as bargain prices are a red flag. If you see EVOO made in Australia or Chile, buy it as it will be fresh and legit. These countries have stringent standards.
Some other great cooking oil options include: Virgin coconut oil (best heart-healthy fats out there and has a high smoke point); Grapeseed oil (doubles as a good source of both polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E, but don’t use in high-heat cooking); Walnut oil (high in omega-3 fatty acids and a wealth of powerful, health-promoting properties); Sesame oil (full of flavor and loaded with a good mix of both mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids); and Red Palm oil (has high smoke point and one of the top contenders for healthiest oil to cook with).